Fifty years from now, architecturally distinct neighborhoods like Dumbo and Crown Heights North will look largely the same as they do today, regardless of the individual property owners' consent, thanks to city landmarking laws implemented under Robert Tierney, chairman of the Landmark Commission. Since he took the seat in January 2003, four districts comprising 823 buildings and 20 individual structures have been landmarked in Brooklyn, and according to a spokeswoman the commission plans to move forward with designating two more districts in Bed-Stuy and Prospect Heights that total 870 buildings. Then there are the scores of proposed alterations to existing landmarks that have put developers at the mercy of Tierney, such as 20 Henry Street and the Domino Sugar Refinery. And the Commission has surveyed 2,800 additional buildings in Brooklyn "that merit evaluation for landmark status," meaning Tierney won't have to worry about lack of work as long as he's in office.
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