The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved an expansion of the NoHo Historic District Tuesday.

The expansion increased the district's protected buildings from 167 to 223. The NoHo Historic District was created in 2000 and expanded eastward in 2003.

The area covered by the extended district, which the commission noted "initially was an enclave for the City's well-to-do residents," is located between Lafayette Street and the Bowery and East 4th and Bond Streets. The earliest buildings include some that that date to the late 1820s and most were built between the 1860s and the early 1900s when the area was one of the city's major commercial and manufacturing centers.

"The district's first residences, two of which remain relatively unchanged at 26 and 51 Bond Street, were designed in the Federal and Greek Revival styles. More than a decade after they were built, many of these single-family houses were subdivided into apartments and boarding rooms," the commission said.

"By the late 19th Century, large-scale commercial lofts had emerged as the dominant building type in the neighborhood. Examples include a six-story Renaissance Revival store-and-loft building at 21 Bond Street, and two seven-story, four-bay lofts at 20 Bond Street and 47 Great Jones Street that were designed by Cleverdon & Putzel," the commission's press release continued, adding that "the neighborhood is also home to the first branch of the New York Free Circulating Library, which in 1882 converted and moved to a Federal-era rowhouse at 49 Bond Street." The branch closed in 1919 and by 1980 residential tenants began to outnumber commercial tenants and many artists were attracted to the area. Cy Twombly lived and worked at 356 Bowery, Chuck Close at 20 Bond Street. Robert Mapplethorpe at 24 Bond Street. Jean-Michel Basquiat leased 57 Great Jones Street from Andy Warhol and died there in 1988.

The area covered by the district extension now includes several new buildings such as 25, 40 and 48 Bond Street.

Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village society for Historic preservation said that his organization and "many local groups, preservation organizations, and elected officials have long advocated for the expansion of the NoHo Historic District to include unprotected property to the east and south of the 1999 NoHo Historic Distsrict, which will now be protected."

Mr. Berman told CityRealty.com that the commission also voted unanimously to calendar 110-112 Horatio Street, the former Devoe Paint factory, one of eight individual landmark designations promised by the commission in response to the Campaign to Save the Far West Village waged from 2003 to 2006. "The Keller Hotel, 159 Charles Street and 354 West 11th Street have already been designated but Westbeth, Charles Lane and 370-372 West 11th Street still await action by the commission," he said.

"All in all a good day for neighborhood preservation for the West Village and NoHo. Both these actions by the LPC reflect vigorous ongoing campaigns to preserve the character of the Far West Village and NoHo, two neighborhoods facing great development pressures and great threats to their character," Mr. Berman said.