Faith-based housing bill could override local landmark laws

adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Affordable Housing, Landmarks at Risk, Landmarks Law, New York, Zoning

By LANDMARK WEST! A State-level bill titled the “Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act” has the potential to override local landmark laws protecting the architectural and cultural integrity of historic religious structures.  This legislation would...

Barsotti: Hero who Cared about Cultural Heritage

adaptive reuse, Columbus Circle

By Claudie Benjamin Christopher Columbus may have his statue up in the middle of Columbus Circle, but he is a myth, not a hero. The real man, as all school children have come to know, was horrific in many ways. Earlier generations were taught admiringly and...

Hostelling International NYC Offers Visitors Echoes of History

adaptive reuse

By Claudie Benjamin It is the perfect time to celebrate the Victorian building at 891 Amsterdam Avenue.  Not so much to mark the building’s 150 + years at this location, but now with the lifting of international travel restrictions into the US, Hostelling...

If Granite Walls Could Speak

adaptive reuse

By Claudie Benjamin “If these walls could speak….” Is a phrase that suggests hushed revelations.  In the case of the towered St. Paul the Apostle Church on Columbus Avenue and 60th Street, the stone used for its construction (1875-1885) would tell the story of the...

Expert Restoration of Theater Ensures Continued Iconic Status

adaptive reuse

By Claudie Benjamin It might seem that the transformation of the Beacon Theatre, a 1929 movie palace at 2124 Broadway into a 21st Century music venue was no big deal as both involved the presentation of entertainment.  But, actually, there were monumental challenges...

An UWS Community’s Robust Commitment to Spiritual Needs and Social Responsibility

adaptive reuse, Spirit of the City

By Claudie Benjamin The West End Synagogue, at 190 Amsterdam Avenue, is distinctive in its commitment to combine traditional Jewish spirituality while addressing such immediate contemporary concerns like interpersonal relationships, the environment and antiracism,...