Item 1
LP – 2490
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
TAMMANY HALL, 100-102 East 17th Street/44-48 Union Square East
As many of you know, the Historic Districts Council and others have been advocating for more than a decade for the designation of this corner stone of Union Square. The 1928 Colonial Revival style building, now home to the New York Film Academy and the Union Square Theatre, was designed by Thompson, Holmes and Converse and Charles B. Meyers and built to house New York City’s Democratic Party. The building’s colonial allusions were carefully chosen for its inherent symbolism, connecting Tammany to the earliest days of the American democratic ideals. The building also served as the headquarters for the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union and was the backdrop to many important rallies in Union Square. HDC thanks the commission for this hearing, and we look forward to the long-awaited landmarking of Tammany Hall.
Item 2
LP – 2539
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
39 WORTH STREET BUILDING, 39 Worth Street
Item 3
LP – 2540
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
41 WORTH STREET BUILDING, 41 Worth Street
Few things say TriBeCa like a mid-19th-century, cast-iron fronted, store-and-loft building. Two buildings, side-by-side, designed by the same architect in the Italianate style with cast iron work by Daniel D. Badger are even better. 39 and 41 Worth Street were last heard for designation in 1989, two of a number of TriBeCa buildings that were not within the boundaries of the historic districts but considered for individual landmarking. Although the ground floors have been altered (a sad situation from which we have seen many a store-and-loft building recover), the upper floors with their detailed cast iron, large windows openings (in the case of 41, with some of the historic two-over-two double-hung sashes), and impressive cornices all speak to commercial importance of this area in the mid-19th century. HDC is happy that these buildings have survived their 24-year stay in landmarks limbo and hope they soon receive the recognition and protection provided by landmarking that they so richly deserve.
Item 4
LP – 2548
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
JOHN AND HANNAH M. DE COUDRES HOUSE, 1090 Greene Avenue
A wood-framed house of this era with such intact details like the John and Hannah M. De Coudres House is an obvious landmark. HDC will say it anyway though – please designate 1090 Greene Avenue, a distinctive reminder of 19th-century Bushwick.
Item 5
LP – 2542
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
PETER J. HUBERTY HOUSE, 1019 Bushwick Avenue
HDC supports the designation of the Peter J. Huberty House. It is interesting to note that the prior item is one of Bushwick’s oldest houses, while this is one of the last of the neighborhood’s large single-family homes to be constructed. Separated by a quarter of a century, their different materials, styles, and size speak to the development of the area.
Besides being a handsome Colonial Revival Style House, 1019 Bushwick Avenue is notable as an early work by Ulrich J. Huberty, who at the age of 23 designed this house for his father. The younger Huberty went on to partner with Frank J. Helmle on such Brooklyn landmarks as the Prospect Park Boathouse, Greenpoint Savings Bank, and Hotel Bossert. Considering these designated buildings and the Peter J. Huberty House, it is tempting to imagine what else Ulrich J. Huberty could have designed had he not died of typhoid fever at the age of 33.
Item 6
LP – 2543
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
HENRY AND SUSAN MCDONALD HOUSE, 128 Clinton Avenue
The Henry and Susan McDonald House is a charming building that instantly reminds passerbys of another era. Its striking columned porch, projecting bracketed eaves, and richly detailed window and door surrounds all speak strongly of 1850s Brooklyn. Already part of the Wallabout National Register Historic District, 128 Clinton Avenue is deserving of the protection that can only come with city designation.
There was some disappointment when the New York City Wallabout Historic District did not include the beautiful houses along Clinton Avenue. HDC is happy to see 128 here today, and we hope it will be only the first of many we will see proposed for designation on this avenue.
Item 7
LP – 2544
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
LONG ISLAND BUSINESS COLLEGE, 143 South 8th Street
Our city is lucky to have a number of landmarked schools, and this striking Romanesque Revival style building is a reminder that education continues beyond high school and that self-improvement has long been an important goal of New Yorkers. Originally built for the Long Island Business College around 1892, the building is also a successful example of adaptive reuse. HDC is happy to support this designation.
Item 8
LP – 2546
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
PROPOSED SOUTH VILLAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT
HDC has been advocating for the preservation of the South Village since 2001 with the demolition of the Poe and Judson Houses. At that time, we realized the incredible importance of the area to Greenwich Village and New York, and the grave threats which were posed to its existence. Over the last twelve years, the community has witnessed avoidable tragedies, such as the destruction of the Provincetown Theater, and wished-for triumphs such as the preservation of the federal houses on MacDougal Street. We are very pleased to be present at this point and strongly support the proposed South Village Historic District in its entirety. We are particularly pleased to note that the proposed boundaries include a rare row of 1840’s buildings on Houston Street, which miraculously survived the vicissitudes of traffic engineers and now, finally, will be protected.
The rich cultural history of the South Village is undeniable. What many consider to be the heart of the Village, this neighborhood was home to some of the most important and transforming social, cultural and artistic movements of the last century. It is also an archetypal neighborhood from the great pre-World War I wave of immigration as seen in its unrivalled collection of 19th- and early 20th-century working class housing, churches and other community buildings. This is not to downplay the architectural character of the area; the neighborhood’s mix of early 19th-century rowhouses and later tenements are full of wonderful details including cast-iron storefronts, intricate cornices, elaborate brickwork and detailed fire escapes.
This rich architectural mélange works hand-in-hand with the immigrant history of this district. Many of the institutional buildings were built to serve new populations and were home to successive waves of newcomers – each lingering long enough to put their distinctive mark on the neighborhood. This neighborhood is a palimpsest, with these buildings serving as the framework for new outsider populations; African-Americans, Italians, Eastern Europeans, bohemians; looking for a home. They all resided here – or perhaps more appropriately, sojourned here – and then moved, but the buildings stayed to welcome and house their successors. This neighborhood must be preserved for future sojourners, and for those who settle and stay. These buildings must be protected so that they can be reused – as they have been reused, again and again, for the past century and more.
LPC has done much in recent years to protect and preserve Greenwich Village by designating individual landmarks, new districts and extensions to existing districts. HDC is happy to support the South Village Historic District as part of one of the most culturally and architecturally rich areas of our city.