Awesome news for preservationists in Queens! This Tuesday the Landmarks Preservation Commission will calendar the LIC Clock Tower — officially known as The Bank of the Manhattan Company Long Island City Branch Building — to be considered for landmark status. Located at 29-27 Queens Plaza North, preservationists have rallied around this neo-Gothic structure, built in 1927, which is not protected from demolition. And recently, news came out that the owners of the clock tower, Property Markets Group, planned to develop 830,000 square feet on the surrounding land.
Sounds like someone wants those air rights for the adjacent property.
12 comments:
Whoopee doo! Let's see if it actually becomes designated and passed by the city council. Aye there's the rub! Most council members are owned by the NYC real estate industry which is anti landmark. Now, who do you suppose these council members owe their allegiance to, history or the campaign contributors who bought them?
follow the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the council members
The Clock tower is owned by Property markets Group.
Think the megatower proposal is part of the same property lot so there's no need for landmarking to transfer development rights.
When nobodies come out of nowhere and gets something landmarked you know they are fronting for something.
Folks have been coming out of left field trying to get this place landmarked for years - strange when you consider that in Queens people as a rule don't give two shits for this thing.
Meanwhile, the millstones, called 'a decorative sidewalk' in the LPC rejection of designation, continue to deteriorate.
This standing in front of a 70 story building will look stupid - but its too expensive to tear down so it was never in danger in the first place.
Just like firehouses and Astoria Pool, yet another safe and pointless designation in Queens while the real stuff like St Saviours gets destoyed.
The first floor would have made a perfect arts space with the stunning 1930s bank lobby.
The owner was too greedy and jackhammered it.
Just like the LI Savings Bank space.
Ignorant, backward, stupid seem to be traits common in that neck of the woods.
Phuleeze! LIC is overloaded with pseudo arts spaces as it is. Does it need another venue to showcase mediocre "art farts"?
If whatever could replace this building didn't look like crap, I'd let this one go and be replaced with something better.
But since we know that the replacement will be another "me-too" glass and steel box tower, let's save the last of 20th Century Long Island City instead.
Landmarking this would definitely put some breaks on the tower next door - the total buildable sqft of that lot, this lot, and the air rights they're buying from the MTA equals the total on the DOB permits filed for the tower...which would mean they plan to knock down the Clocktower and build both lots to the maximum allowed in order to meet their goal.
It's an interesting situation, because the Clocktower's layout is incredibly difficult to convert to any particularly valuable use today, so it has limited value as a structure in and of itself. Personally, I think the Clocktower is a great local landmark, but I also think the intensification of that area is important for the entire city's strategic growth - I would be happy to see a situation in which the city let the developer 'buy' additional bonus air rights by preserving the Clocktower and incorporating the structure into whatever skyscraper plans they have. Get creative! LIC could use a little more character and soul.
The LPC don"'t give a crap about Queens. Even Staten Island now beats us in landmark designations. You sheep keep on electing the developers' candidates and you deserve to be seved up as mutton. Please pass the mint jelly.
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