For well over a year, GVSHP has been fighting to save the beautiful, century-and-a-half old cast-iron and masonry buildings at 827-831 Broadway and 47 East 12th Street, which are threatened with planned demolition and replacement by a 300 ft. tall office tower.

After the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) rejected a request by GVSHP to consider the buildings for designation in 2016, we did additional research and found a wealth of historically significant information about the buildings, including that artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Paul Jenkins, and Larry Poons, among many others, lived and painted here; that the construction and early occupancy of the building was connected to some of the leading names in American industry; and that the building were home to the “antique dealer to the stars” for decades (read the full history and GVSHP’s submissions here).  GVSHP submitted a revised request to the LPC to consider the buildings for landmark designation, and received support from leading government officials, preservationists, and architecture critics and art world notables.

Yesterday, our op-ed with lawyer and neighbor Eric Rayman urging the LPC to move ahead with landmark designation appeared in the New York Times – read it here.

The good news – the LPC is actively considering our request for landmark designation based upon this research.  And while it is under consideration, the developer has withdrawn their application to demolish the buildings!

But this is far from over.  We need the LPC to take the formal step of “calendaring” the buildings for consideration for landmark designation, holding a public hearing, and voting to landmark them.

PLEASE HELP –

Urge the Mayor and his LPC Chair to move ahead and protect this vital piece of NYC history.

Rendering (l.) and diagram of proposed 300 ft. tall office tower to replace the historic 4-story buildings.

*Special thanks to Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilmember Rosie Mendez, State Senator Liz Kruger, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Community Board #2, the Municipal Art Society, the NY Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Districts Council, the de Kooning Foundation, the Estate of Paul Jenkins, Kurt Andersen, Tony Hiss, Tom Fontana, Frederick Brosen and many others for their help and support.