Domino sign to sweeten a neighborhood again, mid-century design gets new millennium respect and stay tuned for new High Line designs

The Landmarks Preservation Commission green-lighted new designs–and a classic sign–for the rebirth of the much-discussed Domino Sugar refinery building in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The iconic 40-foot-high "Domino Sugar" sign will hang above the familiar waterfront factory building, which will keep its massive chimney and gain four new glass-clad floors and four acres of publicly accessible open space. The site will also be home to a handful of candy-colored residential towers. Of the entire project, 30 percent of apartments are slated to be affordable relative to area median income.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is reviewing the proposed landmark designation of the I. M. Pei-designed Silver Towers at 505 Laguardia Place and 100 and 110 Bleecker Street, a complex that was originally known as University Village. The Towers, surrounding a large plaza and a sculpture by Pablo Picasso, represent one of New York's quintessential modernist spaces. They were built in 1966 and named to honor philanthropist Julius Silver.

New designs for the High Line Park in West Chelsea show plans for a floating snack bar suspended above the tiered park plaza at 18th Street at the base of a broad staircase ascending to the elevated Woodland Flyover, as it will be called. The park's paths will wind above tall trees and wading ponds below. The result will represent an "episodic" series of public landscapes created to showcase the High Line's breathtaking elevated vistas, and will provide vital open space according to the Mayor's specific plans for a greener city. The first section is scheduled to open by the end of the year and the second section is scheduled to open by the end of 2009.

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