Item 1
LP – 2530
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
THE MARINE MIDLAND BANK BUILDING, 140 Broadway
The Marine Midland Bank Building on Lower Broadway was one of the first tall buildings to be constructed under the 1961 zoning ordinance. Almost the definition of minimalism, the 52-story, flat tower without set backs or ornament rises 677 feet and occupies only 40 percent of its site. A red cube by Isamu Noguchi sits in the otherwise empty open space in front of the building. Ada Louise Huxtable called it “not only one of [the] buildings I admire most in New York, but that I admire most anywhere.”
In 2002 HDC proposed a trio of buildings in the financial district all designed by Skidmore, Owings, Merrill (SOM) to form an ensemble that could be New York City’s International Style Historic District. One of them, the Chase Manhattan Bank Building, was designated an individual landmark in 2009, and we are happy to support the landmarking of a second building, the Marine Midland Bank Building, today. We also await a hearing for the last of the group, the 1972 United States Steel Building at One Liberty Plaza. The three buildings together comprise an essay in aesthetics, materials and construction of their time and stand as reminders of SOM’s instrumental work in transforming certain key areas of the city during this era.
Item 3
LP – 2531
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, SEWARD PARK BRANCH, 192 East Broadway
The day after Andrew Carnegie sold his corporation in 1901 to J.P. Morgan for $500 million, Carnegie announced a $5.2 million donation to New York City for the construction of public library buildings. 67 branches were constructed in New York City between 1902 and 1929, 26 of them in Manhattan. Today 57 Carnegies remain in the five boroughs, 22 of those in Manhattan. The majority of these buildings are not landmarked, and we risk losing these neighborhood branches whose handsome architecture reflect the importance of the activities that have gone on inside for generations. HDC believes all of the Carnegies deserve to be landmarked, and we are very happy to see steps being taken to protect the Seward Park Branch.
The handsome Renaissance Revival style stone building was designed by Babb, Cook & Welch and opened in 1909. The Seward Park Branch is unique amongst the Manhattan branches. Rather than standing in the middle of a block like a townhouse, the large, free-standing library prominently anchors the eastern end of Seward Park. The branch is also rare in that it retain its roof garden, although this space is no longer in use.
The Seward Park Branch has long been an architectural and cultural landmark on the Lower East Side, and HDC joins other supporters in the belief that it is now time to make the library an official landmark.
Item 3
LP – 2519
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
M.H. RENKEN DAIRY BUILDING, 584 Myrtle Avenue
HDC supports the landmarking of the M.H. Renken Dairy Building as it helps more fully tell the story of the Clinton Hill neighborhood. This simple Art Deco structure of pale yellow brick and bands of red brick was designed by Koch & Wagner and served as the head quarters for the dairy from its construction in 1932 until the company moved to Connecticut in 1962. Its sign on the top floor would have been viewed easily by passengers on the former Myrtle Avenue El. We thank the LPC for responding to neighborhood preservationists calls for a hearing for this unique structure and hope to see more in this section of Brooklyn.