Fillmore East Plaque Unveiled!
 Last week over a hundred people, many of whom had attended shows at the Fillmore East, joined GVSHP, Two Boots, and Apple Bank for the unveiling of a historic plaque marking the site of the legendary Fillmore East. We were honored to also be joined by Joshua White of the Joshua Light Show -- the psychedelic light experience which helped define Fillmore East concerts, music legend Lenny Kaye, who performed at the unveiling and spoke about his experiences attending shows at the Fillmore East, and Tom Birchard, owner of neighborhood institution Veselka, who provided food and spoke of his experiences at the renowned music venue as well. We also heard many great stories from attendees about their experiences not only at the Fillmore, but at the site's prior and later incarnations as the Loew's Commodore Movie House, the Village Theater, and the Saint nightclub. Video of the entire unveiling, including Lenny Kaye's performance, can be found here, and photos from the event can be found here.
The Fillmore East plaque is just the latest in a series of historic markers GVSHP has placed throughout our neighborhoods, largely in partnership with Two Boots. These include plaques marking the site of the Justus Schwab Saloon (photos here) at 50 East 1st Street, the site of the San Remo Cafe at 93 MacDougal Street (photos here), the former residence of Frank O'Hara at 441 East 9th Street (video here and photos here), and the birthplace of PFLAG (Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays) at the Church of the Village at 13th Street and 7th Avenue (photos here).
Find out more about our historic plaque program here.
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Update on Planned Development at 110 University Place (Bowlmor Site)
 GVSHP has previously reported with great concern about a planned 52-unit, 23-story, 308 ft. tall development at 110 University Place, the site of the now-shuttered Bowlmor Lanes. GVSHP has repeatedly reached out to the developer, Billy Macklowe, to urge him to build a contextual development at this site, and have enlisted the support of local elected officials to do the same.
Several local elected officials recently met with Mr. Macklowe, including City Councilmember Rosie Mendez and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and unfortunately the news is not good. Mr. Macklowe intends to move ahead with his planned 300+ ft. tall development at this site, which will take the form of a short base with retail uses coming out to the streetwall, and a very tall, narrow, residential tower rising above it. At approximately 308 feet in height, this will be one of the tallest, if not the tallest, buildings in the Village. Apparently Mr. Macklowe has told elected officials that the building will be limestone rather than glass or steel.
This is extremely disappointing news, and sadly reflects the lack of landmark protections for much of the University Place corridor, and the current zoning, which allows towers of this size if a developer assembles a large enough site, as has been done in this case. While no timetable has been given for the development, demolition permits have recently been filed for the site.
In response, GVSHP met with local leaders and elected officials and their representatives last week to discuss strategies to prevent further such developments from taking place in this poorly-protected area. We are working with these leaders and elected officials to formulate proposals for zoning changes and landmark designations which would help protect the character of this area, preserve historic buildings, and prevent out-of-scale new development. If you are particularly concerned about this issue, please let us know by responding to this e-mail, and let us know if you live in the immediate area, and where.
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Latest Landmark Applications Available
GVSHP provides an ongoing record of all applications for changes to landmarked properties in our neighborhoods (Greenwich Village, NoHo, Gansevoort Market, the South Village, and the East Village) that require a public hearing before they can be approved. These proposals range from minor alterations to large additions, demolition, and new construction on landmarked sites.
Find out about the application, when the Community Board and NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission public hearings will take place, and how you can weigh in before decisions are made. You can also sign up for alerts to be notified of changes in the status of the application.
The new applications below are scheduled to be heard in the near future at the Community Board, the LPC, or both. Click on each for more information.
To sign up for notifications of new landmarks applications, please click HERE.
Find out more:
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The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation