The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved today a 74-building extension of the Upper East Side Historic District.
The extension is in two sections along Lexington Avenue between 63rd and 76th Streets.
The Upper East Side Historic District was initially designated in 1881 and extends from 59th to 79th Streets mostly between Fifth Avenue and much of Lexington Avenue.
The Friends of the Upper East Side Historic District had recommended a larger expansion in two sections with a total of 163 "contributing" buildings and 34 "non-contributing" buildings.
The commission also designated the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway as an individual landmark. It was built in 1931 by Abraham Lefcourt who initially had planned it as a 1,050-foot skyscraper but reduced his plans because of the Depression. It was designed by Victor A. Bark Jr. in Art Deco style and was named after the Brill Brothers who were the owners of a clothing store. The building had been named for a while after the developer's son, Alan E. Lefcourt, who died at the age of 17 and a brass bust of him is on a pedestal in a recess above the building's front door.
"This legendary building is as closely linked to American music as Hollywood is to film," declared Robert B. Tierney, the commission's chairman, who added that "it's also a standout because it's one of the few Art Deco buildings in Times Square."
Tenants in the building over the years included Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole and Paul Simon.
The commission also approved for public hearings the Japan Society Buildling at 333 East 47th Street, designed by Junzo Yoshimura and George Shimamoto of the Gruzen Partnership in 1971 and the Loew's Canal Street Theater at 31 Canal Street designed in 1927 by Thomas W. Lamb.
The extension is in two sections along Lexington Avenue between 63rd and 76th Streets.
The Upper East Side Historic District was initially designated in 1881 and extends from 59th to 79th Streets mostly between Fifth Avenue and much of Lexington Avenue.
The Friends of the Upper East Side Historic District had recommended a larger expansion in two sections with a total of 163 "contributing" buildings and 34 "non-contributing" buildings.
The commission also designated the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway as an individual landmark. It was built in 1931 by Abraham Lefcourt who initially had planned it as a 1,050-foot skyscraper but reduced his plans because of the Depression. It was designed by Victor A. Bark Jr. in Art Deco style and was named after the Brill Brothers who were the owners of a clothing store. The building had been named for a while after the developer's son, Alan E. Lefcourt, who died at the age of 17 and a brass bust of him is on a pedestal in a recess above the building's front door.
"This legendary building is as closely linked to American music as Hollywood is to film," declared Robert B. Tierney, the commission's chairman, who added that "it's also a standout because it's one of the few Art Deco buildings in Times Square."
Tenants in the building over the years included Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole and Paul Simon.
The commission also approved for public hearings the Japan Society Buildling at 333 East 47th Street, designed by Junzo Yoshimura and George Shimamoto of the Gruzen Partnership in 1971 and the Loew's Canal Street Theater at 31 Canal Street designed in 1927 by Thomas W. Lamb.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
