Just So You Know: More on the Landmark Process
December 13, 2010
Even though a landmark can take up to years to designate, the burden of proof is mostly on the Landmark Preservation Commission.
“We accept nominations from any member of the public, and ask that they submit a photograph and as much information as possible about the building,” de Bourbon said. “The commission staff will then evaluate that information, and conduct further research on its own to determine whether it meets our criteria.”
After a person suggests a landmark, most of their work is done. The commission and preservation societies such as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) take over.
Once the GVSHP is aware of a building that is petitioning for landmark status, it reaches out to its members, other preservation organizations, industry interested parties, stake holders, and merchants surrounding the building to get support, Andrew Berman, the executive director of GVSHP, said.
The organization also writes letters to the commission, meets with commission members and sends e-mails to interested parties. But for most of the process, it’s a waiting game.
According to de Bourbon, there’s not much an individual can do to convince the commission that their building should be landmarked, except have good evidence and research — and most of that is done by the commissioners.
Although, Clayton Kirking, head of the Art and Architecture Collection at the New York Public Library (NYPL), said that many individuals come to him for information on the history of buildings and landmarks.
It is important to keep in mind though that not every building meets the standards of a landmark. Some buildings just aren’t historically, architecturally or culturally significant to warrant landmark designation.
“We don’t go proposing that just every building be landmarked,” Berman said. “We recognize that there is a particular reason for it and that the standards for it should be kept high. It’s just that the neighborhoods that we represent are architecturally, culturally and historically rich, but that does not mean that every building in these areas rises to those standards.”
