Little information was available at public review regarding foundation depths of neighbors and other details needed when considering the excavation of the cellar of an 1840s rowhouse.  If the excavation is necessary, HDC asks that the area of work be pulled back from the foundation walls, as has been done in other similar projects so that underpinning of the neighbors is not necessary.

Item 7
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
135893- Block 1150, lot 28-
116 St. Mark’s Avenue – Prospect Heights Historic District
A neo-Grec style carriage house with a Second Empire style elements built c. 1886. Application is to construct a rooftop addition.

HDC finds that this proposal adds an awful lot of visible bulk to this 1880s carriage house, and we ask that it be reduced.  The roofline could be minimized by eliminating the pitched roof piece.  Metal or another material other than wood should be considered so that whatever is visible resembles traditional rooftop accretions.

PM Item 1
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
136849- Block 295, lot 29-
364 Henry Street and 129 Congress St – Cobble Hill Historic District
An Italianate style rowhouses built in 1852-53 and two-story brick stable building built c. 1860. Application is to alter the facades, construct rooftop and rear yard additions, install a stoop, bay windows, light fixtures, roof deck, a metal fence, alter window openings on the stable

While some of the details proposed, such as the dog leg stoop, entrance hood, and bay windows, are things HDC advocate for on other buildings, we only do so for buildings that historically had these features.  364 Henry Street is a handsome, if simple, Italianate style rowhouse, the corner building of six sister buildings.  As the tax photo shows clearly, the proposed alterations are too grand for this house and would disconnect it from the rest of the row.

HDC finds most of the application to be as over the top as the proposed façade alterations.  From the extensive excavation to the readily visible rooftop top addition and most of what is in between, the project asks 364 Henry Street to be something it is not.  Instead, a proposal needs to be crafted that celebrates and highlights the character of this building and its row.

Item 24
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
138160- Block 1150, lot 48-
140 West 79th Street – Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District
A neo-Tudor style apartment building designed by Rose & Goldstone and built in 1913-1914. Application is to legalize the installation of windows without LPC permit(s) and establish a Master Plan governing the future installation of windows.

Divided-light windows are a very important element of the neo-Tudor style, as exhibited in the lovely historic photos of this building.  HDC asks that the Commission not legalize the removal of the original windows, and further, that it not allow for a master plan based upon this practice.  Master plans should move buildings closer to their original design, rather than compromise them.  Instead, HDC asks that a plan for divided light windows, one that retains the character of the building if not matching the original, be devised.

Item 4
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
139332- Block 1930,1940, lot 1,4-
325-365 Clinton Avenue – Clinton Hill Historic District
An apartment building complex designed by Harrison, Fouilhoux & Abramovitz and built in 1942. Application is to establish a master plan governing the future replacement of windows.

Although they seem to have been replaced since then, this building had a majority of its historic casement windows at the time of designation.  The casement windows are an integral aspect of the building’s design, and the building and district would benefit from their reappearance in the form of thermally broken steel casement windows, which are available now.  A master plan presents the opportunity to move this building in the direction of its original form, not to institutionalize a poor replacement choice.

Item 27
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
140048- Block 1408, lot 59-
134-136 East 74th Street – Upper East Side Historic District
A Modern style house with a commercial ground floor, originally built in 1871-75 as two rowhouses, with subsequent alterations in 1920, 1928, and 1930. Application is to construct a rooftop addition, alter the rear façade, excavate the cellar, install rooftop mechanical equipment, and alter the front façade and areaway.

134-136 East 74th Street is an interesting example of a rowhouse “reborn” in the early decades of the 20th century.  While most of these types of redesigns on the Upper East Side resulted in neo-Classical and other revival style townhouses, the two rowhouses here were combined into one building resembling artists’ studios and which the designation report describes as “Modern style.”

The commission has approved new mansard roofs before, but only when the building’s style and design has allowed for such an addition.  This 1920s studio-type building is not one of those types.  It should also be noted that 134-136 is already the tallest building on the block and that its considerably sized window openings already give it the sense of being much larger than its neighbors.  The mansard roof would not only be out of place on this building, it would also make the house out of place on its block.  A skylight-styled addition, pushed back from the front would be far more appropriate.

Other proposed elements and alterations also are not sensitive to the character of this distinctive building.  Although combined into one house in the 1920s, the redesign did retain an entrance at each structure’s base.  This recollection of the building’s origins is something the commission requests in projects that combine buildings now, and this historic example should be retained.  The very tall fence proposed would be an unfortunate addition to a block with few such intrusions.

134-136 is a unique addition to the streetscape of East 74th Street, and any proposal for alterations should protect and enhance its character.

Item 12
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
140326- Block 485, lot 25-
85 Mercer Street – SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A neo-Grec/Italianate style store building designed by Robert Mook and built in 1872-73. Application is to demolish an existing rooftop and construct a new rooftop addition.

If an existing rooftop addition is to be replaced, it should be with a better addition, preferable one that is less visible.  Unfortunately, that is not the case in this proposal.  HDC asks that the new addition be rethought in order to minimize its visibility.

Item 20
ADVISORY REPORT
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
142592- Block 1111, lot 1-
Grand Army Plaza  – Central Park, Scenic Landmark
A plaza originally established in the 1860s and extended and redesigned by Carrère and Hastings in 1913-16. Application is to regrade and reset paving.

HDC thanks the commission for bringing this project to a Public Hearing although it is an application for an advisory report.  Grand Army Plaza, a space designed by Carrère and Hastings with a monumental statue by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that forms a key entry to Central Park, is certainly worth the extra look.

While some of the proposed work is an improvement in this public space, HDC feels that with all the effort already going into this project, a more complete restoration should be considered.  Historic details such as the lampposts, balustrade, and columns which all helped frame the plaza and create the sense of an outdoor room should all be part of this project.  HDC also feels the paving planned by Carrère and Hastings should also be returned.  Sometimes different layers of alterations and history add up to an interesting whole, while other times these layers create a discordant hodgepodge.  HDC finds the latter situation the case at Grand Army Plaza.

Finally, the proposal only addresses half of the plaza, but considering the space was designed as a whole, it should be treated as a whole.  Even if all of the work cannot be executed at the same time, a project that addresses the restoration of the entire design should be prepared, rather like a Master Plan.

Carrère and Hastings believed that the space between and around buildings was just as important as the buildings themselves.  HDC hopes to see this belief and spirit carried out in the work on Grand Army Plaza.

Item 13
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
142652- Block 230, lot 5-
321 Canal Street – SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A Federal style rowhouse built in 1821 and altered in the mid-19th century to accommodate a commercial ground floor. Application is to disassemble and deconstruct the building to address hazardous emergency conditions.

Item 14
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
142567- Block 230, lot 6-
323 Canal Street – SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A Federal style rowhouse built in 1821 and altered in the mid-19th century to accommodate a commercial ground floor. Application is to disassemble and deconstruct the building to address hazardous emergency conditions.

HDC questions the necessity and wisdom of disassembling and deconstructing two Federal style rowhouses from 1821.  What is the plan for their reconstruction?  To reconstruct using materials salvaged from a pile of debris?  To do so is not as easy as reassembling a cast iron façade on a new structure, which itself is not such a simple task.  Or is the plan to construct a new building that resembles the old?  This would be a sad loss of historic material and character.

HDC asks that other, less drastic measures be investigated.  The floor beams span from side to side and so do not bear on the front façade.   Could new tie rods or retrofitted anchors be used to tie the walls back?  Why not stabilize these buildings and reconstruct what is necessary in place?  Whatever the plan is, the goal should be to make sure these two Federal style rowhouses remain on Canal Street with as much historic fabric intact as possible for at least another two centuries.

Item 15
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
142876- Block 615, lot 73-
8 Jane Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
A Greek Revival style rowhouse built in 1843. Application is to modify the placement and number of flues previously approved pursant to C of A 12-5331.

As rendered, the proposed resembles a smokestack towering over this residential district.  HDC asks that the flues be offset toward the back of the house and/or reorganized so as not to form one mass of metal rising above the roofline.  HDC also asks that the applicant consider paint colors or cladding to reduce the visual impact of the flues.

Item 9
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
143352- Block 475, lot 1-
337-339 West Broadway aka 54-58 Grand St. – SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A store building designed by Peter V. Outcault and built in 1885-86. Application is to paint facades and legalize the installation of rootop HVAC equipment and illuminated signage without LPC permits.

Since dunnage is only required to be raised eight inches off the roof and the dunnage on this building seems to be raised at least two feet, HDC asks that it be lowered and reconfigured so that the HVAC will be less visible from the street.  HDC also finds the proposed paint color for the storefronts to be too dark and somewhat harsh for this streetscape.

E-BULLETIN OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS COUNCIL

May 2013, Volume 10, Number 6

Date: Tuesday, May 21

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: 641 Avenue of the Americas, 8^th Floor

To RSVP for the event please contact: abobman@cookfox.com  by 5/17

*note: if you are unable to make it by 5pm you can arrive at 5:30 for the second half of the presentation without disrupting the event.

Please join us at the offices of COOKFOX and Terrapin Bright Green for a presentation of “MidCentury (un)Modern”, a provocative analysis of the 1958-73 office building. Bill Browning and Bob Fox, two of Terrapin’s co-founders, will discuss Terrapin’s in-depth investigation into the first generation Manhattan glass curtain wall and the report’s conclusions.  The presentation will be followed with a discussion moderated by Simeon Bankoff, HDC Executive Directo,  Peg Breen, President, New York Landmarks Conservancy  and Nina Rappaport, Vice-President Docomomo NY/Tri-state.

Motivated by PlaNYC 2030 and the understanding that there needs to be a focus on deep retrofits of existing buildings Terrapin undertook a study into retrofitting a specific class of midcentury single glazed hi-rise buildings.  We encourage you to read the full report HERE!

Terrapin is a consulting and strategic planning group helping clients think differently about environmental strategy, policy, and related opportunities. Bill Browning is one of the green building and real estate industry’s foremost thinkers and strategists, and an advocate for sustainable design solutions at all levels of business, government, and civil society. Bob Fox is also a founding partner of renowned sustainable architecture firm COOKFOX Architects and a highly respected leader in the green building movement.

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~Donate to HDC~

If you’re receiving this, then you know that HDC is working hard throughout the city to protect and preserve the neighborhoods which make New York great.  Please consider contributing and becoming part of the movement to preserve our city’s irreplaceable architecture and history. There are a lot of buildings to cover, and we can only do it with a lot of people.

http://hdc.org/donate

 Sign up to receive our emails.

Date: Tuesday, May 21

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: 641 Avenue of the Americas, 8^th Floor

To RSVP for the event please contact: abobman@cookfox.com  by 5/17

*note: if you are unable to make it by 5pm you can arrive at 5:30 for the second half of the presentation without disrupting the event.

Please join us at the offices of COOKFOX and Terrapin Bright Green for a presentation of “MidCentury (un)Modern”, a provocative analysis of the 1958-73 office building. Bill Browning and Bob Fox, two of Terrapin’s co-founders, will discuss Terrapin’s in-depth investigation into the first generation Manhattan glass curtain wall and the report’s conclusions.  The presentation will be followed with a discussion moderated by Simeon Bankoff, HDC Executive Directo,  Peg Breen, President, New York Landmarks Conservancy  and Nina Rappaport, Vice-President Docomomo NY/Tri-state.

Motivated by PlaNYC 2030 and the understanding that there needs to be a focus on deep retrofits of existing buildings Terrapin undertook a study into retrofitting a specific class of midcentury single glazed hi-rise buildings.  We encourage you to read the full report HERE!

Terrapin is a consulting and strategic planning group helping clients think differently about environmental strategy, policy, and related opportunities. Bill Browning is one of the green building and real estate industry’s foremost thinkers and strategists, and an advocate for sustainable design solutions at all levels of business, government, and civil society. Bob Fox is also a founding partner of renowned sustainable architecture firm COOKFOX Architects and a highly respected leader in the green building movement.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

6pm

Steelcase, 4 Columbus Circle #2, Manhattan

Free. To rsvp, contact hdc@hdc.org. Space is limited.

Despite recent record increases in library attendance usage citywide, the three New York City library systems have been systematically starved for financial resources and forced to make hard choices in their plans for the future.  From the proposed sales of the Pacific Branch Library and Cadman Plaza Library in Brooklyn, to the radical intervention proposed for the 42nd Street Research Library and the recently revealed plans for a smaller library to replace the demolished Donnell Library in Midtown Manhattan, the library system has been radically transforming the use and form of its public property.

Join our panel of experts as they discuss a number of plans currently in the works for New York City libraries, and what it might bode for the future of America’s largest public system. Invited speakers include: Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler, Librarian and Urban Historian, John Jay College, Scott Sherman, contributing writer and editor, The Nation, and David Giles, Research Director at the Center for an Urban Future.

Special thanks to Steelcase for hosting this event.

May 2013, Volume 10, Number 5

Tomorrow: 

Exclusive tour of

      Green-Wood Cemetery

500 25th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232

Twilight Tour and Catacomb Visit

Thursday, May 16^th 5:30 to 8pm

Admission: $50/$75

Two is better than one on this exclusive joint tour with members of the Historic Districts Council and the Green-Wood Historic Fund. Among Green-Wood’s stunning spring landscape, mix and mingle with fellow members and some Green-Wood and HDC staff at an intimate outdoor reception.

After a drink and a snack, embark on a twilight tour with Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman. You’ll enjoy the many fascinating sites and stories of Green-Wood’s 478 acres, including the stunning sculpture of New York mayor (among other vocations) DeWitt Clinton, the recently rediscovered Zouave Boy inside the Anderson Mausoleum, and gorgeous bronzes by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in collaboration with Stanford White. You’ll take in Green-Wood’s rolling hills and spring blooms at dusk, and even get a chance to enter the catacombs, an area closed to the public.

Please call 212.614.9107 or click here to RSVP for this special event.

Sponsored in part by and all images © of:

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Historic Districts Council 2013 Grassroots Preservation Awards and Annual Preservation Party

Date: Thursday May 23, 2013

Location: Village Community School, 272 W 10th St  New York, NY 10014

Time: 6:30 pm

Click hereto read more or purchase tickets!!

This year’s Grassroots Awards recipients are:

• The Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project

• New Amsterdam Market’s Robert LaValva

• NYC Parks advocate Geoffrey Croft

• NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan

• The Aquinas Honor Society of the Immaculate Conception School

• Friend in High Places: Council Member Stephen Levin of Brooklyn’s 33rd District

• Friend from the Media Award: The Tribeca Trib.

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Week of May 13 – Highlighted 2013 Grassroots Awards Recipient:

 

Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP)

 

Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP) was established in 1999 to reinvigorate the Myrtle Avenue business corridor within the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Wallabout and Clinton Hill. Working with residents, business owners and city officials, MARP has successfully brought new life and energy to this once-neglected commercial avenue. As part of their holistic mission of preservation and community development, MARP also works with the residential and formerly industrial neighborhoods bordering the Brooklyn Navy Yard to preserve and enhance their historic character while encouraging better services and resources for their residents.  Their efforts have resulted in a successful campaign to designate the Wallabout National Register District as well as a smaller local city-designated historic district, in partnership with the Historic Wallabout Association. Successes also include MARP’s façade and storefront design grant program for commercial properties, as well as, most recently, producing the Wallabout Homeowner’s Preservation Manual to help residents better care for their historic properties.

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Date: Tuesday, May 21

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: 641 Avenue of the Americas, 8^th Floor

To RSVP for the event please contact: abobman@cookfox.com  by 5/17

*note: if you are unable to make it by 5pm you can arrive at 5:30 for the second half of the presentation without disrupting the event.

Please join us at the offices of COOKFOX and Terrapin Bright Green for a presentation of “MidCentury (un)Modern”, a provocative analysis of the 1958-73 office building. Bill Browning and Bob Fox, two of Terrapin’s co-founders, will discuss Terrapin’s in-depth investigation into the first generation Manhattan glass curtain wall and the report’s conclusions.  The presentation will be followed with a discussion moderated by Simeon Bankoff, HDC Executive Directo,  Peg Breen, President, New York Landmarks Conservancy  and Nina Rappaport, Vice-President Docomomo NY/Tri-state.

Motivated by PlaNYC 2030 and the understanding that there needs to be a focus on deep retrofits of existing buildings Terrapin undertook a study into retrofitting a specific class of midcentury single glazed hi-rise buildings.  We encourage you to read the full report HERE!

Terrapin is a consulting and strategic planning group helping clients think differently about environmental strategy, policy, and related opportunities. Bill Browning is one of the green building and real estate industry’s foremost thinkers and strategists, and an advocate for sustainable design solutions at all levels of business, government, and civil society. Bob Fox is also a founding partner of renowned sustainable architecture firm COOKFOX Architects and a highly respected leader in the green building movement.

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~Cultural Medallion Celebrates the Life of a Pioneer of Music~

Date: This Thursday, May 16, 2013

Time: 3:45pm

Location: 312 West 77^th Street, between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, Manhattan

On May 16 the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center will unveil a new cultural medallion to jazz legend Miles Davis. HDC is pleased to co-sponsor this event. The ceremony will take place at 312 West 77^th Street, where Davis lived and recorded for 23 years. Renowned participants and performers at the program include Phil Schaap, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, Gary Bartz, James Mtume, Al Foster, Wallace Roney, Jimmy Heath, and the Harlem School of the Arts Advanced Jazz Combo. Come join us for this free and fun event!

Image © http://www.htbackdrops.com

About the Cultural Medallion Program

The Cultural Medallions are a program of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Chair of the HLPC, created the Cultural Medallions program, and will lead the ceremonies. The HLPC has installed close to 100 medallions around the city to heighten public awareness of the cultural and social history of New York City.

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Join our colleague group, The New York Landmarks Conservancy for their annual Sacred Sites Open House Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, May 18th and 19th. Nearly 100 historic houses of worship are participating throughout New York State. To find an open house near you, download the participant list from the Conservancy’s website.

Visit many of these landmarked and significant religious spaces and learn more about how they contribute to the architectural, historic and cultural fabric of neighborhoods citywide!

For more information go to: http://www.nylandmarks.org/events/sacred_sites_open_house/sacred_sites_open_house2013/

Or click here to download the NYC-based sites that will be open.

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2013 Six To Celebrate Tours 

Have you been wondering how you’re going to explore and discover this great city over the summer? Well here’s your answer!

Join HDC on our fantastic walking/ bike tours of the Six To Celebrate neighborhoods. The tours will run from May through October.

Bronx Parks System, The Bronx

BIKE TOUR (north Bronx loop) les by Richard Gans, Bronx bike advocate

Saturday, June 15, 9:30AM

Bronx Parks System, The Bronx ; Rocking Stone, Bronx Park, about 1895
photo credit : JFGryphon, Flickr

 

In 1888, more than four thousand acres was designated as parkland in The Bronx in anticipation of New York City’s northern growth.  This enormous public investment guided the development and planning of the borough to become a livable place for people of modest means.  Please join us for two bike tours of the magnificent parks that have shaped The Bronx since their conception 125 years ago.  The first will explore the parks of the northern Bronx, beginning with a visit to the Van Cortlandt Mansion at Van Cortlandt Park and meandering eastward to Pelham Bay Park with stops at the Valentine-Varian House, the Bronx River Forest and the Bartow Pell Mansion.  The second will explore the parks in the south, including Bronx Park, Crotona Park and St. Mary’s Park.  Bikes will not be provided.

 

 

 

 

For more information about the tours click here

For information about the 2013 STC click here

For information about the STC program click here 

 

Don’t forget we have the 2012Walking Tour Brochures are now available for sale on our website!!!!

Only $10 for all six brochures (shipping included).

To purchase the brochures click here.

Six to Celebrate is generously supported by The New York Community Trust. Support for the Six to Celebrate Tours and walking tour brochures is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by Councilmembers Margaret Chin, Inez Dickens, Vincent Gentile, Daniel Garodnick, Stephen Levin and Rosie Mendez.

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~Donate to HDC~ 

If you’re receiving this, then you know that HDC is working hard throughout the city to protect and preserve the neighborhoods which make New York great.  Please consider contributing and becoming part of the movement to preserve our city’s irreplaceable architecture and history. There are a lot of buildings to cover, and we can only do it with a lot of people.

  http://hdc.org/donate

 Sign up to receive our emails.

tel: 212-614-9107 fax: 212-614-9127 email:hdc@hdc.org

The proposed is certainly an improvement over current conditions, but, given that the former Baumann Brothers Furniture Store is an individual landmark, HDC feels a little more effort is called for.  We question the use of so much aluminum rather than wood as the traditional infill of cast iron storefronts, and the ability to extrude one long piece of aluminum for the cornice as the drawings seem to indicate.  The canopy is not appropriate for this commercial building, and its inclusion only takes away from the other good work being proposed.  HDC finds that the proposed flagpoles and banners are also distracting, and a bracket sign at the entrance should be considered instead.   Finally, considering that this is an application for a Master Plan, the entrance bay on the far left should be included in the hopes that some day it may be restored also.

LPC determination:  no action

Item 19
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
141764- Block 545, lot 11-
718 Broadway – NoHo Historic District
A neo-Classical style store and loft building designed by Thomas Graham and built in 1906-08. Application is to install storefront and illuminated signage.

While we are happy to see wood as the material for this proposed storefront, HDC finds the detail rather flat and asks for more articulation.  We also find the lamps unnecessary clutter as light from the transoms will sufficiently illuminate the signage at night.

LPC determination:  approved with modifications

Item 7
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
141790- Block 235, lot 37-
105 Willow Street – Brooklyn Heights Historic District
An Eclectic-Diverse style rowhouse built between 1861-1879. Application is to excavate the rear yard.

HDC asks that rather than excavating the full width and depth of the back yard that a six-foot planting strip be retained as the Commission has required in similar proposals.  It should also be noted that the proposed excavation of over 23 feet is basically two stories, much deeper than what has been approved by the Commission in the past.

LPC determination:  no action

Item 15
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
142895- Block 513, lot 28-
155 Mercer Street – SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A fireman’s hall building designed by Field & Correja and built in 1854. Application is to install new storefront infill and relocate a flagpole.
Item 16
Application is to request that the Landmarks Preservation Commission issue a report to the City Planning Commission relating to an application for a Modification of Use pursuant to Section 74-711 of the Zoning Resolution.

In general, HDC finds this proposal a nice improvement and we especially appreciate the attention to detail and quality materials like the sheet metal cornice.  Seeing as this is an application for a 74-711, it would be more appropriate to spread this attention and quality to the entire façade.  In particular, GFRC should not be used so close to street level.

LPC determination:  approved with modifications

Item 10
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
140208- Block 5182, lot 65-
481 East 18th Street – Ditmas Park Historic District
A neo-Tudor style house designed by Slee & Bryson and built in 1909-10. Application is to alter the enclose porch.

Rather than further closing in what was likely designed to be an open sleeping porch, a popular feature of homes of this era, HDC suggests looking at other options, such as interior shutters in the walk-in closet, to create a less solid feeling.

LPC determination:  approved

Item 2
LP – 2533
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
ST. LOUIS HOTEL (HOTEL GRAND UNION), 34 East 32nd Street

The St. Louis Hotel at 34 East 32nd Street is an example of the old adage “location, location, location.”  It was, and still is, conveniently located to business, shopping, and entertainment districts and transportation hubs.  At the time of the hotel’s opening in 1905, Grand Central Terminal was under construction and work on Penn Station was just beginning.  This no doubt has helped the building remain a hotel for over a century.

The St. Louis is also an impressive example of turn of the last century hotel architecture.  Although it is of similar size to many office buildings of its time, the hotel used a more residential vocabulary, reminiscent of an enlarged townhouse, to express its use.  The Beaux-Arts style and features such as a rusticated base, metal bay windows, and a mansard roof with elaborate dormers were popular for hotels and can be seen in other individual landmarks such as the Hotel Mansfield on East 44th Street.

HDC is happy to support the landmarking of the St. Louis Hotel for its impressive architecture and its history as part of Midtown South.

Item 3
LP – 2538
BOROUGH OF QUEENS
JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL (JAMAICA LEARNING CENTER), 162-02 Hillside Avenue

In the years leading up to consolidation, articles and letters in local newspapers expressed concern that Jamaica would lose its identity once subsumed into the largest city in the western hemisphere.  Perhaps that is why, in its final years as an independent town, Jamaica leaders made such public improvements as King Park and this school – reminders of what the area was, as much as what it hoped to become.

The Jamaica Board of Education hired William B. Tubby, well known for his buildings for Pratt Institute among other commissions, who designed the red and tan brick school in the Dutch Revival style, possibly a nod to the village’s origins as the settlement of Rustdorp.  An article published in the Brooklyn Eagle a few months before the school’s opening praised its “fine library room” with space for more than 3,000 books and a gymnasium described as “one of the best in the country.”  Even this large building was not large enough to handle the population growth of the area.  By 1909, the grammar school relocated, and, in 1927, the high school moved to a new building on Gothic Boulevard.  That Georgian revival structure was designated an individual landmark in 2009.  The old Jamaica High School, as it is know in the neighborhood, has continued to serve as an educational facility over the many decades.

Along these primarily low rise, commercial blocks of Hillside Avenue, the old Jamaica High School stands as an impressive reminder of Jamaica’s pre-consolidation days, one that HDC feels should be designated an individual landmark.

www.nylandmarks.org

May 2013, Volume 10, Number 3

Please join the Historic Districts Council along with the Green-Wood Historic Fund for an exclusive event for the Friends of HDC

      Green-Wood Cemetery

500 25th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232

Twilight Tour and Catacomb Visit

Thursday, May 16^th 5:30 to 8pm

Admission: $50/$75

Two is better than one on this exclusive joint tour with members of the Historic Districts Council and the Green-Wood Historic Fund. Among Green-Wood’s stunning spring landscape, mix and mingle with fellow members and some Green-Wood and HDC staff at an intimate outdoor reception.

After a drink and a snack, embark on a twilight tour with Green-Wood Historian Jeff Richman. You’ll enjoy the many fascinating sites and stories of Green-Wood’s 478 acres, including the stunning sculpture of New York mayor (among other vocations) DeWitt Clinton, the recently rediscovered Zouave Boy inside the Anderson Mausoleum, and gorgeous bronzes by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in collaboration with Stanford White. You’ll take in Green-Wood’s rolling hills and spring blooms at dusk, and even get a chance to enter the catacombs, an area closed to the public.

Please call 212.614.9107 or click here to RSVP for this special event.

Sponsored in part by and all images © of:

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2013 Six To Celebrate Tours 

Have you been wondering how you’re going to explore and discover this great city over the summer? Well here’s your answer!

Join HDC on our fantastic walking/ bike tours of the Six To Celebrate neighborhoods. The tours will run from May through October.

TOMORROW – SPACES STILL AVAILABLE!!

Harrison Street, Staten Island

BUS/WALKING TOUR led by Barnett Shepherd, architectural historian

Saturday, May 11, 10:30AM

The Mud Lane Society for the Renaissance of Stapleton, 53 Harrison Street

 

Visit Staten Island’s next historic district! Down the hill from the stately Stapleton Heights historic district, the “Stapleton Nook” is a charming enclave of eclectic 19^th century houses, built largely for workers in Staten Island’s busy transit hubs, A rare example of historic rowhouse architecture on the Island, Harrison Street is currently under consideration by the Landmarks Commission as the borough’s fourth historic district.

The tour will visit both Stapleton historic districts and time permitting, the beautiful Alice Austen House Museum and Fort Wadsworth.

For more information about the tours click here

For information about the 2013 STC click here

For information about the STC program click here

 

Don’t forget we have the 2012Walking Tour Brochures are now available for sale on our website!!!!

Only $10 for all six brochures (shipping included).

To purchase the brochures click here.

 

Six to Celebrate is generously supported by The New York Community Trust. Support for the Six to Celebrate Tours and walking tour brochures is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by Councilmembers Margaret Chin, Inez Dickens, Vincent Gentile, Daniel Garodnick, Stephen Levin and Rosie Mendez.

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Presentation on Greening NYC’s Historic Buildings: Green Rowhouse Manual

Please join us on Wednesday, May 15, at 9:00 AM, for our presentation and discussion of Greening NYC’s Historic Buildings: Green Rowhouse Manual, published by MAS, in partnership with the Landmarks Preservation Commission and researched and written by Terrapin Bright Green and COOKFOX Architects.

During this program, we will talk about the overarching reasons for creating the manual—the first of its kind in the city—as well as offer specific advice for owners interested in improving the energy efficiency of their rowhouses without compromising distinctive architectural features.

Speakers include: Amanda Lehman, LEED AP, Associate COOKFOX Architects
Michael Kreigh, RA, LEED AP, Certified Passive House Consultant
Renee Epps, Chief Officer for Facilities, Henry Street Settlement
Cory  Herrala, Senior Technical Advisor,  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

Registration Necessary

 

This event is presented by The Municipal Art Society of New York and co-sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, and the Historic Districts Council.

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Historic Districts Council 2013 Grassroots Preservation Awards and Annual Preservation Party

Date: Thursday May 23, 2013

Location: Village Community School, 272 W 10th St  New York, NY 10014

Time: 6:30 pm

This year’s Grassroots Awards recipients are:

• The Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project

• New Amsterdam Market’s Robert LaValva

• NYC Parks advocate Geoffrey Croft

• NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan

• The Aquinas Honor Society of the Immaculate Conception School

• Friend in High Places: Council Member Stephen Levin of Brooklyn’s 33rd District

• Friend from the Media Award: The Tribeca Trib.

Week of May 6^th – Highlighted 2013 Grassroots Awards Recipients:

The NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan (NYUFASP)

NYU Faculty Against the Sexton Plan

NYUFASP: is a group of more than 400 New York University faculty members who are fighting the University’s proposed multi-billion-dollar expansion in Greenwich Village.  Among other potentially destructive elements, the proposal includes demolishing the award-winning Sasaki Garden at Washington Square Village to build almost two million square feet of mixed-use space in this National Register-eligible mid-century apartment complex. The group believes the plan is financially and institutionally reckless and will only serve to further erode the physical character of Greenwich Village. In 2012 the City Council voted to approve the zoning changes necessary to enact the NYU plan, and in response NYUFASP put together a legal action challenging the decision, which is currently being deliberated in the courts.

Click hereto read more or purchase tickets!!

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Citizens protest the NYPL “Central Library Plan.”
http://www.savenypl.org/

Citizens protest the NYPL “Central Library Plan.”
http://www.savenypl.org/