The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously today to designate the DUMBO section of Brooklyn as the city's 90th historic district.
The district is bound by John Street to the north, York Street to the south, Main Street to the west and Bridge Street to the east and it includes91 buildings that the commission maintains represent "important industrial design trends in the United States and the City in the 19th and early 20th centuries."
Chairman Robert B. Tierney said that "DUMBO was essential to Brooklyn's rise as a major manufacturing center, and was home to some of America's most important industrial firms that produced everything from ale and paper boxes to soap and steel wool."
The district includes the support piers and anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. Most of the industrial buildings in the district date between 1880 and 1920 and Mr. Tierney remarked that the district's "sublime vistas survive to this day, and still define its character, even as it has evolved into a largely residential neighborhood."
The commission noted that in the late 1970s, "artists began to move into industrial buildings and named the neighborhood - parts of which had been known as either Fulton Landing or Gairville - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass."
In other action, the commission approved a plan by New York University to make significant alterations to 22 Washington Square North that it wants to change from its Admissions office to a facility for its law school. The plan does not affect the building's frontage on Washington Square Park where it is one of several very handsome Greek Revival rowhouses.
Morris Adjmi is the architect for the alterations to the 1835 building. The alterations include a rooftop addition and changes to the rear facade and a reorientation of a light well.
The Historic Districts Council testified in opposition to the designation:
"In October of 2006, a proposal for alterations to the rear fenestration of 26 Washington Square North was denied as the changes would be visible from MacDougal Alley. In their decision, the commissioners stressed the iconic nature of the homes surrounding Washington Square Park. Now another application seeks to obliterate what little is left of a rear facade just a few doors away. The proposal requires the removal of the upper floor fenestration something that the commission rarely approves on rowhouses even when the rear facades are enclosed in a garden core and not visible form the public way. The proposal also calls for adding a full basement to the rear structure, the excavation of which may cause issues for both this building, and its neighbors. HDC stresses the need for serious mitigation and observation programs in this case and others like it. While we appreciate the institution's need for space and attempts to fill in rather than build up, HDC feels that many other NYU-owned buildings could be candidates for such expansion instead. Finally, although LPC does not regulate interior alterations, we are troubled by the gut renovation of this special building. When illuminated, town house interiors, particularly parlors with historic details such as fireplaces, woodwork and plasterwork, become part of the nighttime streetscape of many historic districts. It is certainly part o the charm of Washington Square. We ask the applicant to consider this and retain some of those details in the rooms facing the iconic square."
Washington Square Park has been in the news lately as many community activists are upset with the city's plan to change its fountain so that it aligns better with the arch, remove some streets and remove chess tables. The plan is moving ahead despite their protests.
The district is bound by John Street to the north, York Street to the south, Main Street to the west and Bridge Street to the east and it includes91 buildings that the commission maintains represent "important industrial design trends in the United States and the City in the 19th and early 20th centuries."
Chairman Robert B. Tierney said that "DUMBO was essential to Brooklyn's rise as a major manufacturing center, and was home to some of America's most important industrial firms that produced everything from ale and paper boxes to soap and steel wool."
The district includes the support piers and anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. Most of the industrial buildings in the district date between 1880 and 1920 and Mr. Tierney remarked that the district's "sublime vistas survive to this day, and still define its character, even as it has evolved into a largely residential neighborhood."
The commission noted that in the late 1970s, "artists began to move into industrial buildings and named the neighborhood - parts of which had been known as either Fulton Landing or Gairville - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass."
In other action, the commission approved a plan by New York University to make significant alterations to 22 Washington Square North that it wants to change from its Admissions office to a facility for its law school. The plan does not affect the building's frontage on Washington Square Park where it is one of several very handsome Greek Revival rowhouses.
Morris Adjmi is the architect for the alterations to the 1835 building. The alterations include a rooftop addition and changes to the rear facade and a reorientation of a light well.
The Historic Districts Council testified in opposition to the designation:
"In October of 2006, a proposal for alterations to the rear fenestration of 26 Washington Square North was denied as the changes would be visible from MacDougal Alley. In their decision, the commissioners stressed the iconic nature of the homes surrounding Washington Square Park. Now another application seeks to obliterate what little is left of a rear facade just a few doors away. The proposal requires the removal of the upper floor fenestration something that the commission rarely approves on rowhouses even when the rear facades are enclosed in a garden core and not visible form the public way. The proposal also calls for adding a full basement to the rear structure, the excavation of which may cause issues for both this building, and its neighbors. HDC stresses the need for serious mitigation and observation programs in this case and others like it. While we appreciate the institution's need for space and attempts to fill in rather than build up, HDC feels that many other NYU-owned buildings could be candidates for such expansion instead. Finally, although LPC does not regulate interior alterations, we are troubled by the gut renovation of this special building. When illuminated, town house interiors, particularly parlors with historic details such as fireplaces, woodwork and plasterwork, become part of the nighttime streetscape of many historic districts. It is certainly part o the charm of Washington Square. We ask the applicant to consider this and retain some of those details in the rooms facing the iconic square."
Washington Square Park has been in the news lately as many community activists are upset with the city's plan to change its fountain so that it aligns better with the arch, remove some streets and remove chess tables. The plan is moving ahead despite their protests.
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.
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