 City Reverses Itself and Lets East Village Down on Landmarking, Again
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258 (r.) to 266 East 7th Street. 264 is light blue. |
For the second time in two months, the City has reversed a prior determination and refused to protect a historic “landmark-eligible” East Village property from demolition.
In September, GVSHP and allied groups reached out the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to urge them to landmark 264 East 7th Street, and the adjacent houses at 258, 260, 262, and 266 East 7th Street. Once part of what was known as “Political Row”, these five ca. 1842 houses, located between Avenues C and D, have rare and beautiful intact Greek Revival ornament, and are linked to the history of the early development of New York’s waterfront and to critical political figures of the 19th and early 20th century in New York. Read more about them here.
GVSHP reached out to the Commission because we became aware that a new owner was seeking to demolish 264 East 7th Street. In 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Commission itself had determined that these five houses “appear to be an LPC-eligible historic district,” meaning they merited landmark designation. State Senator Hoylman, Assemblymember Kavanaugh, City Councilmember Mendez joined us in requesting that LPC landmark these buildings. In spite of this fact and the houses’ incredibly compelling architecture and history, the Landmarks Preservation Commission recently responded saying they did not consider the buildings worthy of landmark designation. Read coverage here.
Sound familiar? Earlier this year the City also refused to landmark five 19th-century Beaux Arts tenements at 112-120 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues. These buildings were also threatened with demolition, and in 2008 the Landmarks Preservation Commission had also determined those buildings eligible for landmark designation. GVSHP and allies held multiple demonstrations to protest the City’s reversal and allowance of these buildings to be demolished, including one with labor unions protesting the use of dangerous, non-union labor on the project (images here).
One small positive note: due to the 2008 East Village rezoning which GVSHP and other groups fought for, the height of any new development on this block of East 7th Street is limited to 75 feet in height after setbacks. Previously there were NO height limits for new development on this block.
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