[Updated] Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue faces landmark designation today

[EVG file photo]

The Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. is scheduled for a vote before The Landmarks Preservation Commission on proposed landmark designation today at 9:45 a.m.

Here's background via a press advisory sent out yesterday by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP)...

The synagogue was first built in 1866 as the First German Baptist Church; in 1926 it became the Ukrainian Autocephalic Church of St. Volodymyr; and in 1962 it became the Town & Village Synagogue, reflecting the successive waves of immigration and ethnic change that have swept over the East Village.

Shortly after New York's landmarks law was adopted in 1965, Tifereth Israel was formally heard and considered for landmark designation, but never received a vote. However, it did remain officially "calendared" by the LPC, or formally under consideration for landmark designation, making it perhaps the longest time any building in New York has remained in "landmarks limbo."

At today's meeting (which the public can attend but at which it cannot speak), the LPC could vote to landmark the historic structure, vote not to landmark, vote to landmark part of the structure (a rear section of the synagogue was built somewhat later, which some have proposed excluding from landmark designation), or could defer again on voting.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing about the designation this past March 25.

During that hearing, synagogue members downplayed the importance of the building's architecture, as The East Villager reported.

"Synagogue members stressed that landmarking would raise costs just as a plan is underway to modify the structure to better serve community needs through a daycare center, disabled access and L.G.B.T.Q. services," according to The East Villager.

Updated 1:53 p.m.

The LPC voted to landmark the synagouge, with landmark designation taking immediate effect.

At today's vote, the Commission excluded from the landmark designation a rear structure which had originally been considered as part of the landmark designation. GVSHP and fellow preservation and East Village groups had called for landmark designation of the entire building, including the rear structure.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

[Photo by Karen Loew via GVSHP]

The Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. is on the market for nearly $14 million, as we first noted last October.

Upon hearing of the potential sale, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and a coalition of East Village, preservation, and Jewish history groups reached out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) urging them to consider the building for landmark designation.

According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the building has an amazing history, having served as first a German Baptist Church, then a Ukranian Autocephalic Orthodox Church, and then a Conservative Synagogue for the last 50 years. Interestingly enough, the building was calendared by the LPC and considered for landmark designation in 1966, but they never acted upon it.

Now in response to the group's request, the LPC will hold a hearing on the potential landmark designation … scheduled now on Tuesday morning. (The LPC tabled the hearing back in October.)

Here's more about the building and the hearing from concerned neighbors …

As the building is currently for sale and new plans are being considered that could alter this historic structure forever or replace it, we think it is important that the Commission make a decision on its landmark-worthiness. Landmark designation would not prevent the current congregation from growing or even altering or adding to the building. But it would ensure that the key exterior historic elements and the connection to the building’s century and a half history remain.

The Landmark Preservation Committee hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at 9:30 am at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor.

If you are not able to testify, but want to show your support, please submit a sample letter of support created by the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation. Find the sample letter here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

Landmarks Preservation Commission approves hotel project that could potentially damage the city's oldest residential landmark

EVG file photo

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday to approve an 8-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette, prompting a dire response from museum officials. 

As we reported last week, the development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build the hotel for nearly 12 years; the project has been in limbo for the past three years.

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over rejecting their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project. 

The developers have been seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019. 

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Local elected officials and Community Board 2 have all opposed the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

During yesterday's meeting, the LPC did not allow for testimony from the Merchant's House or their engineering team.

 The Merchant's House released this statement after yesterday's decision... 

[T]he LPC voted to approve the development next door to the Merchant's House, despite overwhelming and unanimous opposition from the community, preservation organizations, public officials and, of course, from the Merchant's House and our engineers and preservation architects. 

When asked, the developer's engineers admitted that they have no data about what standards are appropriate when dealing with historic decorative plaster. Further, none of the participants today was aware of the plaster study that confirmed irreparable damage will take place. 

The LPC mandated that certain standards relating to vibration monitoring be established. However, even the most state-of-the-art vibration monitoring systems only announce when the vibration limit has been reached — at which point the damage has already occurred. 

Today's vote by the LPC to greenlight a development that is certain to cause irreparable damage to the Merchant's House Museum is a warning to every other landmark in New York City. If the Merchant's House, one of New York's most treasured historical assets, can be subjected to adjacent construction that will destroy its historic fabric, then every landmark in New York City is at risk. 

This decision, even if reversed, will be a permanent stain on the Commission, which has failed in its existential duty to protect Manhattan’s first and New York City’s oldest residential landmark. The Merchant’s House Museum will take aggressive legal action to halt this unacceptable development. 

Thank you to all who wrote letters of support to the LPC and to those who were able to attend or listen to the meeting today. We couldn't do it without you.

You can donate to their legal fund here. (You can support them in other ways here.) You can watch a replay of the meeting here. The Merchant's House proposal starts at the 25-minute mark.

[Updated] East 14th Street synagogue up for sale considered for landmark designation

[Image via Manhattan Sideways]

As we reported on Oct. 1, the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue on East 14th Street is for sale for possible development.

Upon hearing of the sale, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and a coalition of East Village, preservation, and Jewish history groups reached out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) urging them to consider the building for landmark designation. (Find the group's letter here.)

According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the building has an amazing history, having served as first a German Baptist Church, then a Ukranian Autocephalic Orthodox Church, and then a Conservative Synagogue for the last 50 years. Interestingly enough, the building was calendared by the LPC and considered for landmark designation in 1966, but they never acted upon it.

Now in response to the group's request, the LPC will hold a hearing on the potential landmark designation of the property today. (Find the PDF notice here.)

"We’re very glad that this wonderful building will get its proverbial day in court, and we are optimistic that the Commission will find it worthy of designation," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Updated 8:02
Turns out that the LPC hearing on the synagogue has been laid over to another month. No word just yet on a new date.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

Reactions to the landmarking of Town & Village Synagogue on East 14th Street

[Image via Manhattan Sideways]

Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to give the Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. landmark status.

The LPC excluded from the landmark designation a rear structure here between First Avenue and Second Avenue that had originally been considered as part of the landmark designation.

Here's reaction to the decision... first from Marianna Mott Newirth, president of the Town & Village Synagogue:

Town & Village Synagogue is a community and a building.

We are an active, egalitarian Conservative Jewish congregation serving Lower Manhattan with pride. We recognize the LPC’s designation of our building and honor the work that has been done by both the Bloomberg and the DiBlasio administrations to carefully review and deliberate on our status. Their decision is a testament to our building’s rich immigrant ​history in NYC.
​​
​Our commitment remains: to serve the 400 families who are the core of T&V and to support the greater community of which we are a part. We look to the men and women who championed Landmark designation to continue their loving support of Town & Village Synagogue. May we work together to strengthen this building so that it will be a beacon of spirituality, a center of Jewish learning and a jewel on 14th Street for current and future generations of New Yorkers.

She went on to tell us that that the building was taken off the market early this year. "We are not selling. We are not moving."

And here's a comment via Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation:

"It's wonderful that after nearly half a century, this venerable piece of our city and our neighborhood’s history will finally receive the recognition and protection it deserves and which we fought so hard for.

"We are disappointed that the Landmarks Preservation Commission excluded [the rear structure] from the designation and believe that their doing so was unnecessary. The Commission could have landmarked the entire site and still allowed construction in the rear, but with designation of the entire site they would have ensured that any new construction did not detract from the valuable historic character of this 150 year old religious edifice."

DNAinfo has coverage of the landmarking here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

[Updated] Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue faces landmark designation today

A bid to protect the integrity of 315 E. 10th St.

On Friday, we reported that Ben Shaoul's Magnum Real Estate Group bought 315 E. 10th St. from The Educational Alliance. Renovations are currently taking place to convert the building into residential use. There is also a pending permit to add an extra floor to the existing structure.

Area preservation groups had already been alerted to this possible development. Leaders from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Historic Districts Council, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition sent a letter dated Dec. 6 to Robert Tierney, chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The letter reads, in part:

It has come to our attention that a permit application has been filed with the Department of Buildings to add a 5th floor to a 4-story building at 315 East 10th Street located within the calendared East 10th Street Historic District. We urge the Landmark Preservation Commission to intervene to ensure that these permits are not issued prior to designation.'

As you know, this block north of Tompkins Square Park was selected by the LPC as an historic district due to its high degree of intactness and distinctive architecture. This mid-block building is very much intact and such a modification would certainly negatively impact its character and the defining features of this building, which research completed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation indicates dates to 1847. The level of architectural integrity for this 160-year old building at 315 East 10th Street is incredible, with details including an ornate galvanized iron cornice, window hoods and doorway frieze and entablature still intact.

Per the GVSHP, because the proposed district has been calendared by the LPC, the city has the power to stop the permits from being issued if they act quickly enough.

So far, though, the LPC has seemingly been unsympathetic to East Village architecture. Witness the demolition of, among others:

• 326-328 E. Fourth St.

• 316 E. Third St.

• 35 Cooper Square

• 331 E. Sixth St.

Click here for a petition to help save 310 E. 10th St. from further development. And this about more than simply saving one building... this is about preserving the integrity of the entire north side of East 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. If the city allows this addition, then there won't be much stopping any developers from doing the same to other buildings along here in the future...

Petition seeks to landmark Most Holy Redeemer ahead of possible closure

With reporting by Stacie Joy

Following last week's announcement that the Archdiocese of New York will cease all masses at Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity this fall, preservation groups and parishioners have launched a petition to landmark the historic East Village property. 

The effort, spearheaded by Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, seeks to protect the 19th-century church at 173 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B — along with its rectory and former school — from potential redevelopment. 

 

Supporters argue that the church is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage, and it deserves formal landmark status. 

Per the petition, which you can find here: 

With roots in waves of immigration dating back to the 1840s, the church was once one of the largest in the city and one of its tallest structures. A devastating fire at its school led to pioneering reforms in fire safety measures that remain with us today, and the church, which was restyled over time, was the site of significant innovations in the use of electricity in church structures as well as the introduction of Gregorian chants at Catholic Churches. 

And... 

Most Holy Redeemer has been a cornerstone of the East Village community for over a century and a half, and embodies so much of this neighborhood’s and New York's rich immigrant history and culture. 

The three groups had previously lobbied Mayor Adams and the Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider landmark status in a letter this past December. 

As we first reported, Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of Immaculate Conception on 14th Street and Eileen Mulcahy, the vice chancellor for parish planning of the Archdiocese of New York, addressed continued speculation during a meeting on July 14 that Most Holy Redeemer would close outright. 

They emphasized that while the church isn't officially closing, its operations will undergo significant changes. Regular weekly masses will end, and in their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's. 

Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift.

Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe. 

We attended mass this past weekend at Most Holy Redeemer, where approximately 75 people were in attendance.

Caution tape now cordons off a section to the left of the altar at Most Holy Redeemer, where plaster reportedly fell from the ceiling. 

From our vantage point, visible damage appeared minimal — limited to a small white patch overhead — but the incident has raised concerns about the building's condition as its future remains uncertain.

Last summer, the Archdiocese of New York sold the historic Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem to a developer, citing the building's severe disrepair. 

In recent years, Catholic churches (or any places of worship) in the East Village haven't fared well with landmarking protections.

The Archdiocese previously went the luxury route, selling two properties for more than $80 million. Developer Douglas Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property on Avenue A at 12th Street in 2012 for $41 million. 

During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory to make way for Steiner East Village, the block-long luxury condoplex (below) with an indoor pool and retail spaces that have been vacant for seven years.

In March 2020, Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor, bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street for $40 million. The property remains vacant. 

Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer in 2015. 

The former site of St. Emeric, located on 13th Street and Avenue D, is likely to yield an affordable housing complex. The now-deconsecrated church merged with St. Brigid on Avenue B in early 2013. 

Further back, in 2003, St. Ann's Church, located on 12th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, was partially demolished to make way for NYU's Founders Hall dormitory. The church's historic facade and fence were preserved and incorporated into the front courtyard of the dorm, a hollow gesture that does little to honor what was lost. As "The AIA Guide to New York City" noted, "the effect is of a majestic elk, shot and stuffed." 

-----

Find the petition to landmark Most Holy Redeemer at this link.

Push continues to landmark East Village’s historic Most Holy Redeemer

EVG file photo from 2023 

As we first reported on July 16, Most Holy Redeemer-Church of the Nativity is halting its mass schedule starting in September, leaving the future of the historic church in question. 

A group called "Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church" is hosting a vigil this evening at 7 outside the church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B to raise awareness of its fate.

Meanwhile, efforts continue by preservation groups and parishioners to landmark the historic East Village property. To date, outgoing District 2 City Council Member Carlina Rivera and the Tenement Museum have lobbied the Landmarks Preservation Committee.

The landmarking effort, spearheaded by Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition, seeks to protect the 19th-century church built in 1851 — along with its rectory and former school — from potential redevelopment. 

Supporters argue that the church is a vital part of the neighborhood's cultural and architectural heritage, and it deserves formal landmark status. 

Find the petition here. 

During a meeting on July 14, church officials said that Most Holy Redeemer's weekly masses will end on Aug. 31. In their place, the church will offer only occasional services, such as weddings, funerals, or what was described as "once in a blue moon masses" for long-time parishioners. This fall, masses that were previously held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (including Spanish services) will take place at nearby St. Brigid's. 

Leadership cited the shortage of priests as a key reason for the shift. Concerns were also raised about the structural condition of the building itself. There is plaster falling from the ceiling in the church, officials noted, adding that engineers would evaluate whether it remains safe. 

An employee of Most Holy Redeemer and St. Brigid attended the July 14 meeting and expressed skepticism about the timing of the engineering review, calling it "suspicious." 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future 

• Petition seeks to landmark Most Holy Redeemer ahead of possible closure

"Just because a building is old does not mean that it is historically significant"

That's Mitchell L. Moss, professor of urban policy and planning at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service, in an op-ed in today's Post titled Death by 'Preservation.'

It's a reaction to the National Trust for Historic Preservation naming the LES in its 2008 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

An excerpt from Moss' op-ed:

New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission is focusing on the need to save important buildings in the area rather than to create a massive historic district that would limit new housing and development. Just because a building is old does not mean that it is historically significant. Landmark designation shouldn't be abused to achieve other political and social goals.

The Lower East Side is flourishing; the New Museum just opened on the Bowery and is the catalyst for the transformation of what was once the city's Skid Row. The Yiddish that once was spoken on Grand Street has been replaced by Cantonese and Mandarin.

If New York City is to accommodate the population growth projected over the next quarter century, neighborhood change is inevitable. This is not a city that stands still. It is always evolving.

We should be wary of strangers from Washington bringing their recipes for preservation; let New York be New York.

Noho Food Market relocating as another Bowery corner awaits development

The future of the NW corner of the Bowery and Great Jones continues to take shape. 

The Noho Food Market has closed ahead of a move to the storefront to the north...

As previously reported, Lonicera Partners has assembled a development site here. Lonicera signed a contract to purchase 348 Bowery, the former Bowery Market and mechanic's garage, and took a minority stake in 350 and 352 Bowery, the two adjacent properties to the north. 

There are now new permits on file for a 25-story residential building, including inclusive housing, at the corner at 56 Great Jones St. 

Here's a view of the proposed development looking to the north ...

And how it would look from across the street... as you can see, the current buildings at 348, 350, and 352 Bowery would be demolished (there aren't any demolition permits on file with the Department of Buildings).

There are two versions of the new building — one with a cantilevered extension to the north and the other without it. 

As Village Preservation explained, 56 Great Jones St. is outside the bounds of any landmarked district. However, the cantilevering portion over part of an adjacent building within the NoHo Historic District Extension at 354 Bowery requires landmark approval. 

The non-cantilver version would feature 94 total residential units, including 27 MIH apartments. The cantiliver edition would have three more MIH units, for a total of 30.

Last month, Community Board 2 denied the application as an "unwelcome intrusion into a landmark district from a building in a 'carve out' portion of the district that has admittedly made no effort to be harmonious with the district."

In January, five of six commissioners of the Landmark Preservation Commission voted in favor of the cantilevering version. However, as Village Preservation explained, a minimum of six commissioners is required for a majority vote. This item will return to a future LPC docket.

The Bowery Market closed on the corner last October. The boutique CÔTE À COAST at No. 350 shut down in January ahead of a relocation. 

The all-new 56 Great Jones St. will join the 22-story office building on the SW corner of Bowery and Fourth Street on the block. No. 360 will house one tenant: the NYC-based Chobani, LLC, a food and beverage company initially known for its Greek yogurt.

Neighbors to rally Sunday to protect Most Holy Redeemer Church

Neighbors, parishioners and local preservation groups are planning another rally this Sunday at 2 p.m. to protect the historic Most Holy Redeemer Church at 173 E. Third St. between Avenues A and B. 

As we've been reporting (see links below), advocates have been campaigning to have it designated a landmark. Services here have been halted, and the property appears to be moving toward closure and possible sale, prompting growing concern from parishioners and preservationists alike. 

Tomorrow, organizers will call on the Archdiocese to keep the church from being shuttered or sold, and on the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to move forward with landmark designation. 

The rally will take place outside the church.

Most Holy Redeemer — founded in 1844 by the Redemptorist Fathers and completed in 1852 — has been closed to the public since Sept. 1. Parishioners have been directed to St. Brigid on Avenue B. 

Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition have also urged the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the historic church, an architectural anchor of the neighborhood's 19th-century Kleindeutschland community.

The church is one of the East Village's oldest and most prominent religious buildings — and was once among the city's tallest and largest.

Find the petition about landmarking here. You can follow the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church here.

 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At what may be the final Mass at Most Holy Redeemer

• At the prayer vigil for Most Holy Redeemer 

• Push continues to landmark East Village's historic Most Holy Redeemer 

• Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future

• Grassroots effort to preserve Most Holy Redeemer grows with weekly vigils

Making the case to landmark this unique church on 4th Street

Village Preservation is making a case to landmark the San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Church of Hispanic Mozarabic Rite at 345 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Tonight, officials from Village Preservation will request support for the reconsideration of landmark designation for the church before Community Board 3's Landmarks Committee.

In response to information submitted by Village Preservation, the building was determined eligible for listing on the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2017. The group then submitted a request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to consider landmarking the church. The LPC declined.

This fall, Village Preservation provided an extensive history of the church, which was built in 1891-92, on its blog Off the Grid. Here are excerpts...

This remarkably intact Gothic Revival church’s form, design, details, and history reflect the kaleidoscope of immigrants and ethnic groups which called the Lower East Side home and shaped New York over the last century and a quarter — making it not just architecturally significant but an embodiment of New York City’s and the East Village’s immigrant history.

and...

This structure was originally built in 1891-92 and designed by Edward Wenz for the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, serving the surrounding Slovak and Hungarian immigrant community. The church was the first national Slovak parish for the Slovak and Hungarian Catholics of New York and Brooklyn. Later the building was bought by the Russian Greek Orthodox National Association and became the Carpathian Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas.

It served the emerging Russian immigrant community in the early and mid-twentieth century, as evidenced by the royal seal of the Russian Czars located on the church’s front gates. After 1975, the church housed San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Catholic Church of Hispanic Mozarabic Rite, a highly unusual Western Orthodox Catholic Church – seemingly one of the very few in America, and one of the few or perhaps only to practice the Mozarabic Rite.

And...

Churches and synagogues such as these, located on single lot sites filling the space of what was once a single home, were once found throughout the East Village and Lower East Side. They were reflective of the incredibly modest resources but bold ambitions of the immigrant communities they served. Increasingly few such structures survive today. The East Village remains woefully under-landmarked and therefore valuable historic resources such as these churches and synagogues are vulnerable to insensitive alteration and demolition.

The three-story building arrived on the sales market in the fall of 2017 with a $6 million price tag. Per the listing at the time: "A new development (of 9,232 SF) could be residential single family/multi-family or Community Facility." There were air rights too.

LoopNet shows that the listing was deactivated in April 2018.

According to public records, Patricio Cubillos Murillo (there are several variations of this name) is the building's owner, with a deed dating to September 1975. The document on file with the city shows that this building changed hands for $6,000 that year. I do not know when the church last held any type of mass here.

Here are two photos of the interior that I took in 2011 during one of the weekend rummage sales held in the space...





... and here's an interior shot via the Cushman & Wakefield marketing materials from 2017...



Tonight's Landmarks Committee meeting is at 6:30 in the JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Unique 4th Street church on the market for development

New 9-story development proposal raises alarms next to Merchant’s House

There are new plans for a 9-story mixed-use building (PDF here) at 27 E. Fourth St. between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

For the past 15-plus years, Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to put in a new development at the current site of a one-level garage that stores food carts. 

We hadn't heard anything new about the project since December 2023, when the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans for an 8-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum.

Here's how the Merchant's House reacted to the new-building update, per an Instagram post over the weekend: 

We just learned that the developer has applied to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a NEW building next door. The proposed building is not only taller than the previous design, but also adds more bulk. All of which heightens the risk of irreparable damage and the real possibility of collapse! 

As you may remember, in December 2023, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans for another building (8 stories) next door. They also instructed the developers to conduct a study of our landmark interior plaster. The developers never did; instead, they have filed these new plans.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Merchant's House Museum (@merchantshouse)

The developers will need approval of a zoning text amendment and special permits to facilitate the building. There will be a series of public meetings, starting tomorrow evening at 5:30, before the Community Board 2 Landmarks Committee. (Find meeting details here. You can attend via Zoom.)

 Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. 

Local elected officials and Community Board 2 have all opposed the previous application for the 8-story hotel. 

Learn more about the Merchant's House, currently undergoing an exterior restoration project, here... and at Village Preservation here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Landmarks Preservation Commission approves hotel project that could potentially damage the city's oldest residential landmark

Residents push to save historic Most Holy Redeemer church

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

An estimated 100-plus parishioners, preservation advocates and East Village residents gathered on Sunday afternoon to oppose the halt of services — and the potential sale — of the Most Holy Redeemer Church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

As we've been reporting, neighbors and local preservation groups have been campaigning to have the 1851 structure landmarked. Regular services here have stopped, and the property appears to be moving toward closure and possible sale, prompting growing concern from parishioners and preservationists alike.

On Sunday, organizers called on the Archdiocese to keep the church from being shuttered or sold, and urged the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to move ahead with landmark designation.

The Archdiocese has yet to respond to any of the ongoing concerns or even share any potential future plans.

Most Holy Redeemer — founded in 1844 by the Redemptorist Fathers and completed in 1852 — has been closed to the public since Sept. 1. Parishioners have been directed to St. Brigid on Avenue B. 

Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition have also urged the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the historic church, an architectural anchor of the neighborhood's 19th-century Kleindeutschland community. 

The church is one of the East Village's oldest and most prominent religious buildings — and was once among the city's tallest and largest.

Find the petition about landmarking here. You can follow the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church here.

 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At what may be the final Mass at Most Holy Redeemer

• At the prayer vigil for Most Holy Redeemer 

• Push continues to landmark East Village's historic Most Holy Redeemer 

• Most Holy Redeemer to halt regular masses this fall amid uncertainty about its future

• Grassroots effort to preserve Most Holy Redeemer grows with weekly vigils

Broadway buildings draw support for landmark designation

The proposal to landmark 827-831 Broadway received unanimous support during a public hearing with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) back on Tuesday.

As previously reported, Quality Capital and Caerus Group bought the parcel between 12th Street and 13th Street last summer for $60 million. The deal reportedly included 30,000 square feet of air rights.

So those plans for a 14-floor office building on this property may be permanently on hold.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has campaigned the past 18-plus months to preserve these buidlings.

Here's part of a report they sent out yesterday:

GVSHP was joined by Councilmember Rosie Mendez, neighbors, and scores of supporters on for the public hearing on our proposal to landmark 827-831 Broadway. The 1866 lofts, formerly home to Willem de Kooning and other art world luminaries, had faced the wrecking ball. Read GVSHP’s testimony here.

Members of the LPC, who will decide the building’s fate, also expressed strong support for designation, and stated that a vote would take place on Oct. 31 (time TBD). Once the LPC votes to designate, the building is landmarked and protected, though temporary protections are in place now.

An attorney for the developer ... stated that the owner opposed landmark designation, and asserted that he would have a hardship case if the building were designated and he were not allowed to develop the site (the law enables owners of private property to be relieved of landmarks requirements if they can demonstrate, through a public hearing process, that they cannot make a “reasonable return” on the property while abiding by landmarks requirements).

The owner’s lawyer also said that, if the building is landmarked, they would seek approval from the LPC to build some sort of addition to the building in order to make a reasonable return (this too would require a public hearing and review process).

GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman co-authored an op-ed at the Times in early August, providing more history of the addresses and making the case for why they should be landmarked.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: 14-story building planned for 827 Broadway

An appeal to landmark these buildings on Broadway

City moves to potentially landmark 827-831 Broadway

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

[Bobby Williams]

The lot that includes Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church on East 12th Street is slated for demolition to make way for a new residential complex.

However, East Village community and preservation groups are hoping that the historic church that Douglas Steiner plans to develop can be spared. Members of the groups noted this last evening during a rally on the steps of Mary Help of Christians.

Meanwhile, there's a new development that could possibly put a hold on the production: dead bodies. According to a news release distributed after last evening's event:

The church was formerly the site of the cemetery of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where thousands of people were buried starting in the early 19th century. This was only the third and at the time the largest Catholic Cemetery in New York. While the graveyard was moved to Calvary Cemetery in Queens in 1909, it is not known if all remains were removed and cleared from the site or if some still lie in burial underneath.

The preservation organizations have written to developer Douglas Steiner and the city’s Department of Buildings and Landmarks Preservation Commission to notify them that a very large cemetery was formerly found on this site, and calling for a complete archaeological evaluation of the site as required by law in such cases before any work proceeds, to prevent disturbance of any burial site or human remains which may remain here.

[BW]

Those gathered called upon Steiner to build upon the adjacent church yard, which lies outside of the boundaries of the former 11th Street cemetery, rather than upon the site of the church, school and rectory.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, the Historic Districts Council and the East Village Community Coalition were all represented during the rally.

"Mary Help of Christians is certainly one of the most historic buildings in one of the most historic neighborhoods in our city and country," Lower East Side Preservation Initiative president Richard Moses said in prepared comments distributed to the press. "Starting in the early 20th century it played a central role in Italian-American history, and the building still commands a very imposing architectural presence in the neighborhood."

Early last year, preservationists submitted a request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission asking them to landmark the church. The LPC denied the request. (Read about that here.)

Specs for the retail portion of the complex mention a "140 unit market luxury rental building" for the space.

"It would be a tragic waste and shame if these beautiful buildings, so full of New York's history, were demolished for expediency’s sake," said Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman.

The church opened in 1917.


[Crazy Eddie]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

A 'Stop the Demolitions' rally tomorrow on 7th Street

[EVG photo from September]

Last week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) announced that they will not consider a row of pastel-colored residences on Seventh Street between Avenue C and Avenue D for landmarking.

Preservationists hoped to have the buildings, which date to the 1840s, landmarked ... in part to spare the demolition of 264 E. Seventh St. for some unspecified new development. (In early September, a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the 3-level house.)

Tomorrow at noon, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation is organizing a rally outside the buildings on Seventh Street. Via the EVG inbox...

In September, GVSHP and allied groups reached out to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to urge them to landmark 264 East 7th Street, and the adjacent houses at 258, 260, 262, and 266 East 7th Street. Once part of what was known as “Political Row”, these five ca. 1842 houses, located between Avenues C and D, have rare and beautiful intact Greek Revival ornament, and are linked to the history of the early development of New York’s waterfront and to critical political figures of the 19th and early 20th century in New York.

In spite of this fact the Landmarks Preservation Commission recently responded saying they did not consider the buildings worthy of landmark designation.

Sound familiar? Earlier this year the City also refused to landmark five 19th-century Beaux Arts tenements at 112-120 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues.

One small positive note: due to the 2008 East Village rezoning which GVSHP and other groups fought for, the height of any new development on this block of East 7th Street is limited to 75 feet in height after setbacks. Previously there were NO height limits for new development on this block.

Visit here to send a letter to the Mayor online.

The rally starts at noon tomorrow (Friday)...



Previously on EV Grieve:
City says no to landmarking row of 7th Street homes, clearing way for demolition of No. 264

No help likely to spare Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church from demolition

Last week we reported on the ongoing prep work to demolish the former Mary Help of Christians school and rectory. The church on East 12th Street, which opened in 1917, remains free of the demolition bondage as of last night.

As previously reported, East Village community and preservation groups were hoping that the historic church that developer Douglas Steiner plans to develop can be spared... the groups learned that a large cemetery was formerly found on this site, and called for a complete archaeological evaluation of the site before any work proceeded.

And what became of that request following the press conference on May 23?

"We did hear back from the Landmark Preservation Commission that they abdicated all responsibility to even require an archeological survey," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. "So Steiner may end up digging up bodies, and the public may never know."

As far as next steps with trying to preserve the church, Berman said that their options are limited.

"Thus far common sense, decency, reasonable alternatives, and appeals to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to do their job have not stopped Steiner from moving ahead with his cemetery-condos plan," he said.

Steiner bought the property last fall for an unspecified residential complex.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

Scaffolding arrives for demolition of Mary Help of Christians

[Updated] Speculating about future development at the Town and Village Synagogue

As we reported last Oct. 1, the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue on East 14th Street is for sale for possible development.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing about a potential landmark designation here at 334 E. 14th St. this past March 25. (The LPC will accept public comments until 30 days from this date.)

Preservationists and some local residents want to see the 150-year-old building designated by the city as a protected landmark.

For their part, synagogue members downplayed the importance of the building’s architect during the hearing, as The East Villager reported.

"Synagogue members stressed that landmarking would raise costs just as a plan is underway to modify the structure to better serve community needs through a daycare center, disabled access and L.G.B.T.Q. services," according to The East Villager.

Meanwhile, there's speculation among some neighbors about what might be in the works here. According to one neighbor, the Claremont Group will be developing the neighboring building at 332 E. 14th St., which currently houses Metro Bicycles in the retail space. (Public records list the buyer as an LLC with an address that matches the Brusco Group, an afflilate of Westside Management Corp.)

The neighbor's theory is that the new owners of No. 332 will secure the air rights to the synagogue … or, if the back of the synagogue space is not landmarked, the space can be sold to create some kind of L-shaped residential building.



As evidence of what is possible here, the neighbor points to the battle in Chelsea, where local politicians, preservationists and residents have been protesting a proposed 11-story glass tower that cantilevers over the French Evangelical Church on West 16th Street. "The church's air rights were sold to Einhorn Development Group several months ago in an effort to garner funds to refurbish the ailing 1835 house of worship," per Curbed.


[Rendering of West 16th Street via Curbed]

As the neighbor wrote to the LPC, "Please grant landmark designation to BOTH the front and back buildings of the Town & Village Synagogue, in order to avoid desecration of a religious structure similar to what was done to St. Ann's Church on East 12th Street by NYU's awkward attempt to preserve literally 'a piece of it' in front of a 26-story tower."



Updated 1:56 p.m.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation clarified some facts about what’s possible on the site:

As of now, it’s not known whether the synagogue will be landmarked OR what the new owner of the bicycle shop is planning. We do know, however, that the height of any new development on this stretch of East 14th Street will be capped by the present C1-6A zoning rules. Because of this area’s contextual zoning, the height limit is 80 feet, or roughly eight stories, with a street wall maximum of 65 feet, regardless of whether one purchases “air rights” from the synagogue. These limits would make such a purchase almost certainly pointless.

If the main building of the synagogue were landmarked, but its heretofore-unknown “back building” were not, an L-shaped building conceivably could be built around it — up to 80 feet.

There are a number of differences between this situation and that of the French Evangelical Church on West 16th Street, or of the NYU development behind the old St. Ann’s Church on East 12th Street. One is that neither of those churches were designated New York City Landmarks. The other is that the zoning for those sites allowed much larger development than can take place here. If Town & Village were to be landmarked, an adjacent building would not be allowed to cantilever over the synagogue without the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s review and approval.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

[Updated] East 14th Street synagogue up for sale considered for landmark designation