Six Buildings in Four Borough Made Landmarks

Every borough but Brooklyn added a new landmark today

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated six buildings in four boroughs as New York City  landmarks on Tuesday, leaving only Brooklyn out of the fun.

One of the most memorable new landmarks, the West Park Presbyterian Church, built on W. 86th Street in the 1800s, includes a tower with a bell-shaped roof in a medieval Romanesque form.

"West Park Presbyterian is considered to be one of the best examples of a Romanesque Revival style religious structure in new York City." said Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney in a statement. "Its deep red sandstone cladding, broad round-arch openings and soaring tower endow a prominent intersection of the Upper West Side with an unmistakable sense of place."

The Italian Renaissance palazzo-style building at 311 Broadway between Duane and Thomas Streets also made the list. It was build in 1857 by an unknown architect and features richly decorated stone details and and projecting sills. William Waldorf Astoria purchased the building in 1887.

"The building recalls not only mid-19th century New York City, but also early 16th century Rome and Florence," said Tierney. "It's one of the few remaining palazzo-style buildings on Broadway in Lower Manhattan."

The terra-cotta tiled Ridgewood Theater on Myrtle Avenue in Queens also receieved the designation. It was constructed in 1916 by prominent architect Thomas Lamb and operated as a movie theater for over 90 years.

"The regal building, with its intricate white façade, is a stand out along a bustling commercial strip that's lined mostly with simple brick buildings," said Tierney. "The ornate façade provided a fitting gateway to the treasures awaiting inside, creating nearly 100 years of memories for countless moviegoers."

Built in 1899, Public School 66 on 102nd Street and 85th Road in Richmond Hills, Queens also earned landmark status. It was designed in the Victorian Eclectic style and is distinguished by a six-story projecting tower that used to contain a bell for calling schoolchildren to attendance. In 2003, the school was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in honor of her passion for literacy and historic preservation and it continues to serve as a grammar school.

"This school has been a staple of Richmond Hill for over a century," according to Council Member Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens). "It is important for future generations to understand their history and landmarking this innovative and striking structure will do just that."
Another new landmark is the Dollar Savings Bank at 2792 Third Avenue in the Bronx.

The former bank building sits on a trapezoidal lot adjacent to Willis Avenue and 147th Street. It was built in 1919 in the Classical Revivial style by Renwick, Aspinwall and Tucker architectural firm. "This striking building for decades housed an institution that was instrumental in the development of the Bronx at the beginning of the 20th centure," said Tierney. "It was designed in a style of architecture that evoked the stability and strength of an important financial institution."

The last structure to make the cut was the Mary and David Burger House at 63 William Street in Staten Island. The Greek Revival-style house was built around 1844 in the Stapleton neighborhood. The 3 1/2-story, clapboard sided, wood structure was built by David Burgher, a fisherman by trade who also served as a deputy sheriff and member of the town council.

"This elegant house represents a building type that was once common on Staten Island, and is a reminder o the importance of maritime commerce for Staten Island's economy in the 1840s and 1850s,  and the role Island-based mariners, sea captains, harbor pilots, ferry operators and shipping merchants played in the development of New York City," said Tierney.
 

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