Posts tagged NYC
Village Preservation Releases First-Of-Its-Kind Report Analyzing NYC Landmark Designations 1965 to Present, Finds Dramatic Drop in Recent Years

Study Finds Mayor Adams Much More Resistant to Designations than His Predecessors in Office; Fewer Landmarks Named Since Law Favored by Real Estate Industry Passed; Every Part of City Seeing Designations Drop Dramatically and Threatened Historic Buildings Ignored

Read More
Excellence Award Spotlight: Little Caribbean

“We are truly humbled and grateful to receive the Preservation League’s Excellence Award,” said Shelley Worrell, Founder of I AM CARIBBEING. “This recognition is a testament to the power of Little Caribbean and the importance of preserving our heritage. We look forward to continuing our mission to uplift and celebrate Caribbean culture, community and commerce in Brooklyn and beyond.”

Read More
Excellence Award Spotlight: Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

The Roosevelt Island Lighthouse restoration was completed in 2022 after a years-long project initiated by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. The project included restoring brick, stone, windows, and doors. Site improvements at the Lighthouse include installation of a new metal spiral staircase, new electrical and LED accent lighting, resetting and installation of new and salvaged stone pavers and curb stones, and the installation of new recessed ground lighting and controls. The project was completed by the construction team of The LIRO Group and  ICC Commonwealth.

Read More
Bricks and Beliefs: Preservation of Tangible and Intangible Heritage in the Ukrainian Village in New York City

In this guest blog post, Preservation Consultant Andrew Roblee shines a light on a historic space providing much-needed social services to Ukrainian refugees in the East Village of Manhattan. The First Ukrainian Assembly of God has called its 1867 Second Empire building home since 1937. In recent years, the building’s exterior has suffered from deferred maintenance that the congregation is committed to addressing. But while they tackle their preservation projects, they are also proving essential services and a community gathering place to both longtime congregants and recent refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Read More
Documenting the Architecture South of Union Square

As part of our Seven to Save artist interventions, the League commissioned photographer Dylan Chandler to document some of the incredible architecture you will find in the neighborhood South of Union Square. This project was commissioned by the Preservation League of NYS in partnership with Village Preservation thanks to a Capacity & Regrowth grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. Through that grant, the League is using art to draw attention to its 2022-2023 Seven to Save endangered historic sites across the state.

Read More
COMING SOON: THE KEEPERS

The Keepers is a performance art intervention created by longtime NYC cultural provocateur, Ed Woodham – scheduled for Friday, September 22 in three different locations around the Penn Station neighborhood (The Church of St. John the Baptist, Gimbel’s Skybridge, and the demolished Hotel Pennsylvania). The Keepers September activation has been commissioned by the Preservation League of NYS as part of a New York State Council on the Arts-funded project drawing attention to the League’s Seven to Save endangered historic sites across the state through artistic interventions. The Penn Station Neighborhood, which is threatened with needless and large-scale demolition, was identified as a Seven to Save in 2022. This project is organized in partnership with the Empire Station Coalition.

Read More
Excellence Award Spotlight: Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew Exterior Restoration

“We are very grateful to receive this award from the Preservation League of New York State in recognition of an exceptional team effort to initiate this project and bring it to completion,” said Rev. Andrew Durbidge, Rector of St Luke & St Matthew. “This parish church has existed on this site since 1841. The building represents the hard work and faithful contributions of many parishioners over these many years. It is a magnificent building and a tribute to past parishioners’ faithfulness in God. We carry on their legacy in caring for this landmark in Clinton Hill, to benefit future parishioners and the local community.”

Read More
A Look at the History of the Penn Station Neighborhood

The proposed Pennsylvania Station Civic and Land Use Project (the "Penn Area Plan") would demolish multiple blocks of historic buildings in New York City in the vicinity of Pennsylvania Station while displacing thousands of residents and businesses. The devastating plan put forward by New York State's Empire State Development Corporation is an eerie echo of the loss of the original Pennsylvania Station, coming as it does 60 years after the famous 1962 sidewalk picket by the Action Group for Better Architecture in New York (AGBANY), which included Jane Jacobs and a host of notable architects and preservationists fighting to prevent the demise of that great train station.

Read More
Seven to Save: Did It Work? 

The 2022-2023 inclusion of the Proposed South of Union Square Historic District on the League’s Seven to Save list marks the third time the League has worked with our colleagues at Village Preservation through the STS program. First in 2002 with the Gansevoort Market District and then in 2012 with South Village, the League’s support helped turn the tide for both in securing their much-deserved landmark designations.

Read More
Seven to Save Spotlight: Penn Station Neighborhood

The Penn Station Neighborhood has been named one of this year’s Seven to Save. The proposed redevelopment of Penn Station and the surrounding area has been met with intense criticism since it was first put forward in 2020. Despite revisions, the Plan still presents major issues — most notably the human impact of displacing thousands of residents and business owners and the environmental impact of needlessly demolishing buildings that could be retrofitted and put back to active use.

Read More
Seven to Save Spotlight: Proposed South of Union Square Historic District

The proposed South of Union Square Historic District is one of this year’s Seven to Save. This neighborhood in Manhattan boasts a wide variety of of building types, many of which have ties to important social and cultural movements. Our colleagues at Village Preservation have been pushing for landmark designation and zoning protections to preserve the area’s historic character, limit out-of-scale construction, and prevent needless demolition.

Read More