State Office Confirms Historic Character of Threatened Morningside Heights Brownstones
Three buildings slated for demolition by Columbia University have been deemed historically significant by New York State’s Historic Preservation Office. As a result of an application submitted by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, the state’s preservation office has determined that a group of residential buildings on West 115th Street, West 116th Street and Morningside Drive meet the criteria for listing as a historic district on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Taken together, the properties could be listed on the registers as the Morningside Drive Historic District.
The eligible district includes 408, 410, and 412 West 115th Street, some of the earliest built multiunit residential buildings that still stand in Morningside Heights. Last July, Columbia University announced plans to raze these buildings while it considers future uses for the site. O’Donnell strongly opposes that demolition and has urged Columbia to find a solution that preserves the integrity of those residential blocks.
Citing cohesiveness, proximity to scenic Morningside Park, and the involvement of prominent architects in the district’s development, the determination concluded:
“[I]t is the opinion of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that the proposed Morningside Drive Historic District meets the criteria for listing to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.”
“[T]his district is a small part of a much larger whole. I would encourage you and other community preservation advocates to submit documentation on potentially eligible historic districts and individual resources in Morningside Heights.”
Assembly Member O’Donnell responds:
“I am pleased that the state’s historic preservation office conducted a review of these buildings and saw their merits. These buildings represent only a fraction of the significant architecture in Morningside Heights. I am confident that any unbiased survey of these buildings and of the larger neighborhood would determine that the architecture of Morningside Heights is worthy of all the protections that local and state government can afford.”
408, 410, and 412 West 115th Street represent pre-subway era development in Morningside Heights which is significant because the vast majority of structures in the neighborhood were built in a relatively brief period of time following the northern expansion of the IRT subway line.
SHPO described 408, 410, and 412 West 115th Street as a “distinctive row of three, five-story Renaissance Revival residences with brownstone facades,” and remarked on their “unusual design with undulating bays at the first and second stories reminiscent of low-scale rowhouse design but with three upper floors and cornice above.”
O’Donnell continued:
“It is not enough for Columbia University to say ‘trust us’ as stewards of the historically relevant architecture on Morningside Heights. Columbia must join me in seeking the appropriate local and state protections which would ensure that Morningside Heights remains the architecturally consistent and unique neighborhood that it is today.”
O’Donnell has advocated for the designation of a comprehensive historic district in Morningside Heights since 1996 in his capacity as a founding member of the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, and subsequently as a member of Community Board 9 and Chair of that body’s Land Use and Zoning Committee. The designation remains a priority to him as a member of the New York State Assembly. Assembly Member O’Donnell has represented the 69th Assembly District since 2003. His district includes portions of the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, and West Harlem.