To the Editor,

The japes and mockeries in the recent editorial “Landmark Loonies” are both inappropriate and inaccurate.  The Historic Districts Council did several surveys of the area in order to formulate our list of buildings to be considered for landmarks designation, taking into account each individual building’s architectural and historical significance.  Brief reports, written by professional architectural historians and architects, were then submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. HDC’s list included the buildings which our colleagues at the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Municipal Art Society also recommended; we felt there was no need to reproduce their research independently. Each group performed its own surveys and reached its own conclusions – which add to each other, not detract.  The plan covers 78 blocks of a heavily-trafficked and well-known area of Manhattan with hundreds of buildings. It is not surprising that there is so much interest in trying to preserve the best of them.

Interestingly, the editorial did not mention the most important list, the one that the Landmarks Preservation Commission produced in accordance with its role in the plan’s environmental review.  That list has 32 sites that the LPC has identified as “potentially eligible” for landmark status, 18 of them appear on HDC’s list as well.

Sincerely,

Simeon Bankoff

Executive Director

Historic Districts Council

A letter to the editor of the ‘New York Daily New’ in response to the article ‘Landmark loonies throw bricks at Mayor Bloomberg’s Midtown East rezoning plan’ which was released today 3-25-2013.

Please join HDC and author Thomas E. Rinaldi for

an evening of holiday cheer for Friends of HDC!

Tom will speak about his new book, New York Neon,

which chronicles and documents the city’s surviving early- and midtwentieth-

century neon signs, and examines their role in the streets

of New York, in America’s cultural identity,

and in our collective consciousness.

Afterwards, Tom will be on hand to take questions and sign copies

of New York Neon, which will be available for purchase.

Holiday treats will be served!

Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: The Neighborhood Preservation Center

232 East 11th Street, Manhattan

Fee: $5 (payable at the door)

RSVP by December 3: bzay@hdc.org or 212-614-9107

This program is open only to current Friends of HDC.

To become a friend of HDC go to our website http://hdc.org/donate or call 212-614-9107

Advance registration is required. Space is limited.

As America’s largest architecture and design event, openhousenewyork Weekend allows you to discover new neighborhoods, explore with friends and family, and experience our city’s architecture and design through special talks, performances, and family-friendly workshops — all free of charge!

BKSK Architects created a Wallabout Homeowners Preservation Manual 

http://issuu.com/bkskarchitects/docs/wallabouthomeownersmanual

www.bkskarch.com/

You can now view all 6 Six To Celebrate 2011 Walking tour Brochures on our website! http://hdc.org/program-events/six-to-celebrate/six-to-celebrate-2011/walking-tour-brochures You can also purchase all 6 for only $5!

“Green and Sustainable Architecture for Historic and Landmarked Buildings”

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

8:30am-1:00pm

It is a common misconception in the building arts that preservation and sustainability are at odds; to the extent that articles such as “Historic Preservation and Green Architecture: Friend or Foes?” have become almost regular features in many preservation periodicals. Here at HDC, we believe that direct experience is the best teaching tool, so please join us for an informational seminar on how the two topics overlap with one another and how the practices of green and sustainable design can be utilized while retaining the architectural integrity and details of historic buildings.

Time and the elements add a patina to historic buildings and retaining the character of historic buildings is crucial to identifying their stories but age and wear can also undermine structural integrity and obscure architectural details which results in the need for necessary repairs. Additionally, new standards for energy conservation have come into wider usage, resulting in re-examinations of buildings’ energy systems and insulation. Combining sustainable design with preservation practices encourages the most sustainable of practices: working with a building that has already been built while also protecting the environment and promoting the quality of life through design.

Hear from experts who will present case studies of preservation projects and discuss new methods and materials used in sustainable and green architecture to get the answers to frequently-asked questions on these subjects. Attendees will come away with a new understanding of how green and sustainable architectural practices historic and landmark buildings is methodically approached, identified and carried out.

Presenters include:

    Christa E. Waring, LEED AP
Associate, Cutsogeorge Tooman & Allen Architects, P.C.

*Energy Code for NYSERDA & AIA

    Jean Parker Phifer, FAIA, LEED

Thomas Phifer and Partners

*National Policy, Preservation and Sustainability

   Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Barbara A. Campagna/Architecture + Planning PLLC

*Historic Buildings of New York and Sustainability Practices 

Location:

Neighborhood Preservation Center, 232 East 11^th Street, Manhattan

Fee:

$125 per person / $100 for friends of HDC (breakfast included)

4 Continuing Education Hours, 4 HSW Credit Hours

To purchase tickets, click here.

The Historic Districts Council
Presents: Secret Lives Tour 2012

A series of tours highlighting some of the most original and rarely seen spaces in New York. The Secret Lives Tours take attendees inside unique and spectacular landmarked spaces in the city, both big and small, to learn about their history and preservation.

Brooklyn Heights: High and Low – St. George Hotel, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims and Brooklyn Historical Society
June 7, 5:00pm
Limited to 20 people
Fee: $60, $40 for Friends of HDC

Brooklyn Heights is home to a wealth of rich history. For this tour, attendees will gain access to three lesser-seen spaces. First, guests will get to visit the rooftop of the famed St. George Hotel, once the largest hotel in New York and originally famous for its entertaining spaces and celebrities who stayed here. The rooftop terrace once housed the nightspot called the “Egyptian Club”, which featured hand painted murals of exotic dessert images.  Other architectural details of the terrace included terra-cotta piers of a whimsical design.  Architect Daniel Allen of Cutsogeorge Tooman & Allen will discuss the recent process of restoring these piers while guests take in the stunning views of the city from this perspective.

Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims is famed for its abolitionist ties as well as for its and extensive and historic campus. We will visit the main sanctuary as well as view the magnificent stained glass Tiffany windows located within the Church. Guests will also have the option to view several other exhibits on display within the Arcade of the Church, an award winning restoration project that faces the beautiful Beecher Garden.

The program concludes with an optional tour of the Brooklyn Historical Society. The Society’s home was designed by architect George B. Post in the Renaissance Revival style and includes busts of famed historians as well as the original name of the society, the Long Island Historical Society. Visitors will also get to see the Victorian-era wood-paneled library, generally not open to the public.

May 2, 2012

It should come as no surprise to anyone that today’s Joint Meeting of the City Council Committees on Buildings and Land Use  lasted as long as it did, starting around 10:15am with the last speaker finishing sometime after 2:15pm.  Fully half of the City Council and the Public Advocate were in attendance during the hearing although unfortunately, Land Use Chair Leroy Comrie was the only Council member who stayed to listen to all the public testimony. Fifty-three (53) people signed up to speak but only three dozen or so were left by the time they were called.  All but one speaker from the Real Estate Board of New York expressed, at the very least, extreme concern about all but two bills – Intro 20 (which enhanced landmark protections over buildings under consideration) and Intro 80 (which enhanced oversight on construction projects close to landmark properties). These two bills were supported by almost all speakers although the Landmarks Commission and the Department of Buildings did not support them in their current forms.

We’re still digesting everything that was said but both the Landmarks Commission and the Department of Buildings were in attendance and had a fruitful conversation with the Council about the proposed bills – mostly focusing on the transparency and accountability concerns. Intro 850 (which mandates a timeline for designation) and 532A (which mandates that the LPC provide a complete list of all RFEs with their current status on the website) were discussed heavily.  The implementation of a designation timeline may relieve some concerns about how LPC responds to requests, but the reality of the bill is it stifles the opportunity for the LPC to properly evaluate requests and set priorities. Landmark eligibility and agency priority were referred to several times, with the LPC making the strong point that the two are separate issues. An example was given of the Woolworth Building; the LPC knew it was landmark-eligible for years before the agency designated it.  Among the other concerns raised about this issue were the constraints of the LPC’s budgetary resources, especially in the face of a firm schedule,  and the Council’s inability to guarantee needed resources for the agency. The very frightening Replacement Materials and Economic Argument bills (Intros 845 & 846) were not deeply discussed but were almost unanimously opposed by public testimony.

No vote was taken today as this was the first hearing. Many people, HDC included, still have many questions in regard to the 11 bills. Council and the agencies both stated they were willing to work together on the issues these bills hoped to correct.  As new information about the progress of these and other legislation affecting historic buildings comes to light,  we will be sure to get the information out.

Most importantly,  thank everyone who came today, and everyone who gave testimony.  An partial list of neighborhoods represented included Auburndale, Bayside, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bowery, Brooklyn Heights, Carnegie Hill, Chelsea, Crown Heights North, DUMBO, East Village, Flushing, Greenpoint, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Lower East Side, Mount Morris Park, New Brighton, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Sunnyside Gardens, Tribeca, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Vinegar Hill as well as our citywide colleagues and interested design professionals concerned about New York City’s historic buildings and neighborhoods.  Special thanks go out to former Council members and current State Senators Tony Avella and Bill Perkins for their strong statements of support for preservation and the work of the LPC. If we missed you in this list – please let us know and don’t take offense, it’s only a testament to the amount of people spilling through the doors and flooding the rooms.

Just being there,  we showed the Council Members how concerned and involved the preservation community is, and ensured that the bills will not be easily passed without full and open discussion with all the community stakeholders.  As an example of this,  CM Comrie offered to come to an HDC meeting and discuss these issues with the community.  He also offered to accept online testimony to comrie(at)council.nyc.gov, please copy to gbenjamin(at)council.nyc.gov  and hdc@hdc.org  (we’re building a record of testimony about this).  Finally, as part of new Council initiative, a video of the hearing will be available on the Council website shortly – we’ll send a link with a more complete report of the hearing soon.

Eyewitness Coverage from Brownstoner: http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/05/opening-shots-fired-with-bills-involving-landmarks-law/

The Real Deal: http://trdny.com/IJWyh4

DNAinfo: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120502/new-york-city/proposed-bill-deliberate-attack-on-landmarks-law-opponents-say

April 17, 2012 – Pier 17

Statement of the Historic Districts Council
Certificate of Appropriateness Hearing

4/17/2012

Item 1
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
129003- Block 73, lot 10-
89 South Street – South Street Seaport Historic District
A modern pier and retail structure built circa 1980. Application is to demolish the structure on the pier and construct a new building.

Demolition
Before weighing the appropriateness of the proposed new building, it must be decided whether the demolition of a building approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission that specifically speaks to the historic district in its size, massing, materials, and details, and that was designed in a specific architectural style by the leading architect of that movement over thirty years ago is appropriate. HDC feels it is not

South Street Seaport is unusual in the histories of preservation and urban renewal for being one of the few places where the two came together. Rather than depending on the wrecking ball as so many urban renewal projects did, this plan looked to the preservation of the historic structures and construction of contextual new buildings to bring the neighborhood back to life. The Pier 17 pavilion was part of a project that was the largest Urban Development Action Grant partnership ever funded and included the restoration of Schermerhorn Row by Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, the restoration of the Museum Block and construction of the Bogardus Building by Beyer Blinder Belle, and the construction of the Fulton Market building by Benjamin Thompson.

….

Read More at HDC@LPC 

2012 Neighborhood Walking and Bicycle Tours

Meeting locations and directions for tours will be provided upon registration. Tours generally last two and half hours. Space is limited.

Sunday, May 6, 2pm

Van Cortlandt Village, Bronx

WALKING TOUR led by Anthony W. Robins, architectural historian

Once the site of Revolutionary War-era Fort Independence, Van Cortlandt Village developed into a residential enclave in the 20th century. Built on a winding street plan designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, responding to the hills and views of the area, the neighborhood consists of small Neo-Colonial and Tudor revival homes and apartment buildings, including the Shalom Alecheim Houses, an early cooperative housing project. The tour will be led by architectural historian Anthony Robins, author of the Van Cortlandt Village Cultural Resources Survey. A representative of the Fort Independence Park Neighborhood Association will also attend to talk about their ongoing preservation and awareness efforts.

RSVP today: $5 for Friend of HDC; $10 for Non-Friends

http://hdc.org/featured/62c-tour-vcv