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WINTER 2022
DEVELOPER AND CITY COORDINATE ON
PARTIAL DEMO OF NINE 1840S HOUSES
Landmarked MePa Structures Undone Under Questionable Circumstances
In 2020, Village Preservation staunchly Village Preservation demanded answers,
opposed a plan to partially demolish nine questioning the plausibility of the City and
landmarked 1840s houses at 44-54 9th developer’s story, and raising the issue with
Avenue/351-55 West 14th Street and build a fellow preservation organizations, the com-
huge office tower behind it. Pushback by us munity board, and local elected officials. We
and others led to a significant reduction in held a press conference on the site ques-
the size of the proposed tower and far less tioning the story and the actions being taken,
dramatic changes approved for the land- demanding to see proof of the safety issues
marked buildings, with more of an emphasis that could not be otherwise addressed, ques-
on restoration than previously proposed. tioning whether this wasn’t the result of work
the developer performed or to make it easier
But in late 2021, as work began on the project, to build the planned office tower behind, and
the developer suddenly “discovered” that calling out city agencies and the developer
the structures, which had stood for 175 years for not identifying these supposedly pre-ex-
and until recently had been safely occupied, isting structural flaws during the long public VILLAGE PRESERVATION LED A RALLY IN NOVEMBER
were “compromised” and posed an “imminent review and approval process for this work. DEMANDING ANSWERS TO WHY THESE 19TH-CENTURY
danger” to the public. The city’s Department BUILDINGS (UNDER SCAFFOLDING) HAD TO BE
of Buildings (DOB) concurred, and after After much pressure, we got a meeting PARTIALLY DEMOLISHED.
consultation with the Landmarks Preservation with the DOB Commissioner and staff,
Commission (LPC), ordered the facades of the LPC, local elected officials, and fellow to require dismantled bricks to be reused
buildings to be taken down. During this period preservation organizations. The face-to- and replaced “whenever possible” — a
of supposed “imminent danger,” the buildings face meeting only reinforced our sense fuzzy commitment and cold comfort — and
were left unsecured and open to the public; that less invasive alternatives to stabi- to require the developer to return to the
workers were seen enjoying leisurely lunch lizing and repairing the buildings had not public hearing process to reconsider this
breaks inside the buildings; and there were no been considered, and this was less about now drastically changed application. We
tell-tale signs of stress to the buildings visible public safety and more about facilitating a will closely monitor and continue to demand
to the public. development project. The LPC did agree answers and accountability.
MORE INFO villagepreservation.org/MePa
STATE RECOGNIZES
SOUTH OF UNION SQUARE
LANDMARKING EFFORT
But Full Protections Still Elude,
As City and Rivera Withhold Support
We scored a huge victory this fall when the venting construction
New York State Historic Preservation Office of a 300-ft.-tall office
ruled our proposed South of Union Square tower. We got the City
Historic District eligible for the National Reg- to designate seven
ister of Historic Places. The State cited the more buildings along
rich architecture, cultural history, and civil Broadway as land-
rights legacy of the neighborhood in making marks in 2018, and in
the determination. 2021 secured land-
mark designation of 70 Fifth Avenue, a 1912 This neighborhood, with its irreplaceable his-
We’ve been seeking landmark protections Beaux Arts building that housed not only tory connected to transformative social and
for this area between 14th and 9th Streets, the headquarters of the NAACP and The artistic movements and impressive architec-
5th and 3rd Avenue for years, as increasing Crisis Magazine, but an unparalleled array ture, needs and deserves better. That’s why
pressure for luxury condo and tech develop- of human rights and social justice organiza- we’re fighting for a historic district covering
2 ment has resulted in demolition of more and tions in the early 20th century. This honored about 200 buildings in this vulnerable area,
more historic structures, and out-of-scale, and protected a long-overlooked history, made more at risk by the 2018 upzoning for a
out-of-context new development. and it prevented the very real possibility 14th Street Tech Hub near 4th Avenue thanks
of construction of a supertall tower on the to then-Mayor de Blasio and City Council
And we’ve made progress, saving from site — one of the few sites in our neighbor- member Carlina Rivera.
demolition the former studio of Frank Stella hood where zoning actually allows massive
at 128 East 13th Street, and that of Willem construction of unlimited height. We’ve received support for this proposal
de Kooning and numerous other artists at from prominent elected officials, civil
827-831 Broadway, in the latter case pre- Of course there have been losses as well. rights organizations like the NAACP and
In 2015 Bowlmor Lanes the National LGBTQ Task Force, leading
was demolished to make scholars, writers, and academics, and thou-
way for a bland, oversized sands of New Yorkers. The former Mayor
tower. In 2018 the former refused to allow landmark designation to
St. Denis Hotel (1855) at move ahead, however, and Councilmember
11th Street and Broadway Rivera, who represents most of the area,
was demolished to make has refused to support the proposal.
way for a glassy tech
office tower. And 64 Uni- We will be pushing this proposal front and
versity Place, former home center with the new Mayor and whoever
of Agata & Valentina (and the new Landmarks Preservation Com-
in the 1960s home of the mission chair will be. And we continue to
revolutionary publisher engage thousands of people around this
Grove Press) is being history and preservation efforts with our
MAP SHOWING OUR PROPOSED SOUTH OF UNION SQUARE HISTORIC DISTRICT, WHICH demolished to make way online interactive South of Union Square
YOU CAN ACCESS AT VILLAGEPRESERVATION.ORG/SOUTHOFUNIONSQUAREMAP. for luxury condos. Map+Tours.
MORE INFO villagepreservation.org/SouthOfUnionSquare
CITY APPROVES SOHO/NOHO
UPZONING + DISPLACEMENT PLAN
Stiff Opposition Pares Back Plan, Still a Huge Developer Giveaway
At the end of 2021, the City Council approved Preservation was denied a seat on
a modified version of Mayor de Blasio’s the project’s “community advisory
parting gift to his real estate benefactors: board,” despite repeated requests by
the SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning plan. other stakeholders to include us.
Approval at the City Council was led by Coun-
cilmembers Margaret Chin, Carlina Rivera, Overwhelming sentiment expressed
and Corey Johnson. Under extreme pressure at public meetings against such
from groups like Village Preservation, the measures was roundly ignored. The
Council pared back some of the most dam- City argued they would result in
aging elements of the plan, but still approved the creation of needed affordable
a fundamentally flawed and misguided housing, which would be required in
rezoning that not only will do great harm to certain types of for-profit develop-
these neighborhoods, but is also intended to ments allowed under the rezoning,
serve as a model for more such rezonings in leading to greater diversity of neigh-
historic neighborhoods throughout NYC. borhood residents. Such develop-
ments would, however, include three
From 2019 when the Mayor, Councilmember times as many luxury condos.
Chin, and Borough President Gale Brewer THE FINAL MAP OF THE UPZONING PLAN AS APPROVED BY
3 first introduced the “process” for considering Village Preservation released study after THE CITY COUNCIL.
zoning changes to SoHo and NoHo, we study showing the plan would in fact result
called it out for what it was: a giant devel- in little if any affordable housing being built, In spite of this broad opposition and empir-
oper giveaway designed to dramatically due to numerous loopholes and lucra- ical data, the plan moved ahead. Our efforts
increase the allowable size of new buildings, tive alternatives to including them; would did have an impact, however, forcing the
allow big-box chain stores of unlimited size, likely lead to the demolition of as many as Mayor and then the City Council to roll back
and introduce NYU and private university hundreds of units of existing truly affordable some of the worst elements of the plan.
expansion to the area. We were ultimately rent regulated housing; would make the We got reductions in the allowable size of
proven correct, as these were cornerstones neighborhood less diverse and more expen- commercial developments in most locations;
of the proposal. For our truth-telling, Village sive, even if the promised “affordable” units the overall size and height of developments
(for which income requirements would often in several areas; and big-box chain retail and
be quite high) were built; would dispropor- mega-bars and restaurants throughout the
tionately target and harm lower-income rezoning area. We also got the allowance for
Asian American residents of the Chinatown NYU/private university expansion eliminated.
section of the rezoning; and displace artists, This also means new developments are
seniors, small businesses, and arts-related slightly more likely to include a fraction of
entities. Our contentions were supported the promised affordable housing, and to not
by leading housing, tenant, environmental, result in displacement of existing residents,
labor, social justice, Chinatown, arts, and affordable rent-regulated housing, arts uses,
preservation groups, including state and and small businesses.
national groups.
But even the watered down plan was still a
AT 46 COOPER SQUARE, THE COUNCIL’S APPROVED REZONING giant loss for our neighborhoods, for our city,
WOULD ALLOW A NEW 275-FT.-TALL BUILDING WITH NO and for equity, and a giant gift to developers
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT ALL. who lobbied and donated extensively for it.
MORE INFO villagepreservation.org/sohonohoupzoning
VILLAGE VOICES CELEBRATES STORIES
OF NEIGHBORHOOD TRAILBLAZERS
Free Public Exhibition Raises
Funds for Preservation and Education
This past fall, Village Preservation staged our The exhibit’s inaugural day in
first-ever Village Voices public exhibition. The September included live inter-
free event, which remained up and acces- active performances, as well
sible to the public for six weeks, was a safe, as a special outdoor reception
socially distanced celebration of 21 sites in for the exhibition’s strongest
our neighborhoods connected to historic financial supporters at Jefferson
figures and events that profoundly impacted Market Garden. Village Voices
the fields of civil rights, the arts, science, or served as our 2021 annual ben-
social justice. efit, replacing our annual house
tour, which was postponed due
Village Voices utilized shadow boxes placed to COVID concerns, with an
throughout Greenwich Village, the East entirely new model.
Village, and NoHo, within which specially
curated artworks and artifacts connected Not merely a safer way to stage
to the people and locations could be found a benefit, Village Voices allowed
reflecting the story of their significance. A us to share our neighborhoods’
4 QR code on each allowed visitors to hear rich history of innovation, pro
narrations about the subjects by Edward gressive thought, and social
s A VISITOR SCANS A QR CODE ON ONE BOX TO LEARN MORE
Norton, Kathleen Chalfant, and John Legui- transformation with the broader public and
ABOUT JOAN MITCHELL.
zamo, among many others, and at some the entire city. By using sites like Washington
spots to access enhanced reality images Square, St. Mark’s Church, and the NYC
to learn or see even more. Figures featured AIDS Memorial that were connected to these t VILLAGE VOICES WAS FEATURED ON NY1: FROM LEFT,
included James Baldwin, Bob Dylan, Patti towering figures and watershed events, as BENEFIT CHAIR LESLIE MASON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Smith, Lorraine Hansberry, Jane Jacobs, and well as historic figures’ homes and studios, ANDREW BERMAN, AND NY1 REPORTER ROGER CLARK
less well-known figures like John W. Draper it allowed us to engage the public around
(who took the first picture of the moon from the vital role our neighborhoods played in
Greenwich Village), along with sites like the contemporary history, while using virtual
former Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. technology along with in-person curated
creations to tell these stories and reach
a new audience.
Funds raised through this benefit event not
only made Village Voices possible, but also
supported the organization’s education and
advocacy work throughout the year. We
were thrilled with the tremendously positive
feedback it received, including coverage on
NY1 News and in the New York Times, and
that we were able to reach thousands of
people through the event. We are planning
a second Village Voices for 2022.
MORE INFO villagepreservation.org/voices
CHALLENGING RATIONALES
FOR PRO-DEVELOPER UPZONINGS
VP’s Studies Debunk False Claims Driving Anti-Preservation Policies
Village Preservation released several studies housing prices as compared to those with
this fall undermining the false premises landmark protections or zoning rules that
behind the push by city leaders, misguided may keep new housing production at lower
housing advocates, and real estate industry levels. In fact, it’s often the neighborhoods
insiders to upzone neighborhoods (espe- with the loosest restrictions and the most
cially centrally located and historic ones) to new construction that see the highest
increase the allowable size of development, housing costs. Our analysis also found that
as a way to supposedly address the city’s adjacent neighborhoods with and without OUR ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT HUDSON YARDS IS
lack of affordable housing. The argument landmark protections, and those with and THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH THE MOST NEW HOUSING
is that a shortage of housing of all sorts is without huge amounts of new development, PRODUCTION IN NYC, AND THE HIGHEST HOUSING PRICES.
making all housing in our city less affordable, often have comparable housing prices,
and that more housing production at any undercutting the argument that simply guess or coin toss. And yet it is such pre-
level brings prices down for everyone. allowing more market-rate housing brings dictions that form the premise for these pro-
prices down. foundly impactful rezonings, including the
Not only do we not see this happening in recently approved SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown
New York City, we actually often see just the Rather than benefiting average New Yorkers rezoning, which the city claims will produce
opposite. Analysis shows that upzoned neigh- or those in need, these upzonings, and 900 units of affordable housing — an out-
borhoods with higher housing the concurrent push to strip away or limit landish and fanciful claim.
5 production don’t necessarily landmark protections, mostly just help real
have lower estate developers. Rather than simply exposing the damage
that these lies do, we’ve also highlighted
Too many city officials nevertheless sub- ways of helping to address affordability
scribe to this theory, which has been without destroying neighborhoods and
increasingly driving planning policy. allowing oversized development with
The City frequently makes promises copious amounts of luxury condos. One
when rezoning neighborhoods about the is to simply build reasonably sized afford-
impacts they will have, from affordability, able housing where it’s needed, rather
to housing production, to stimulating than upzoning entire neighborhoods to
positive retail growth. So we also did entice for-profit developers to include
an analysis to see how frequently the some “affordable” housing by granting
city’s projections about their rezon- them the ability to build huge amounts of
ings’ impacts are accurate. luxury housing along with it. Another is to
not upzone sites with existing rent-regu-
Titled “Less Reliable Than Flip- lated affordable housing, encouraging its
ping A Coin,” our report ana- destruction and permanent loss. A third is
lyzing years of city rezonings to look for ways to incentivize or require that
found that in case after case, when our city’s 1 million units of rent-regu-
the city’s predictions about lated affordable housing turn over, they go
developments in their rezon- to tenants whose incomes are appropriate
ings were accurate substan- for the rent (the generally accepted target
tially less than 50% of the of rent accounting for no more than 30%
time, or the rate of accuracy of income) rather than someone whose
one would derive from a random income exceeds that threshold.
5 MORE INFO villagepreservation.org/affordability
in brief
#SOUTHOFUNIONSQUARE
PLAQUES HONOR
ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Village Preservation unveiled two new NEW HISTORIC IMAGES CAPTURE 9/11, DRAG
historic plaques in late 2021, one honoring
artist Frank Stella, and the other writer
PERFORMERS, HUDSON PIERS, PRE-PARK HIGH LINE
Anaïs Nin. Both made great leaps forward We added several hundred new donated images over the last six months to our his-
in their careers producing trailblazing work toric image archive, including several remarkable collections of images connected
South of Union Square. to the World Trade Center and 9/11 donated to help us mark the 20th anniversary
of that tragic event. We also received several hundred images of East Village drag
At 128 East 13th Street, we were joined by performers from the mid-1990s taken by the house photographer of the legendary boy
Frank Stella himself along with Whitney bar on St. Mark’s Place. A cache of donated photos also showed the crumbling but
Museum Director Adam Weinberg to vibrant Greenwich Village waterfront piers in the late 1970s, while another showed
unveil the marker on the artist’s home and the High Line and its surroundings in 1979 taken as part of an early but never-realized
studio from 1978 to 2005, where some of proposal for its conversion to a public walkway.
his greatest works were produced. At 17 VIEW ALL THESE AND MORE AT villagepreservation.org/imagearchive
6 East 13th Street, we were joined by friends,
scholars, and compatriots of Cuban/French
writer Anaïs Nin during Hispanic Heritage
Month to unveil the marker honoring where
LATEST ORAL HISTORIES HONOR
in the 1940s she housed her own printing PLAYWRIGHTS AND ACTIVISTS
press and hand-produced some of her most
seminal, groundbreaking works. We were thrilled to share three new oral the globe, with a particular focus on the
SEE villagepreservation.org/plaque histories in late 2021, with playwrights John history of our neighborhood and the struggles
Guare and Barbara Kahn, and activist Ayo of marginalized groups like women, LGBTQ+
Harrington, adding to people, and immigrants,
our collection of over 60 among others. She
oral histories with some shared how she was
of our neighborhoods’ drawn to the downtown
most important figures. scene and how theater
shaped her life.
Guare is the award-win-
ning writer of House Harrington has been
of Blue Leaves and Six GUARE HARRINGTON KAHN a leading East Village
Degrees of Separation, among countless activist since she moved here in the 1960s.
notable works. He’s also lived and worked Her life and work covered in her oral history
in Greenwich Village for over 60 years, has been intimately intertwined with the civil
and shared with us how the neighborhood rights, urban homesteading, community gar-
changed and supported and inspired his dening, and educational reform movements.
work. Kahn is also an award-winning play- ACCESS THESE THREE AND MORE AT
wright whose works have been staged around villagepreservation.org/oralhistory
FROM THE DIRECTOR
ANDREW BERMAN
bulletin board BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PRESIDENT
Trevor Stewart
We’re entering a new era in our STAY IN THE KNOW! Join our email list for
city unseen in almost a decade. alerts on critical preservation and development VICE-PRESIDENTS
We have a new Mayor and issues at villagepreservation.org/email. Kyung Choi Bordes
a majority-new City Council Jessica Davis
(including new representatives SEE THE LATEST APPLICATIONS FOR
SECRETARY/TREASURER
in two of our three local council CHANGES TO LANDMARKED PROPERTIES
Allan Sperling
districts), and there are or soon will be new heads of city in our neighborhoods, and hundreds of past
agencies, including those that most directly affect pres- applications, at villagepreservation.org/lpc. PRESIDENT EMERITUS
ervation and planning, like the Landmarks Preservation Arthur Levin
Commission and City Planning Commission. All offer VISIT OUR BLOG OFF THE GRID for fun and
new opportunities, and new challenges, for our work. fascinating glimpses into our neighborhoods’ TRUSTEES
hidden history, eye-catching architecture, and col- Mary Ann Arisman
But no matter who’s in charge, our mission remains orful characters: villagepreservation.org/blog. Tom Birchard
the same: to document, celebrate, and preserve the Dick Blodgett
special architectural and cultural heritage of Green- GET WITH THE PROGRAM! See all our Blaine Birchby
David Hottenroth
wich Village, the East Village, and NoHo — our built upcoming lectures, book talks, panel discus-
Anita Isola
environment, our small businesses, our local cultural sions, and other programs, as well as thousands Jeanne Krier
institutions, and our rich history of artistic, social, and of videos and pictures from past programs, at John Lamb
political innovation, and as a place of welcoming to villagepreservation.org/programs. Justine Leguizamo
newcomers from across the country and world. Leslie Mason
EXPLORE hundreds of local sites on our Civil Ruth McCoy
Protecting and illuminating these qualities benefits not Rights and Social Justice Map; thousands of Katherine Schoonover
7 just these neighborhoods, but our city as a whole, and photos and hundreds of sites of historic signifi- Marilyn Sobel
beyond. The challenge we face is to ensure it’s not just cance on our Greenwich Village Historic District Judith Stonehill
developers and government bureaucrats with their own Map; guides to Women’s Suffrage historic sites Linda Yowell
vested interests who get to decide the fate of our com- and Greek Revival architecture in our neighbor-
munities, but everyone who lives in, works in, visits, or hoods; and the history of 3,000+ buildings and
benefits from these irreplaceable qualities does as well. themed tours on our East Village Building Blocks STAFF
site, all at villagepreservation.org/resources. Andrew Berman,
With the support of our ever-growing base of members, Executive Director
from across our neighborhoods, city, and the world, PICTURE THIS: Donate old photos of our neigh-
Sarah Eccles, Research and
I’m confident we can do just that. Thank you for being borhood to our historic image archive, or explore Preservation Associate
a part of making that possible. more than 3,600 images at villagepreservation
.org/imagearchive. Hew Evans, Programs and
Administrative Assistant
David Herman,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We also gratefully acknowledge in-kind support from Communications Manager
Axis Theatre, Richard Corman, James Cuebas, Pryor
Anna Marcum, Director of
Village Preservation gratefully acknowledges grants Dodge, Doyle Partners, the Estate of Fred W. McDarrah,
Research and Preservation
in support of our work from the Achelis & Bodman Jerry M. Feeney, Fireplace @409 Bleecker, Noah Green-
Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the Lynne berg, Peter Grisafi, Penny Hardy/PSNY, Jillian Jonas, Sam Moskowitz, Director of
Waxman Foundation, Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, Deborah Kadetsky, Charles Kramer, Edward LaGrassa, Operations
the Kaplen Brothers Fund, the Mertz Gilmore Founda- MADE Architecture, Lenore Mills, Eliza Paley, Marisa Juan Rivero, East Village and
tion, the Rogers Family Foundation, Humanities New Palmisano, Michael Quinn, Robert A. Ripps, Steve Special Projects Director
York, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NYS Council Salvesen, SergeAudio, St. Mark’s in the Bowery, Carole
Lannyl Stephens, Director of
on the Arts, and City Council Member Corey Johnson Teller, Veselka, Beverly Wallace, John Weiss, Westbeth
Development and Special
through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Artists Residents Council, and Marjorie Zien.
Events
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