Historical Preservation Marathon

Landmarks Preservation Commission is pushing for a staggering 1,000 new historical landmarks before the end of Mayor Bloomberg's term in office.

By: Henry Berkowitz

According to the Post, the Landmarks Preservation Commission is pushing for a staggering 1,000 new historical landmarks before the end of Mayor Bloomberg's term in office. The buildings, some of which are slated to demolition, would mark the largest group of landmarks designations in decades. The Landmarks Commission is looking at properties all over Manhattan and the other boroughs.

The designations include an entire new historic district in Prospect Heights, as well as Chelsea and Bed-Stuy. The Prospect Heights district alone would include over 850 buildings. If approved, the district would save many local buildings that developers are seeking to demolish.

While Bloomberg still has 18 months in office to look forward to, the Landmarks Commission promises to make it a busy year and a half. The 1000 buildings that the Commission is seeking at this point is only expected to grow by the end of the mayor's term in office. It's expected that the approval process for many of the buildings will extend beyond the mayor's term and well into the next mayor's administration.

While the 1000 buildings that the Commission seeks is only a small fraction of the buildings in those districts, it still marks a larger number than other administrations have faced. Last year, less than 400 buildings were approved, and during the Giuliani administration, fewer than 200 were approved each year. If the Landmarks Commission has its way, the 1000 that they seek from Mayor Bloomberg will mark more than a threefold increase in approvals from the mayor's office.