The Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday designated as an individual landmark the former P.S. 64 building at 605-15 East 9th Street in the East Village.

Commission chairman Robert B. Tierney said that "P.S. 64 is a dignified, ornate structure that made an eloquent statement about the importance of education." "In a neighborhood crowded with tenements," he continued, "this school was to become the centerpiece of the community, a role it continued to play throughout its history."

The French Renaissance Revival-style building was acquired at a city auction in 1998 for $3.15 million by Gregg Singer of the Singer Financial Corporation who wants to erect a 19-story "dormitory" on the site and recently received a building permit to remove facade decorations from the existing five-story, red-brick building.

The developer had agreed to continue not working on facade changes until yesterday when the commission was scheduled to issue its decision on the proposed landmark designation.

The impressive, five-story, red-brick and white terracotta, mid-block building extends through the block to 10th Street. On Ninth Street, it is immediately east of Christadora House, the tallest building fronting on Tompkins Square Park.

When Mr. Singer acquired the property it was occupied by the Charas/El Bohio community and cultural center. The center was evicted and Mr. Singer had plans developed by Beyer Blinder Belle for a handsome, 27-story, residential structure on part of the site. After protests about the height of the tower, it was redesigned and lowered to 19 stories and further revisions have been made.

Many of the city's public schools erected in the early 20th Century were imposing and very attractive structures in historical revival architectural styles, often with large courtyards and very high ceilings and large windows. Such schools were often the only significant local landmarks other than some churches in many of the city's poorer neighborhoods.

P.S. 64 was erected under the supervision of C. B. J. Snyder, the city's Superintendent of School Buildings, who created, according to the commission, "some 170 distinguished structures."

An article by David Lombino in today's edition of The New York Sun reported that "Following through on a threat, a developer says he'll begin scraping the architecturally significant elements off the facade of his building on East 9th Street as early as tomorrow."

Mr. Singer did not attend yesterday's meeting of the commission. Last month, he sued the city for $100 million, charging that the Bloomberg Administration was sabotaging his efforts to find users for his proposed redevelopment on the site.

The commission's designation of the building as a landmark must be approved by the City Council and Mr. Singer maintains that he has a valid permit from the Department of Buildings to remove facade elements. Mr. Lombino's article quoted Mr. Singer as saying "A judge will look at the building and say there is nothing redeemable about the building."

The commission's designation of the building was hailed by the East Village Community Coalition, which had been campaigning to stop Mr. Singer from erecting a 19-story "dormitory" on the 10th Street side of the property. Its website today maintained that "Members of the community are reaching out to him as a neighbor to discuss how we can work together to plan the future of this landmarked local treasure."

An article by Sarah Ferguson in the June 13th edition of The Village Voice noted that the building "was the first public school to offer free, open-air theater to city residents, who in 1911 strained to hear Sydney Greenstreet [one of the stars of "The Maltese Falcon" movie recite 'Gunga Din' over the din of trolley cars rumbling down 10th Street."