Council Member Simcha Felder, Chair
Landmarks, Public Siting and
Maritime Uses Sub-Committee
4424 16th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11204
Dear Council Member Felder:
The Historic Districts Council is the citywide
advocate for New York’s designated historic districts and
for neighborhoods meriting preservation. HDC is pleased to support
the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the
Gansevoort Market Historic District.
The designation of an historic area as an historic
district is an important way of protecting New York City’s
unique neighborhoods. Since 1965, the New York City Landmarks
Commission has created over 80 historic districts to help protect
New York’s historic neighborhoods from demolition and insensitive
change. The Landmarks Law stipulates that the city can designate
areas of architectural, historical, and cultural significance.
In particular, a historic district must represent “at least
one period or style of architecture typical of one or more areas
in the city’s history.” In other words, a historic
district has a unique sense of place that is worthy of the protection
for future generations.
The Gansevoort Market Historic District more than
meets the criteria established by the Landmarks Law. Although
Gansevoort’s buildings are not architectural masterpieces,
as a whole, they reflect the development and history of the city
as a maritime and mercantile center. Their importance derives
from the industrial heritage they represent in addition to their
aesthetic integrity. The details of Gansevoort’s streetscape
– the exposed Belgian block streets, the loading docks of
the buildings, the metal marquees – all combine to create
a distinct sense of place that is redolent with history and brimming
with active life. Gansevoort is robed in its history, the individual
buildings work together with the streets to create a well-worn,
realistic tableaux of historical New York.
Without historic district designation, the Gansevoort
neighborhood could very easily be compromised into non-existence
because of the intense development pressure in the area. For districts
like Gansevoort whose principal characteristics area historic
– as opposed to districts who are principally architectural
such as
SoHo – the sense of place is that much more fragile, and
future development requires that much more fore-thought and guidance.
The results of successful development within historic neighborhoods
can be seen citywide. Unfortunately, so can the results of unsuccessful
development. More often than not, the deciding factor between
successful development and disastrous abomination in an historic
neighborhood is the careful and diligent work of the Landmarks
Preservation Commission.
To address concerns that historic district designation
will hinder the economic growth of the neighborhood, I would like
to draw the Commission’s attention to areas such as the
Ladies’ Mile, SoHo, and Tribeca. These neighborhoods thrived
after historic district designation and today contain some of
the highest commercial and residential property values in the
city. As you probably already know, the Independent Budget Office
recently published its study on the impact of historic district
designation on residential property values. The study states,
“IBO found clear evidence that after controlling for property
and neighborhood characteristics, market values of properties
in historic districts were higher than those outside historic
districts for every year in [the] study.” This should not
be a revelation, as two of the stated purposes of the Landmarks
Law are to “stabilize and improve property values in historic
districts” and “strengthen the City’s economy”.
Preservation is an accepted tool for economic development in municipalities
throughout the world, which even includes New York City. By designating
the Gansevoort Market Historic District, the Landmarks Preservation
Commission is ensuring that all future development within the
area will be appropriate to the industrial history of New York
City that it so uniquely represents.
The Historic Districts Council urges the City
Planning Commission to support the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s
designation of the Gansevoort Market Historic District.
Sincerely,
Simeon Bankoff
Executive Director
