New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission - History

History

The Landmarks Preservation Commission's first hearing occurred in September, 1965 over the future of the Astor Library on Lafayette Street and the building was given a new use and preserved as The Public Theater. 25 years later, the Commission was cited by David Dinkins as having preserved New York City's municipal identity and enhanced the market perception of a number of neighborhoods. This success is believed to be due, in part, to the general acceptance of the commission by the city's developers.

The Commission was headquartered in the Old New York Evening Post Building from 1980 to 1987.

In 1989, when the Commission and its process was under review following a panel created by Mayor Koch in 1985, a decision was made to change the process by which buildings are declared to be landmarks due to some perceived issues with the manner by which the Commission operates as well as the realization that the destruction feared when the Commission was formed was no longer imminent.

In its first 25 years of existence, the Commission designated 856 buildings, 79 interiors and 9 parks or other outdoor places as landmarks, while declaring 52 neighborhoods with more than 15,000 buildings as historic districts.

As of March 27, 2012 the LPC has granted landmark status to over 27,000 buildings including 107 historic districts, 1,304 individual landmarks, 114 interior landmarks, and 10 scenic landmarks in all five boroughs. Some of these are also National Historic Landmarks (NHL) sites, and many are National Registered Historic Places (NRHP).