GVSHP | Preservation | Far West Village

Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney and
GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman shake hands after the
Far West Village Historic District designations are approved.

Comes more than 40 years after Jane Jacobs first pushed for landmarking of area

FAR WEST VILLAGE LANDMARK VICTORY!: History was made this morning when landmark protections that GVSHP and countless others fought to extend to the Far West Village were unanimously approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The LPC approved an expansion three blocks west of the existing Greenwich Village Historic District, and the creation of a new Weehawken Street Historic District, covering a total of five blocks and about sixty buildings. Historic buildings in this area will now be protected from demolition or inappropriate alteration.

Last year, following an intensive campaign led by GVSHP calling for zoning and landmark protections for the Far West Village, the City agreed to substantially downzone the area (i.e. reduce the size and height of allowable new development) and to extend landmark protections to several blocks and several individual buildings in the area. The downzoning was enacted last October, and today’s historic district designations deliver most, but not all, of the landmark protections promised by the City for the area; eight individual sites the City promised to landmark are yet to be considered. However, today’s designation did include three buildings GVSHP had fought to have added into the districts – 139 Charles Street, 143 Charles Street/687 Washington Street, and 177 Christopher Street. For a map of the designated districts and related actions, CLICK HERE; for pictures of today’s hearing and designation, CLICK HERE.

Today’s historic vote came just a few days after the death of Jane Jacobs and a few days before what would have been her 90th birthday on May 4th. Going at least as far back as 1963, Jane fought to preserve the Far West Village, urging it be included in the Greenwich Village Historic District being contemplated at the time. Unfortunately, when the Greenwich Village Historic District was designated in 1969, much of the Far West Village was excluded, though neighborhood activists and preservationists consistently pushed to have the area landmarked. Today’s vote marks the first expansion of the Greenwich Village Historic District since its designation in 1969. The only other expansion of historic district protections in Greenwich Village since 1969 was the 2003 designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District in the meatpacking district, a designation proposed and fought for by GVSHP.

While not including all areas GVSHP had fought to have landmarked, today’s historic district designations, combined with the still-promised designation of six individual landmarks, protects an incredible cross-section of the Far West Village’s unique residential, industrial, maritime, and civic architecture. The districts contain some wonderful early 19th century brick Federal-style rowhouses and two rare wooden houses, several early 19th and 20th century stables, a surviving former sailor’s hotel, some grand Romanesque-style warehouses, an early New York City police station and public school, and an unusual bohemian-style church. CLICK HERE for our proposal for landmarking the area, and HERE for pictures and information about the designated buildings in the Greenwich Village Extension District and HERE for the Weehawken Street District.

Today’s victory could not have been possible without the support and participation of literally thousands of people over the years. However, GVSHP would like to extend a special thank you to the Greenwich Village Community Task Force, with whom we worked closely on this landmark and downzoning proposal, and the Federation to Preserve the Greenwich Village Waterfront and Great Port. We would also like to thank the Westbeth Artists Residents Council, the Historic Districts Council, the NY Landmarks Conservancy, and the Municipal Art Society, who were strong supporters of the effort. We would also like to extend special thank you’s to City Council Speaker Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Stringer, and State Senator Duane, all of whom were strong supporters of the proposed landmark designations. Countless Community Board members, block association chairs, building captains, and average citizens also worked incredibly hard to help make this victory possible.

GVSHP wants to thank the Landmarks Preservation Commission for this historic vote, but also to urge them to keep the remainder of their promise for the eight additional individual landmark designations in the neighborhood. hborhood.

To see the City's press release regarding the Far West Village landmark designations, CLICK HERE.

Funding for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation’s work to preserve the Far West Village comes from the Kaplen Foundation, the Flora Family Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and GVSHP’s members.

FAR WEST VILLAGE LANDMARKS: In October the City held a hearing upon promised landmark district protections for the Far West Village, which is the required step before voting to enact these measures. Though there was a huge turnout in support at the hearing, we are still awaiting the vote to actually put the landmark protections in place (note: it is typically several months between a first landmarks hearing and the actual vote).

To see the City's Far West Village Historic District proposals, CLICK HERE and HERE; to see GVSHP's Far West Village Historic District proposal, CLICK HERE.

In the meantime, GVSHP has learned that two buildings we successfully fought to have added to the proposed landmark district at 139 and 143 Charles/685-7 Washington Streets may face an imminent threat of demolition, thus making quick action by the City all the more vital. Additionally, the City has still not agreed to hold hearings on other endangered sites in the area like the Superior Inks factory, or on the eight individual landmarks it publicly committed to designate. GVSHP is pushing the Landmarks Preservation Commission to move ahead as quickly as possible on protecting all of these buildings; CLICK HERE for GVSHP letter to the Commission.

There will be a second hearing on the proposed landmark protections for the Far West Village on December 13th, providing a critical opportunity for us to push the City on all these points. WITH INCREASING DANGER FACING BUILDINGS THE CITY HAS PROPOSED TO LANDMARK IN THE FAR WEST VILLAGE, AS WELL AS THOSE IT HAS NOT, WE NEED QUICK ACTION FROM THE CITY TO ENSURE THE PRESERVATION OF THIS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD.

CLICK HERE for sample letters to the City urging that they approve all the proposed landmark protections for the Far West Village right away, and protect other endangered buildings like the Superior Inks factory.

Come to the hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission on the Far West Village on December 13 (time TBA). If you did not testify at the October hearing, you can testify in person and tell the Commissioners to move ahead on these issues; if you already testified, you can come to show support. As soon as the time for the hearing has been set, we'll let you know.

LANDMARKS HEARING: A standing room only crowd packed the Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday to show support for the proposed expansion of landmark protections in the Far West Village and to ask the Commission to go even further (for maps of the proposed Far West Village Historic districts heard yesterday, CLICK HERE and HERE).

The Commission was clearly impressed by the turnout, acknowledging the hard work done by many including GVSHP to bring us to this point. However, we still need the Commission to vote these entire proposed landmark districts into law, we need them to designate the other sites in the Far West Village they have promised to consider for landmarking, and we need to get them to expand their proposal to include gravely endangered sites like the Superior Inks factory.

LANDMARKS HEARING SCHEDULED: In another stunning victory for Far West Village preservation efforts, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has scheduled its hearing on the proposed expansion of landmark district protections in the Far West Village for Tuesday, October 18, at 9:30 am, at the Municipal Building, One Centre Street (at Chambers Street), 9th floor.

This hearing, scheduled less than a month after the LPC calendared the district, is unusually swift and responds to GVSHP's call for the quickest possible consideration and enactment of these districts, given the intense pressure and danger the area faces. The two proposed historic districts (CLICK HERE for Greenwich Village Historic District Extension map and HERE for Weehawken Historic District map) now include three buildings originally excluded but added at the urging of GVSHP and hundreds of supporters. Thanks also go to Councilmember Quinn, who also pushed for the expansion and accelerated consideration of these districts (which were originally not supposed to be considered for several months).

It will be CRITICAL to have a large turnout in support of designation at the hearing, and also to urge the Commission to consider other immediately endangered sites in the area. It is HIGHLY UNUSUAL for the Commission to move so swiftly, to add buildings to a district proposal, and to consider THREE historic districts in a given area in just two years (the Gansevoort Market District was enacted in late 2003), and we should be sure the Commission knows that we recognize and appreciate this.

Support for the efforts of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation to preserve the Far West Village comes from our members, the Kaplen Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the generous assistance of City Councilmember Christine Quinn, State Senator Tom Duane, and Assemblymember Deborah Glick.