City Agrees to Expand East Village Landmarks Proposal!
 Good news — the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to expand the boundaries of their proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District study area to include additional streets and buildings called for by GVSHP, the Historic Districts Council, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, and the East Village Community Coalition. The LPC’s decision comes after a meeting with the groups arranged by City Councilmember Rosie Mendez — read the LPC’s letter HERE.
Earlier this month, the LPC released the boundaries of study areas in the East Village they intended to propose for landmark designation (maps and info HERE). GVSHP and the three other groups wrote to the LPC supporting the potential proposed historic districts but urging that additional areas be considered (see letter, map, and details HERE). Now the LPC has agreed to include several of the buildings and areas we had called upon to be included in the district proposals. The LPC expects to ‘calendar,’ or begin to formally consider, the areas for historic district designation in June. The LPC has also informally agreed to look at other areas in the East Village at a later date.
The additions to the study areas include buildings along Avenue A, East 6th Street, 2nd Avenue, and East 2nd Street. These include 101 Avenue A, an 1876 tenement of striking architecture which has housed everything from a German Social hall in the 19th century to a drag performance art space in the 1980s, which GVSHP had sought for years to protect (read HERE). It also includes the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection at 59 East 2nd Street, a spectacular and historic religious edifice built in 1891 which the groups also spent years advocating to protect (read HERE). Additional buildings within the areas suggested by the advocates which the LPC has agreed to include are a 1918 former magistrates court building which now houses the Anthology Film Archives at 32 2nd Avenue (picture HERE), a Greek Revival House built in the late 1830s at 65 East 2nd Street (picture HERE), two Federal-style rowhouses dating to the 1820s at 74-80 East 2nd Street (picture HERE), and several 19th century tenement buildings (see images HERE and HERE).
Very special thanks go to Councilmember Rosie Mendez for her steadfast advocacy and support on behalf of these and many other East Village preservation efforts.
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