Landmark West!

2009-09-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Green Theology: Energy Efficiency and Sacred Sites (click for more info!)
Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 8:45 a.m.-- 3:00 p.m.

Religious institutions are treasured touchstones of strength, comfort and stability for congregants and community alike, but the costs of heating, cooling and running facilities present considerable challenges even to the most robust congregations and the most creative facility managers.

"Green Technology," "sustainability" and "energy efficiency" are frequently used buzz words that can leave caretakers of religious properties enthusiastic, confused about how to maintain their older buildings, or under the mistaken impression that "green building" is meant for new buildings.

The seminar is designed for members of the clergy and others to guide them as they strive to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings and reduce associated costs. A case study of an actual energy efficiency audit of a religious property, from the perspectives of both the auditor and the religious institution, will be presented to provide a hands-on understanding of the range of challenges and potential solutions that are useful in managing these important sites.

E-Postcard Campaign to Preserve the Powerhouse!

2009-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Send Landmarks Chair Robert B. Tierney a "postcard" reminder to "Preserve the Powerhouse!" It's quick, easy and, thanks to email technology, 100% free. Simply click here and, in three steps, the ravishing historic photo to your left will be winding its way to the Commission's inbox, along with a brief paragraph (that you can personalize) in support of landmark designation.

It's been over two months since the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission's July 14 public hearing on the former Interborough Rapid Transit Powerhouse - its third hearing since 1979 (read about the building's significance). And still, no action to give this monumental masterpiece the landmark protection it so justly deserves. Time for a not-so-subtle nudge.

Get Your Ticket Today for the Unsung Heroes Awards Ceremony 10/8/2009!

2009-09-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

On October 8th, Landmark West! will celebrate the Unsung Heroes of the Upper West Side!

10/14/2009 Continuing Education Seminar: Architecture + Zoning

2009-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

An Architectural and Zoning Toolkit to Enhance your Skills in a Changing Economy (click to learn more!)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 from 8:45 a.m.-- 5:00 p.m.

Sitting atop Lincoln Center, participants of this day-long seminar will be in the cat bird’s seat to learn about the evolution of the City and ecclectic architectural styles of our neighborhoods. Have you ever wondered how to date an apartment building, distinguish original detail from additions, or how to make sense of the diverse architectural styles of New York City buildings? Have you ever questioned how and why a neighborhood developed over time?

This seminar is custom-designed for real estate brokers, planners, architects and others seeking to hone their professional and marketing skills to identify architectural styles and development patterns in New York City. Discover how zoning has influenced neighborhood change and unlock clues to dating and interpreting. The better you understand historic buildings and neighborhoods, the better you can serve clients and participate in the life of the city. Wear comfortable shoes—we will end the program with a walking tour of nearby blocks in the Lincoln Center area and the historic Upper West Side!

Original Post 9/22/2009: Check Out What Our Friends Are Up To!

2009-09-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

2 Upcoming Events: Click Here for More Info

Inquiry:HP Presents CHRISTOPHER PAYNE
Thursday, September 24
6:30 PM at Columbia University
Avery Hall, 6th Floor, Ware Classroom
New York City-based photographer Christopher Payne specializes in the documentation of America's vanishing architecture and industrial landscape.

New York Botanical Conference on New York’s Landscape Heritage
Friday, October 9, 2009
Location: The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx NY
On October 9, 2009 the first in a series of ten regional conferences planned through 2010 will take place at the New York Botanical Garden. Using the Botanical Garden as a launching off point, the conference will place a spotlight on New York City and the region spanning 150 years of landscape design.

Original Post 9/3/2009: Register now for Mechanic's Institute!

2009-09-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Mechanics' Institute is now accepting new applicants for its Historic Preservation program. The tuition-free certificate program, launched in 2006, is comprised of eight courses that cover a wide range of preservation topics.

For more information visit the school website at www.mechanicsinstitute.org. To register, call the Admissions office at 212.840.7648.

Sacred Sites Walking Tour September 16, 2009

2009-09-01T09:24:00.001-07:00

In a world of constant change, religious institutions are often the historical and visual anchors of New York’s many neighborhoods, representing some of the most distinctive and exciting architectural styles. Please join Mosette and Herb Broderick in a walking tour of some of the most outstanding sacred sites on Manhattan’s historic Upper West Side. We will visit several institutions and see several of their magnificent interiors whilewalking and talking about everything in between. This is the second of a popular two-part series. For more information, click here.

Original Post 8/19/2009: SAVE THE DATE for Unsung Heroes!

2009-09-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

On October 8th, Landmark West! will celebrate the Unsung Heroes of the Upper West Side. Save the date for the Dionysian feast!

Original Post 8/10/2009: Mayoral Breakfasts

2009-09-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2009, Mayoral candidates Tony Avella and William C. Thompson, Jr. discussed their positions on historic preservation and neighborhood planning issues. For more information, including photos and audio recordings of their remarks, please click here.

Original Post 8/4/2009: Postcard Slide Lecture on August 20th

2009-09-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

On August 20th, Landmark West! hosted a slide lecture given by vintage postcard collector Michael V. Susi, author of the Postcard History Series’ The Upper West Side, Arcadia Publishing 2009. Michael shared his images of the lost and surviving structures of the Upper West Side over decades of development and redevelopment. Click here for more information.

Original Post 8/3/2009: Final Naumburg Orchestral Concert of 2009

2009-09-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

2009 was the 104th Season of the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Click here for more information.

Original Post 7/15/2009: Full House at July 14th Public Hearings

2009-09-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

The floodgates opened at the July 14 public hearing as scores of supporters showed up to urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to finally designate West-Park Presbyterian Church and the former IRT Powerhouse as Individual Landmarks. This was the first public hearing on West-Park since it was left out of the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District in 1990 and the third public hearing since 1979 on the Powerhouse. Both buildings have hovered in "Landmarks Limbo" due to owner opposition. Decades' worth of bottled-up testimony sent the message loud and clear: these buildings have waited too long, but it is not too late. The Commission must act now. Click here for more information.

Original Post 7/6/2009: Free Walking Tour "From Stryker's Bay to Morningside Heights"

2009-09-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

On July 12, the Columbus-Amsterdam BID sponsored a free walking tour of the Bloomingdale area, from Stryker's Bay to Morningside Heights. Click here for more information.

Original Post 7/1/2009: Presenting P.S.199 Students' Neighborhood Model!

2009-09-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2009, a neighborhood model created by first grade students at P.S. 199 was proudly displayed in the storefront window of Council Member Gale Brewer's office on Columbus Avenue. Click here for more information!

Original Post 6/16/2009: Urban Forests UPDATE

2009-09-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

What started out as a project to preserve and protect open spaces behind rowhouse blocks has burgeoned into a far-reaching preservation effort aimed at protecting privately owned open space throughout the 5 boroughs—space that could be lost piecemeal under the radar screen to development projects, small and large. LANDMARK WEST! commissioned CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities to identify and map privately owned open space—not only on the Upper West Side, but in all 5 boroughs of the City! Click here for more information.

Original Post 6/15/2009: July 14th A Big Day for UWS landmarks-in-waiting

2009-09-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

On July 14th, the Landmark Preservation Commission will hear testimony on 2 Upper West Side buildings: West-Park Presbyterian Church and the IRT Powerhouse. Click here for more information.

Original Post 6/11/2009: West 104th Street Block Association Walking Tour

2009-09-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

On June 28th, the West 104th St. Block Association and Bloomingdale Aging in Place hosted a walking tour of upper West End Avenue from 107th to 96th Streets, led by Gilbert Tauber, urban planner and historian. Click here for more information.

Original Post 6/8/2009: Call for Unsung Heroes Nominations!

2009-09-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

In June, Landmark West! asked for nominations for our Unsung Heroes Awards Ceremony, celebrating the people, groups or projects that have made an honest-to-goodness difference for New York and the Upper West Side. Click here for more information.

Original Post 6/5/2009: West End Avenue Walking Tour

2009-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

On July 1, 2009, Andrew S. Dolkart, Director of Columbia University's graduate program in Historic Preservation, led a walking tour of West End Avenue. This tour was a continuation of the very popular original tour in September of 2008. Click here for more information.

Original Post: 5/27/2009: Free Concert at First Church of Christ, Scientist

2009-09-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

On June 1, The First Church of Christ, Scientist at Central Park West and 68th Street hosted a free piano concert. Click here for more details.

2009-05-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

UPCOMING LANDMARK WEST! EVENTS

Wednesday, June 3rd: Continuing Education Seminar
Green Building, Energy Efficiency and Existing Buildings

Tuesday, June 16: Walking Tour
Sacred Sites of the West Side with Mosette and Herbert Broderick

2009-05-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Help Preserve West End Avenue!

YOU can help preserve West End Avenue! Show your support for safeguarding the special character and sense of place along one of our neighborhood's quintessential -- yet unprotected -- residential boulevards. To find out how, click here.

Help Preserve the IRT Powerhouse!

2009-05-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Preserve the Powerhouse!

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission recently announced that on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, it will hold a public hearing to consider designating the former Interborough Rapid Transit Powerhouse as an Individual NYC Landmark.

The Powerhouse stands as a majestic symbol of the City Beautiful era, designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White and constructed in 1904 to provide electricity for New York's first subway system. In all of its Beaux-Arts glory, it occupies a full block on the West Side of Manhattan (11th to 12th Avenues, 58th to 59th Streets), recalling such magnificent monuments as the New York Public Library (Carrere & Hastings, 1897-1911), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1894-1902) and the late great Pennsylvania Station (McKim, Mead & White, 1910 - demolished in 1963).

For more information, please click here.

Spring House Tour a Success!

2009-05-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

The hallowed halls of the West 67th Street Artists’ Colony Historic District are still echoing with “oohs” and “aahs”… LANDMARK WEST’s first-ever Spring House Tour was an event to remember!

To view the event webpage, please click here!

2009-05-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

WHAT: Preservation Lobby Day
WHERE: Steps of City Hall
WHEN: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – a press conference will begin at approximately 12 noon, but please plan to arrive by 11:45 to show critical mass

The preservation community will be out in force to support increased funding for the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and to promote the themes outlined below. **Please let us know if you or your organization would like to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Platform!** A copy of the full Platform is attached.

"Preservation is Sustainability" Reuse and rehabilitation of older buildings should be incorporated into the City's planning process.

"Preservation is Neighborhoods" Protecting neighborhood character is a cornerstone of the City's long-term viability.

"Preservation is an Economic Catalyst" Preservation raises property values, strengthens the city's tax base and enhances tourism. The City should support efforts to expand Federal and State historic preservation tax credits and enhance the J-51 tax abatement program for landmarked properties.

"Preservation is Historic Religious Properties" A special task force should study feasible ways to support these important structures, which anchor communities and provide needed social service programs.

"Preservation is an effective Landmarks Commission" Proper staffing levels are needed to speed LPC approval of appropriate renovations and development, which stimulate economic activity.

For more information, please click here.