NEWS: Heard but Not Designated
From the New York Times:
Power With Class
Q. While I was walking along the West Side waterfront, I was struck by the beauty of the ancient power plant at 59th Street and 11th Avenue. Can you tell me more about it?
A. Joseph Petta, a spokesman for Consolidated Edison, responded by e-mail: “The West 59th Street Generating Station began operation in 1905. It was the first plant built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company to supply electricity to its IRT subway system, which was being constructed at the same time.
“The exterior was designed by Stanford White in the French Renaissance style, with cut granite, pressed brick, terra cotta, and marble all used in the building’s exterior.”
The city took possession of the building in the early 1930’s when it bought the IRT lines, and Con Ed bought the station from the city in 1957. “Although the station no longer generates electricity,” Mr. Petta wrote, “it continues to produce steam, which is used in 100,000 Manhattan establishments for heating, hot water and cooling.”
The Landmarks Preservation Commission held public hearings on the power plant in 1979 and 1990 but did not designate it a landmark.
For more info, see our website at http://www.hdc.org/IndPriorities.htm