Winter 2018

Inside This Issue

• Greetings from the Chair
• Meet LPC's Newest Member
• Landmark Designations
• New on the Commission's Calendar
• Mapping Our History and Buildings

These last three months have been teeming with activity. I am so proud of what we've accomplished. The Commission designated 7 landmarks, including the IRT Powerhouse, a monument to New York City's first successful subway system. This was quite a feat for the LPC as it had been on the calendar for decades. We also landmarked sites that represent the diversity of the city, from residences in the Colonial Revival style popular in the early 1900s (the Huberty House in Brooklyn) and the Stick style, which was more prevalent in suburban and rural cities in the late 19th century (the Booth House on City Island) to Civil War era commercial buildings associated with prominent 20th century artists of the New York School (827-831 Broadway) that represent the pivotal era in which post-World War II New York City became the center of the art world. You can read more about our landmark designations below.

We have continued to look in areas being rezoned for preservation opportunities, and calendared 4 properties in East Harlem that together reflect the historic development of the neighborhood, including the First Spanish Methodist Church in East Harlem, which is historically significant for its association with the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group formed from the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Commission also calendared 550 Madison Avenue, or the former AT&T Headquarters, considered a postmodern icon and one of the most recognizable buildings in the Manhattan skyline, and an extension to the Boerum Hill Historic District. Read more about all the new items on the calendar below.

The Commission has made great strides in making our information more accessible to the public. On December 18, we launched a new, enhanced version of our interactive map Discover NYC Landmarks that allows for a greater appreciation and understanding of our city's rich architectural and cultural heritage. For the first time, it includes detailed information on each of the nearly 34,000 historic buildings within our 141 historic districts. Read more about how we are mapping our history below.

I am pleased to announce that the Mayor has appointed Anne Holford-Smith to serve as a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, filling the vacancy on the Commission. Commissioner Holford-Smith is a partner at Platt Byard Dovell White Architects and well-known for her work in the fields of architecture and historic preservation. Read more about her below.

We look forward to a great 2018 as we continue to protect New York City's architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites.

Sincerely,
Meenakshi Srinivasan

Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed Anne Holford-Smith to serve as a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Anne is a partner at Platt Byard Dovell White (PBDW) Architects. During her 20 years at PBDW, she has completed multiple major preservation projects, as well as master plans and new commercial buildings. She directed the award-winning work at the Cooper Union Foundation Building, the Appellate Division Courthouse, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Knox Building, the Gould Memorial Library at Bronx Community College, and recently completed the expansion of the Green-Wood Cemetery Chapel, and the restoration of the Cemetery's Gatehouses and the Richard Upjohn Caretaker's Cottage and Residence, which received a Lucy G. Moses Project Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Anne has also lectured on preservation projects at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Northeast Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology (APT), and at the 2002 Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI) conference, among others. Prior to her work at PBDW, she worked for Helpern Architects and Slomanson Smith & Barresi Architects. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from the Pratt Institute.

LPC designated 7 individual landmarks during the last quarter of 2017. From industrial and commercial buildings to single family homes, these new landmarks represent the diversity and rich history of New York City.

On December 5, 2017, the Commission designated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) Powerhouse, now Consolidated Edison Powerhouse, at 855-869 Eleventh Avenue in Manhattan as an individual landmark. Occupying the entire block bounded by Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues, West 58th and 59th Streets, this mammoth structure was the largest powerhouse in the world upon its completion in 1904, and is considered the most monumental building associated with the subway system in New York City. The building continues to play a vital role in the city's utility infrastructure as a steam and electric generating plant serving hundreds of Manhattan buildings including the Empire State Building and the United Nations. Read more about it here.

On December 5, 2017, the Commission also designated as an individual landmark the Empire State Dairy Company Building and Complex at 2840 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Built between 1906 and 1915, these industrial buildings, which take up a full block of Atlantic Avenue between Schenck and Barbey Streets, represent the history of the neighborhood and the milk industry. Read more about it here.

On November 28, 2017, the Commission voted to designate the Samuel H. and Mary T. Booth House at 30 Centre Street on City Island, the Bronx. The Booth House, built between 1887 and 1893, is a fine example of the Stick style, which was popular in the late 19th century in suburban and rural cities. It was designed and constructed by Samuel H. Booth, one of City Island's most prolific contractors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Read more about it here.

On November 28, 2017, the Commission also voted to designate another house on City Island, the Captain John H. Stafford House at 95 Pell Street. The Stafford House, a remarkably intact Sears "mail-order" house built in 1930, reflects the pattern of suburban-style residential development that occurred citywide during the early 20th century and represents an important period of technological and social innovation in the history of American housing. Read more about it here.

On October 31, 2017, the Commission voted today to designate 827 and 831 Broadway in Manhattan as an individual landmark. The twin Civil War era commercial buildings were designed by Griffith Thomas and built in 1866-67. The pair historically housed the workshops and showrooms of manufacturers and retailers, and gained considerable cultural significance after World War II when a succession of prominent Abstract Expressionists including Willem de Kooning, Elaine de Kooning, Paul Jenkins, Larry Poons, Jules Olitski, and Herbert Ferber, and the curator William S. Rubin, lived and worked there. Read more about it here.

On October 24, 2017, the Commission voted to designate the Peter P. and Rosa M. Huberty House, located at 1019 Bushwick Avenue in Brooklyn, as an individual landmark. Constructed in 1900 during the early years of the Colonial Revival style's popularity in the United States, the Huberty House contributed to the development of Bushwick Avenue as one of Brooklyn's most prestigious streets, and is a striking reminder of the avenue's historic character. Read more about it here.

On October 17, 2017, the Commission voted to designate The Salvation Army National and Territorial Headquarters, located at 120-130 West 14th Street, Manhattan, as an individual Landmark. The Art Deco headquarters building opened in May 1930 as the centerpiece of the Salvation Army's Golden Jubilee National Congress, in celebration of 50 years of mission work in the United States and the Army's contributions to American society. Today, it continues to serve the needs of this important organization. Read more about it here.

During the last quarter of 2017, the Commission voted to calendar 9 buildings as individual landmarks, 1 interior landmark and 2 historic districts. These proposed landmarks, which include buildings in Madison Square North and East Harlem, are now under consideration for designation by the Commission and can move forward in the process.

Hotel Seville, now the James New York, at 22 East 29th Street, is a Beaux-Arts style Hotel building designed by Harry Allan Jacobs and built in 1901-04 with an annex designed by Charles T. Mott and built in 1906-07. Read more about it here.

The Emmet Building at 95 Madison Avenue is a 16-story Neo-Renaissance office building designed by Barney & Colt for Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet in 1912. Read more about it here.

The National Society of Colonial Dames in New York State Headquarters at 215 East 71st Street is a four-story brick and stone headquarters and house museum in the Colonial Revival style, designed in 1929 by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. The intact interiors reflect the Colonial Revival style, as well. Read more about it here.

The Richard Webber Harlem Packing House at 207-215 East 119th Street is a six-story Romanesque-Revival former meat market building, designed by Bartholomew & John P. Walther and built in 1895 for the Richard Webber Harlem Packing Company. Read more about it here.

Public School 109 (now El Barrio's Artspace P.S. 109) at 215 East 99th Street is a Collegiate Gothic style former Public School building designed by Charles B.J. Snyder, constructed in 1899 and rehabilitated in 2015 as an affordable housing complex for local artists. Read more about it here.

The Benjamin Franklin High School (now the Manhattan School for Science and Math) at 260 Pleasant Avenue-aka 500-528 East 116th Street - is a 1942 Georgian Revival School built to house an experimental community-centered high school started by the pioneering educator and sociologist Leonard Covello that is representative of the social and political engagement of East Harlem in the 20th century. Read more about it here.

The First Spanish Methodist Church (aka the People's Church) at 163 East 111th Street is a church constructed in 1881, which is historically significant for its association with the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group formed from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Read more about it here.

The proposed Central Harlem - West 130-132nd Street Historic District is located between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The streetscapes contain a cohesive collection of intact late-19th century row house architectural styles, and the area is rich with significant African American cultural history, from the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights movement. See map here.

550 Madison Avenue (the former AT&T Corporate Headquarters Building later Sony Building) is a granite-clad skyscraper designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and built between 1978 and 1984 as the AT&T Headquarters Building. It is considered an icon of postmodern corporate design and one of the most recognizable buildings in the Manhattan skyline. Read more about it here.

The Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh at 209 Havemeyer Street - aka 257 South Fifth Street - is a two-story, neo-Classical bank constructed in 1906-1908 and designed by prominent Brooklyn architects Helmle and Huberty. Read more about it here.

The proposed Boerum Hill Historic District Extension would cover three additional areas bounded by Dean Street, Nevins Street, Atlantic and Pacific Avenues. See map here.

To promote greater awareness of New York City's landmarks and historic buildings, LPC launched an interactive story map to highlight the landmarks associated with women's suffrage and a new enhanced version of its Discover NYC Landmarks web map to include building-by-building information for all of our historic district buildings throughout the city.

On November 2, 2017, the Commission launched NYC Landmarks and The Vote at 100, an interactive story map commemorating the centennial of women's suffrage in New York State through the lens of New York City landmarks. With this map, you can learn the history of more than 40 designated sites associated with the advancement of the suffrage movement for American women. The story map features text, photographs, maps and video that weave an account of the movement in a seven-part narrative that includes sections on the mainstream movement and well as the specific contributions of young insurgents, labor activists, and African American suffragists. Read more about it here.

On December 18, 2017, the Commission launched a new, enhanced version of its interactive map Discover NYC Landmarks that for the first time includes easily accessible and detailed information on each of the nearly 34,000 historic buildings within the City's 141 historic districts. This release complements the map's existing information on the more than 1,400 individual landmarks, and provides an unparalleled resource for understanding and exploring the city's built heritage. Read more about it here.