Watch-Blog

Fred Bland Takes Over As Interim LPC Chair
At the start of Tuesday's Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting, Chair Srinivasan announced the mayor had appointed Fred Bland to take over as Vice Chair (and thus Interim Chair) when she steps down. Today, June 1st, is Srinivasan's last day, and so effective from...

Death at 217 West 57
In an unfortunate report, a construction worker was injured and a security guard was killed at 217 West 57th Street, aka the Nordstrom Tower, aka the Central Park Tower rising at the corner of 57th and Broadway. Slated to be 95 floors and reach a height of 1,550-feet...

A Developing Story: What de Blasio’s Emails Reveal About Affordable Housing in NYC
A DEVELOPING STORY What de Blasio's Newly Released Emails Reveal About Affordable Housing in NYC Last week, Mayor de Blasio finally released thousands of pages worth of emails between him, his office, and his outside advisers--a cache of information hard won by NY1...

Taking Exception to the Rules
Taking Exception to the Rules Public Impact on the Proposed LPC Rules Changes The Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing room was busy, hot, and brightly sunlit yesterday afternoon. One rumbling A/C unit tried, and...

LW! Going to Bat at the LPC
BATTER UP! LANDMARK WEST! GETS READY TO HIT HOME PRESERVATION IDEALS AT THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION THIS TUESDAY For many, this weekend may bring Memorial Day parties and parades. But LANDMARK WEST! is looking ahead to Tuesday the 29th, when a plethora of...

Architectural Firm Profiles: Lamb and Rich
Hugh Lamb (1859-1903) Charles Alonzo Rich (1855-1943) Firm Address: 257 West 91st Street, 214 Hugh Lamb was born in Scotland in 1849. Very little is known about his childhood and early training, but he was established as an architect in New Jersey in 1872. By...

It’s YOUR Call: Curb Senate Bill 6760
It's YOUR call... Although removed from New York State budget negotiations, the provision to eliminate the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) cap was reconstituted into Senate Bill 6760. This bill passed the Senate Rules Committee as of...

Senators to contact re: Senate Bill 6760
While Speaker Carl Heastie has New York City's interests covered in the Assembly, concerns arise in the Senate. The following senators voted AYE to support State Bill 6760 (FULL TEXT HERE) which would raise the FAR cap leading to taller buildings in NYC. As these...

What is Floor Area Ratio?
Wondering what it means when someone refers to Floor Area Ratio or FAR? We've got you. FLOOR AREA RATIO: The floor area ratio is the principal bulk regulation controlling the size of buildings. FAR is the ratio of total building floor area to the area of its zoning...

Layla Law-Gisiko: “Affordable housing and preservation are not enemies”
In the wake of Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan's announcement of her resignation as the head of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, preservationists, developers, and concerned citizens have cast their thoughts to the...