OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT Centre Stret, 19th oor New York,NY 10007 ‘e12y€80.8300 p (a 800-4308 f BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN {40x Wert samt Streot, Now York NY 10087 ‘THE Crry oF NEW York (21a) sa1s600 p Ga 62-466 ¢ snow manhattanbpnyegoe ‘ale. Brewer, Borough President July 5, 2017 Meenakshi Srinivasan Chair Landmarks Preservation Commission 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor North New York, NY 10007 Dear Chair Srinivasan: I write in support of landmark designation for the rowhouses located at 626-648 West 158" Street in Washington Heights, Community District 12, in the Borough of Manhattan. This coherent collection of buildings of high architectural integrity are wonderfully intact, for now, and are worthy of protection through the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation process Designation of these properties has had the support of the community and local Councilmember for some time, yet multiple requests to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) have resulted inno movement, The first response was that this intact row was of a different typology than the apartment buildings that characterize the Audobon Park Historic District and therefore not appropriate to include as part of the 2009 designation nor as a later ‘expansion of that district. It was indicated that the LPC may consider instead a separate historic district. However, when a second request for evaluation was submitted, the LPC again rejected it, although the new RFE and subsequent community board resolution expressed support for a stand-alone historic district. This time, the Commission found that the proposed district was too small. I find this baffling. Itis my understanding that the LPC has designated intact rows of rowhouses or individual street frontages before as either individual landmarks or as historic districts. These include sroups/sites on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side adjacent to or within existing, larger districts; or any number of other, individual sites. Examples include the following locations below 96" Street: - St. Mark’s Historic District (1969) - First Houses, 29-41 Avenue A and 112- 138 East 3" Street (1974) - East 17" Street/Irving Place Historic District (1998) - 326, 328 and 330 East 18" Street (1973) - Turtle Bay Gardens Historic District (1966) - East 10" Street Historic District (2012) LPC should determine which type of designation is most appropriate, but I strongly believe that only a landmark or historic district designation will afford the protection required to preserve this ensemble in perpetuity. The Commission should exercise its responsibility to protect ourarchitectural heritage, and to act when entire ensembles of buildings are endangered by the threat of inappropriate development that will destroy their character and historic value. In this regard, I join Councilmember Levine, Manhattan Community Board 12, property owners, and neighborhood residents in declaring a core component of this intact row to be under imminent threat. look forward to your response regarding expedient calendaring of the rowhouses at 626- 648 West 158" Street. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Gale A. Brewer ‘Manhattan Borough President Sincer