Statement in Support of NY Senate Bill S2016/ NY Assembly Bill A2128 – Amendment to the Multiple Dwelling Law to Eliminate Mechanical Voids

The Historic Districts Council is the citywide advocate for New York’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. Although not every property can or should be protected under strict preservation ordinances, such New York City’s Landmarks Law, rational planning and zoning practices should ensure that development complements the city’s existing historic physical character, especially where it is most […]

Written by on Mar 17, 2021

Save the Landmarks Around Penn Station

Help us save the historic buildings around Penn Station! This is the launch of the Coalition to Save the Penn Station Powerhouse, led by Untapped New York, the Historic Districts Council, and the City Club of New York,with additional founding partners: 29th Street Neighborhood Association, Human-scale NYC, Landmark West!, and the Victorian Society of New […]

Written by on Mar 9, 2021

Celebrate Women’s History Month

Ada Louise Huxtable Ella Fitzgerald Lady Deborah Moody Walentyna Janta-Połczyński (née Stocker) Audre Lorde Emma Goldman Odetta Margaret Sanger Alice Austen Jane Jacobs Margaret Cochran Corbin Billie Jean King Edith Wharton Ada Louise Huxtable Ada Louise Huxtable (1921-2013), a native New Yorker, was a pioneer in architectural criticism, and a champion of livable cities. As […]

Written by on Mar 1, 2021

Robert Moses 1960 (c) The New York Times

Preservation Groups Oppose Top Down Centralized Planning

On Tuesday, February 23rd, the City Council will be holding a public hearing on Intro 2186, which proposes a requirement for the City of New York to undertake periodic comprehensive planning for all areas of the city and details a completely new process for the city to accomplish this new task. The new comprehensive plan […]

Written by on Feb 22, 2021

City Council Intro 1146-B (“the Sprinkler Bill”)

The Historic Districts Council is the citywide advocate for New York’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. HDC is commenting on the proposed bill, Int. 1146-B (called “the Sprinkler Bill”) as the vast majority of properties that this bill will affect lie within New York City’s historic neighborhoods The NYC Department of Buildings estimates that this bill, […]

Written by on Dec 3, 2020

Angel Guardian Home Designated, but Mercy (Convent) Building to be Demolished by Developer

The main building (left) was designated, but the Mercy building (right) was carved out of the landmark boundary. The 12th Avenue buildings of the Angel Guardian Home were designated this week, while the equally exquisite Mercy Building on 63rd Street was left out of the landmark site. The developer has publicly stated that this building will soon be […]

Written by on Nov 13, 2020

East 25th Street in Brooklyn to be heard by LPC!

This year, HDC selected East Flatbush as one of our Six to Celebrate neighborhoods, with a special emphasis on the block of East 25th Street (between Clarendon Road and Avenue D). We are proud to work with this special block from the first phone call to our office to its LPC public hearing next week. […]

Written by on Sep 18, 2020

Bay Ridge Parkway – Doctors’ Row Historic District

Request for Evaluation: Bay Ridge Parkway Statement of Significance  Bay Ridge Parkway, known as “Doctors’ Row,” serves as an unofficial gateway to Bay Ridge, as it is a major thoroughfare within the neighborhood. The proposed historic district includes a total of 53 properties located between 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn. The 400 block of […]

Written by on Mar 25, 2019

A Brief-ish History of Tin Pan Alley

Designated: December 10, 2019 On March 12, 2019 the Landmarks Preservation Commission Calendared five buildings on Tin Pan Alley, 47, 49, 51, 53 and 55 West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Ave. Since the news story about the threat to Tin Pan Alley broke, the world’s attention has been captured by the area. Unfortunately, […]

Written by on Mar 12, 2019

Victory at NYPL: Vive les Beaux Arts!

NYPL’s Changes Reflect HDC Testimony The Historic Districts Council (HDC) reviews every public proposal affecting New York City’s landmarks and historic districts and provides testimony to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) whenever it is needed. “…regally enthroned on a terrace plateau, displaying urns, fountains, flagpoles, sculpture and ornament…this building comes closer than any other in […]

Written by on Mar 6, 2019