NEWS: LPC responds to Tom Wolfe Op Ed
December 2, 2006
Landmarks Commission (1 Letter)
To the Editor:
Re “The (Naked) City and the Undead,” by Tom Wolfe (Op-Ed, Nov. 26):
Backed by the country’s strongest landmarks law, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has protected more than 7,000 historically, architecturally and culturally significant buildings and structures in the last 20 years alone.
The notion that the commission has been “defunct” for two decades simply doesn’t hold up.
In total, there are 23,000 designated landmarks in New York City. The commission is slated to designate over 1,000 more in the coming year, including the Crown Heights North section of Brooklyn, a historic district that is poised to become the city’s largest designation in more than a decade.
The commission works throughout the five boroughs and in close consultation with communities and other city agencies. This comprehensive approach ensures that we preserve what’s distinctive about our great city for future generations, even at a time of tremendous growth.
Robert B. Tierney
Chairman, N.Y.C. Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York, Nov. 27, 2006