Journey back to the not-so-distant past

Yours truly was asked by Curbed to be part of a panel that revealed "the moment" that gentrification was no longer a rumor or joke but a runaway train barreling off the rails. My contribution:

The one that really floored me was the conversion of the Pennsylvania Railroad Powerhouse in Long Island City. There it was, a huge iconic industrial building built by McKim, Mead & White, a local landmark for decades. Then they removed the smokestacks, plopped a bunch of orange floors on top, glassed it up and turned it into something that became a mockery of itself. And then the LIC gentrification floodgates really seemed to open and McReilly's closed. Now it's come full circle, with Communitea, one of the early gentrifiers, itself being gentrified out — Queens Crap

Powerhouse preservation: Manhattan vs. Queens

From The Real Deal:

A group of preservationists plans to submit a request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the Hudson River Powerhouse as a landmark. The 105-year-old building on West 59th Street, between 11th and 12th avenues, provided power for the city's first subway and still provides steam to customers of Con Edison, which owns the property. The building has been considered for landmark status twice before, in 1979 and 1991, and Con Ed opposed landmark designation on both occasions because it would delay obtaining permits if the company wanted to make modifications to the building.

Don't let this happen to your powerhouse, Manhattan!