L to R: Images of 831 Madison Avenue, 143 Franklin Street, and 144 Saint Felix Street
Only four Landmarks Preservation Commission hearings have taken place in 2026 as of this writing, but they have been busy ones. The commissioners' only role is to judge the proposals based on their architectural appropriateness. However, it cannot be overlooked that some proposed projects would add much-needed housing to highly coveted neighborhoods, lead to either the loss or rescue of a beloved building, or dramatically alter the local skyline to a point where it would affect property values at surrounding buildings. Below, see the results of some of the most anticipated hearings of 2026 to date.
182 Duffield Street, Downtown Brooklyn
Developer: Watermark Capital
Architect: Hill West Architects
30 stories | 448 feet
Rental: 99 units (20% affordable)
Developer: Watermark Capital
Architect: Hill West Architects
30 stories | 448 feet
Rental: 99 units (20% affordable)
Plans for a new project at 182-188 Duffield Street date back to December 2022, when developer Watermark Capital bought the site for $10 million. At the time, they announced their intention to erect a new tower with an affordable housing component and retain the four historic townhouses, which date back to the early 19th century and were designated individual landmarks in 2001. More recently, they sought to build a 30-story tower with 99 units, 20 of which would be affordable under the 485-x tax abatement.
In October 2025, Landmarks declined their application to remove the houses' rear facades, combine the interiors to create community space and a residential lobby, and build a new tower behind the houses. Local preservationists were skeptical, and homeowners at the nearby Belltel Lofts do not appreciate how the new tower could block their views.
The team returned to Landmarks on February 3 with new plans in hand. Instead of removing the houses' rear facades and integrating them into the base of the new tower, they now seek to repair the rear facades but remove porches, keep 182-186 Duffield Street residential, and convert 188 Duffield Street to retail use with an entrance to the new tower's lobby with mailroom and package room. A presentation shows a greater setback between the tower and the houses, not to mention revisions to the new tower's massing,
Commissioners were largely supportive of the team's efforts to keep the houses intact, and mostly found the proposed height appropriate given other tall buildings in Downtown Brooklyn. However, they found that there was still some work to do on tower design details, the lobby, the look of the rear of the houses, and the new building's lobby. This effort was praised as a step in the right direction; but ultimately, Landmarks decided not to approve it at this time.
144 St. Felix Street, Fort Greene
Developer: Stretke
Architect: FXCollaborative and ADP Architects
27 stories | 300 feet
Rental: 240 units (25% affordable)
Developer: Stretke
Architect: FXCollaborative and ADP Architects
27 stories | 300 feet
Rental: 240 units (25% affordable)
There is no shortage of church-to-residence conversions in New York City, and one of the most recent and contentious examples may be found in the Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District. In March 2024, the congregation of Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church sold the Neo-Gothic church building to developer Watermark Capital Group for $15 million. But at a community board meeting in November 2025, representatives for developer Stretke said they had acquired all rights to the property from Watermark Capital Group and were planning to use the church's shell as the base of a new 27-story apartment tower.
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Supporters of the project appreciate how it will both bring much-needed new housing to the neighborhood and restore the church to its original glory, including noted design elements like stained glass windows and masonry and cast-stone ornamentation. However, opponents object on grounds that the tower will be harmful to the historic district and block views of the landmarked Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower. That tower has been converted to condominium One Hanson Place, and homeowners in the building are not happy about the prospect of a new tower that could block their views and hurt their property values.
There was so much public testimony at a December 2025 Landmarks hearing that commissioners deferred a vote until they could properly consider everything they'd learned both in the presentation and the testimony. At a January 13 hearing without public testimony, Landmarks was supportive of the adaptive reuse aspect of the project. However, they did not find the new tower deferent to the district and expressed concerns about the massing, context, relation to the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, and how much of the church could be preserved and restored. They voted not to approve it at this time.
143 Franklin Street, Tribeca
Developer: CNY Group
Architect: studioMDA
6 stories | 102 feet
Condominium: 10 units
Developer: CNY Group
Architect: studioMDA
6 stories | 102 feet
Condominium: 10 units
Throughout its extensive history, the commercial building at 143 Franklin Street has been home to salvage companies, the glass manufacturer that repaired the Statue of Liberty's torch following a 1916 explosion, the Independent Starch Company, and Lan Yik Foods (h/t Tribeca Citizen). Most recently, developer CNY Group bought the building for $35.6 million in December 2024 with the intention of converting it to a boutique condominium. Owing to its address in the Tribeca West Historic District, this cannot take place without Landmarks' approval.
On February 3, Landmarks reviewed their plans to prepare the building for a residential conversion. This will involve installing new windows and doors on the ground floor, removing upper-level fire escapes, new windows on the upper levels, repairing existing cornices and adding new ones, and creating a rooftop addition. According to a presentation, the removal of the fire escapes will allow for repairs to the building's decorative terra cotta.
Staunch preservationists Historic Districts Council and the Victorian Society were supportive of the proposal. Landmarks was also supportive, finding it a good example of adaptive reuse, and unanimously voted to approve it.
831-837 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side Gold Coast
Developer: Akris -Myles Madison Inc.
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects
16 stories | 200 feet
Condominium
Developer: Akris -Myles Madison Inc.
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects
16 stories | 200 feet
Condominium
In September 2025, Pritzker Prize laureate Sir David Chipperfield unveiled his design for 831-837 Madison Avenue, a string of commercial buildings located in the Upper East Side Historic District and purchased by fashion designer Akris in October 2022. Their plan was to demolish 831 Madison Avenue, which has been described as a "no-style building," and erect a new limestone and clay brick tower on the site. This is to contain residential units, but the number of units is not available yet. It also sought to construct rear yard and rooftop additions for the historic rowhouses at 833-837 Madison Avenue, renovate the facades, and combine the buildings.
Landmarks voted to take no action in September, urging the applicants to integrate the new building's design better with the lower buildings, develop more distinction between 833 and 835 Madison Avenue, and preserve the top floors of the rear elevation. To that end, a presentation for a February 3 hearing details side elevations that show a better relation with the new tower and the historic buildings, the refinement of the storefronts, and eliminated the extensions. Commissioners were highly supportive of the project, but were not pleased about the scale of a proposed rooftop addition at 833 Madison Avenue. The project was ultimately approved with modifications.
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