Useful Links - LESPI-NYC

Useful Links

LESPI in the News

Saving Downtown’s vulnerable landmarks; advocates cry city must do more, Village Sun, September 11, 2023
Middle Collegiate Church expects historic façade to be demolished by spring, Religious News Service, January 24, 2023
Historic façade must go, Middle Collegiate Church tells New York landmarks commission, Religious News Service, December 13, 2022
Middle Collegiate Church seeks permission to demolish the remaining façade of its fire-damaged structure on 2nd Avenue, EV Grieve, November 22, 2022
Middle Collegiate Church, preservationists on different sides on saving damaged facade, The Village Sun, November 20, 2022
Manhattan Churches, Shrine Featured in Sacred Sites Tour, Catholic New York, August 10, 2022
Save historic East River Park buildings, preservationists cry, The Village Sun, November 18, 2021
Last-Ditch Rallying to Save Historic East River Park Buildings Slated for Demolition, Bowery Boogie, November 16, 2021
City Should Protect LES Heritage by Preserving 1939-Era East River Park Buildings [OP-ED], Bowery Boogie, October 4, 2021
Brewer Balks at Soho/Noho Rezoning, Locals Lambaste Plan at Six-hour Session – The Village Sun, September 5, 2021
Campaign Underway to Landmark Historic LES Settlement House Buildings – Bowery Boogie, March 10, 2021
CB3 Full Board Backs Restoration of Historic East River Park Buildings – Bowery Boogie, November 2, 2020
CB3 Committee Approves Grassroots Plan to Save Historic East River Park Buildings – Bowery Boogie, October 19, 2020
Threatened East River Park Buildings Recognized for Architectural Distinction – Bowery Boogie, July 16, 2020.
Brooklyn B.P. Eric Adams stands with 70 Mulberry protesters – Village Sun, June 27, 2020.
Plan to Demolish and Rebuild Historic Chinatown Building Divides Community – NBC News, June 1, 2020
St. Mark’s Place air rights deal panned by preservationists – Curbed, February 15, 2019.
St. Mark’s Place Office Building Voted Down By CB3 Landmarks – Patch, February 14, 2019.
Needed: A new Lower East Side Historic District – The Villager, November 22, 2018.
C.B. 3 O.K.’s project for blast site – The Villager, July 5, 2018.
Leaderless LPC Doesn’t Bode Well for Lower East Side Historic District? – Bowery Boogie, June 14, 2018.
An Uncertain Future for East Village Rowhouses – The New York Times, November 26, 2016.
Protests Continue Against Demolition of East Village Tenements For Hotel – Bedford and Bowery, October 20, 2016.
As Development Heats Up, Landmarked Lower East Side Historic District Isn’t Any Closer to Happening – Bowery Boogie, June 21, 2016.
Alongside Katz’s Pastrami, Luxury Condos – The New York Times, April 22, 2016.
Proposed Lower East Side Historic District Picks Up Support; Tenement Museum Stays on the Sidelines – The Lo-Down, November 9, 2015.
Preservationists oppose landmark deadline bill – Town & Village, September 11, 2015.
Graffiti Artist YesOne Paints Before a Live Audience at The Clemente – The Lo-Down, July 31, 2015.
In Action in LES with YESONE and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative – Bowery Boogie, July 30, 2015.
New York City’s Fight for Cultural Preservation – Huffington Post, June 26, 2015.
Preservationists Rally For a Lower East Side Historic District – Curbed, June 22, 2015.
Preservation Groups Ask Landmarks Commission to Declare Lower East Side Historic District – The Lo-Down, June 22, 2015.
On the Ground with the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative – Bowery Boogie, June 12, 2015.
NYC Landmarks Lose Protected Status – The Legislative Gazette, December 15, 2014.
Preserving New York’s Lower East Side – TCB Radio WCWP: Richard Solomon interviews LESPI President Richard Moses, October 1, 2014.
Despite Hail Mary Toss, There’ll Be No Digging For Bodies at Doomed Church – Bedford + Bowery, June 28, 2013.
Allen Ginsberg Made it Famous, Preservation Groups Want to Save it – New York Press, May 29, 2013.
Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site – EV Grieve, May 23, 2013.
Planned East Village High-Rise Could Disturb the Dead, Preservationists Say – DNAinfo New York, May 22, 2013.
Mary Help of Christians Demolition OK’d, Preservationists Plan Rally – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, April 26, 2013.
Plans For Former PS 64 Building Get First Approval From CB 3 – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, April 8, 2013.
Resistance Brewing Over Conversion of Former P.S. 64 Into Dorms – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, February 21, 2013.
Preservationists to Steiner, Landmarks: Protect Mary Help of Christians – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, November 30, 2012.
Next Up: A Tompkins Square Historic District? – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, October 10, 2012. With video tour by LESPI VP Carolyn Ratcliffe.
East Village Gets First Large-Scale Historic Landmark District – VillageVoice.com, October 10, 2012
Six Buildings Excluded From Historic District – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, October 9, 2012
Richard Moses Celebrates 5 Years and, Hopefully, 300+ Historic Buildings – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, October 5, 2012
Local Residents Speak Out Regarding Proposed East Village Historic District – The Lo-Down, June 27, 2012
At Landmarks Hearing, Preservationists and Religious Leaders Clash – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, June 26, 2012
Strolling Back Into the Golden Age of Yiddish Theater – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, June 12, 2012
Shaoul’s Rooftop Extension Not That Bad? – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, May 10, 2012
East 10th Landmarked, But Not Before Controversial Renovation is Approved – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, January 17, 2012
Landmarking Push Doesn’t Bother Shaoul – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, December 15, 2011
City Council Votes to Strip 135 Bowery of Landmark Designation – Our Town Downtown, September 28, 2011
In Favor of a Historic District: It Preserves Local Character – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, August 10, 2011: An Opinion piece written by LESPI Steering Committee members Britton Baine and Richard Moses
C.B. 3 approves E.V. plan at tense meeting – Downtown Express, August 3, 2011
A First Look at Karl Fischer’s Design for 427 East 12th Street – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, August 1, 2011
C.B. 3 Approves E.V. Landmark Plan at Tense Meeting – The Villager, July 28 – August 3, 2011
Houses of worship opposed to historic district may sue – The Villager, July 14 – 20, 2011
Pyramid and cinema in proposed district; Church says, Nyet – The Villager, June 23-29, 2011
East Village Historic Area Could Include Birthplace of Drag – DNAinfo.com, May 27, 2011
Revised Plan Broadens Historic District – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, May 25, 2011
Residents Laud Historic District Plan – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, May 12, 2011
Developer Meets on Fate of 35 Cooper – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, April 12, 2011
Dozens Gather at Vigil for 35 Cooper – The Local East Village NYTimes.com, February 22, 2011
The Protest At The Asian Pub – New York Press, January 28, 2011
Church says nyet, community says da on landmarking – The Villager, July 29 – August 4, 2010
Bowery charm fades, overcome by high-end consumers – Washington Square News, February 3, 2011

Organizations

Local Preservation-Related News

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Designation Reports for Local Historic Districts and Individual Landmarks

Aschenbroedel Verein (later Gesangverein Schillerbund) now LA MAMA Experimental Theatre Club Building – 74 East 4th Street, 1873 altered 1892
Bialystoker Home – 228 East Broadway, 1929-31
Charlie Parker Residence – 151 Avenue B, ca. 1849
Children’s Aid Society, Elizabeth Home for Girls – 307 East 12th Street, 1891-92
Children’s Aid Society, Tompkins Square Lodging House for Boys and Industrial School, aka Eleventh Ward Lodging House – 295 East 8th Street at Avenue B, 1886
Church of the Immaculate Conception (formerly Grace Chapel) – 406-412 East 14th Street, 1894
Church of the Immaculate Conception Clergy Houses – 414 East 14th Street, 1894
Citizens Savings Bank – 58 Bowery aka 150 Canal Street, 1922-24
(former) Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn – 242 East 7th Street, 1908
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Foundation Building – Cooper Square between Astor Place and East 7th Street, 1853-59
Daniel Leroy House – 20 St. Mark’s Place, 1832
DeVinne Press Building – 393-99 Lafayette Street, 1885
East 10th Street Historic District – btn. Avenues A&B.; Designated January 17, 2012
East Village / Lower East Side Historic District – Designated October 9, 2012
Edward Mooney House – 18 Bowery, 1785-89
Eleventh Street Methodist Episcopal Chapel, later People’s Home Church and Settlement, now The Father’s Heart Church – 545 East 11th Street, 1867-68
First German Baptist Church, later Ukranian Autocephalic Church of St. Volodymr, later Congregation Tifereth Israel – Town and Village Synagogue – 334 East 14th Street, 1866-69
First Houses – Avenue A and East 3rd Street, 1935-36
First Ukrainian Assembly of God (originally Metropolitan Savings Bank) – 9 East 7th Street, 1869
Former Police Headquarters Building – 240 Centre Street, 1905-09
Free Public Baths of the City of New York, East Eleventh Street Bath – 538 East 11th Street, 1904-05
German-American Shooting Society Clubhouse – 12 St. Mark’s Place, 1888-89
Germania Fire Insurance Company Bowery Building – 357 Bowery, 1870
Hamilton-Holly House – 4 St. Mark’s Place, 1831
Hardenbrook-Somarindyck House – 135 Bowery, 1817 (DE-LANDMARKED BY NY CITY COUNCIL IN 2011)
Henry Street Settlement, 263 Henry Street Building – 263 Henry Street, 1827
Jarmulowsky Bank Building -54 Canal Street, 1911-12
Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater / Yiddish Folks Theater) Building – 181-189 Second Avenue, 1925-26
Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater / Yiddish Folks Theater) Interior – 181-189 Second Avenue, 1925-26
New York City Marble Cemetery – 52-74 East 2nd Street, between Second and First Avenues, 1831
New York Marble Cemetery – interior block between East 2nd and 3rd Streets, Second Avenue to Bowery, entered from Second Avenue, 1830
Old Merchant’s House (Seabury Treadwell House) 127 East 4th Street, 1835: a beautifully preserved Greek Revival house, now a house museum
Old Merchant’s House interior (Seabury Treadwell House) 127 East 4th Street, 1835: a beautifully preserved Greek Revival house, now a house museum, and one of the great interiors in New York City
Ottendorfer Branch, New York Public Library – 135 Second Avenue, 1883-84
Public National Bank of New York Building, later Public National Bank and Trust Company of New York Building – 106 Avenue C, aka 231 East 7th Street, 1923
(former) Public School 64 – 605 East 9th Street, 1904-06
Ralph and Ann E. Van Wyck Mead House, later Isaac Hopper Home of the Women’s Prison Association – 110 Second Avenue, 1837-38
Saint Mark’s Historic District
Saint Mark’s-in-the-Bowery – East 10th Street at Second Avenue, 1799, steeple 1828, portico 1854
Saint Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church – 288 East 10th Street aka 155 Avenue A, 1882-83
Seward Park Branch, New York Public Library – 192-194 East Broadway, 1908-09
Stuyvesant-Fish House – 21 Stuyvesant Street, 1803-04
Tompkins Square Branch, New York Public Library – 331 East 10th Street, 1904
Van Tassell & Kearney Auction Mart – 126-128 East 13th Street, 1903-04
Webster Hall and Annex – 125 East 11th Street, 1886-87 and 1892
Wheatsworth Bakery Building – 444 East 10th Street, 1927-28

Other Interesting Links

After the Final Curtain: photographs of abandoned theaters, incl. the 1926 Bijou/Charles at Ave B and E 12th St. See also Resources/Cultural Site Map tab
Bowery Artists Tribute
The Brooklyn Bridge: A National Historic Landmark: useful information and links for students and non-students
Chinatown and Little Italy National Register District: a wealth of historical information on these two incredible Lower East Side neighborhoods, from the National Park Service; don’t miss the link to the full file
Chinatown panorama photograph: explore Chinatown by navigating this 360 degree bird’s eye view by photographer Jook Leung
Cinema Treasures: includes historical information on movie theaters around the country including the Lower East Side
Family of Tom Blanck & Maggie Land Blanck: Kleindeutschland & the Lower East Side
German Traces NYC: a project of the Goethe Institute
Lower East Side Preservation Initiative’s Let’s Save the East Village / Lower East Side event video
MAAP: Mapping the African American Past
Museum of the City of New York Archive Photo Collection Portal
New York Architecture
NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project includes an interactive map
“New York City [color] photos by Charles W. Cushman reveal 1940s life in the Big Apple” – from Daily Mail’s MailOnline.com (UK)
NYC Dept. of Records Photo Archive
NYC Fire Dept. – History of Manhattan Engine Companies – includes archival photos
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Rowhouse Manual
NYCSubway.org – includes interesting subway history and archival photos
OldNYC Map of Archival Photographs: a map consisting of links to the NY Public Library’s amazing collection of archival street scene photographs – click on any block to see what it looked like a century ago.
Passing Stranger – the East Village Poetry Walk: a self guided tour
Project Neon
The Bowery Boys New York City History
Video: A drive through the Lower East Side ca. 1910 – actual footage, via Bowery Boogie