May is Lower East Side History Month — join us for one or more free LESPI events to celebrate all things LES! For more information and to sign up see HERE.

May 2: Opening Ceremony for a major outdoor exhibit: “Brick and Stone: Landmarking our Lower East Side Heritage”

To celebrate our neighborhood’s extraordinary architecture and cultural history, LESPI is showcasing 12 historic buildings and 2 proposed historic districts in an outdoor photography exhibition of large-scale photo banners installed on the fence of The Clemente Center.

May 13: LESPI’s Community Meeting: “What Makes a NYC Landmark?”

How does the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) decide what to landmark, what not to landmark, and how to prioritize their work? How much should a building’s historic architecture versus cultural history weigh in the decision? Should a landmark look like a landmark to be a landmark?

Join Margaret Herman, Director of Research at the LPC, Preservation Consultant Simeon Bankoff, and LESPI for a lively yet friendly, illustrated discussion of this important topic. 

May 20: Celebrate the landmarking of the Church of St. Mary and the parish’s 200th Anniversary!

On April 7, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Church of St. Mary on Grand Street an Individual Landmark. In addition, the parish of St. Mary, founded in May 1826, will mark its 200th anniversary, including 193 uninterrupted years at the historic church on Grand Street. Join us for a festive evening!