Category: Landmarks

Religious Facilities Task Force

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Religious institutions are a bedrock of neighborhood life and identity, and serve as a social and cultural resource for thousands of New Yorkers. When religious congregations are faced with real estate challenges and must move or close, the impacts on the surrounding community can be significant. Since 2014, my office has worked to assist them in meeting their challenges – which have been particularly serious in Central and East Harlem,… Read more

Central Harlem Historic District is granted protected status!

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NEW YORK – Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued the following statement following the City Council’s approval of the Central Harlem Historic District today: “The blocks that make up the Central Harlem Historic District are a living piece of history, speaking to events from Harlem’s 19th-century building boom to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. I thank Council Member Bill Perkins and the Council’s Land Use Committee for… Read more

December 2016 Newsletter: Staten Island Grand Jury Decision, Landmarks Preservation, Housing, Immigration, and more.

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The Staten Island grand jury decision.
I disagree with the decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the chokehold death of Eric Garner. Sadly, Garner’s death is yet another instance where the outcome is utterly, tragically out of proportion to the offense—in this case, for selling loose cigarettes on a commercial strip on Staten Island. As I said after the Ferguson Grand Jury’s decision, we need reforms, we need… Read more

Statement on Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Action on Calendar Backlog

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued the following statement following today’s special meeting of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, at which the Commission considered actions on 95 backlogged items for landmarking consideration: “Today marks a real achievement: the Landmarks Preservation Commission is clearing its backlog through a transparent, public, accountable process. “The IRT Powerhouse on the West Side and the Loews Theater in Washington Heights are just two of 30… Read more

Statement on First Landmarks Preservation Commission Backlog Hearing

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued the following statement in advance of her appearance at today’s first Landmarks Preservation Commission public hearing on backlogged items for landmarking consideration in Manhattan: “I’ll be pleased to offer my testimony this morning in support of a number of properties I believe should be landmarked, but what really thrills me about today’s hearing is the achievement it represents. Working together, we devised a… Read more

Statement on City Council Landmarks Legislation

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Yesterday, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer offered testimony at a hearing of the New York City Council Land Use Committee, raising her deep concerns about the current version of Int. 775. In its current form, the legislation sets up hard deadlines for the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s consideration of items on its calendar, and would ban any and all items not designated within the set time frame from reconsideration for… Read more

Borough President Unveils Legislative Package to Clarify and Improve the City’s Landmarks Process

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NEW YORK –Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer today announced a legislative package to improve New York City’s landmarks review and preservation process, to be introduced in partnership with Councilmembers Dan Garodnick, Brad Lander, and Stephen Levin. “This month we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the New York City Landmarks Law,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “What better time to add more transparency and predictability to the… Read more

Misguided proposal from Landmarks Preservation Commission means lost NYC landmarks

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I was disappointed to learn of the LPC’s announcement of a massive, short-notice, arbitrary “decalendaring”—i.e., removal from landmarks consideration— of 96 sites or districts citywide, including 36 in Manhattan. My staff and I visited all 36 on Thanksgiving weekend, days after the LPC announcement, and there are at least eight that deserve further consideration, not elimination—including the magnificent Loew’s 175th Street Theater, the former IRT Powerhouse on West 58th Street… Read more