Preservationists Name 33 NYC Buildings to Save

A preservationist group released a list Tuesday of 33 midtown Manhattan buildings it hopes won’t be razed when the area around Grand Central Terminal is rezoned to spur development.

The Historic Districts Council list includes apartment buildings, hotels and office buildings in a 70-block range around the terminal. The council is submitting the list to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. Any building designated a landmark would be spared from the wrecking ball.

“While there is certainly room for exciting and needed new development in the area, it is important to consider the numerous unprotected buildings of architectural and historic significance in order to preserve the essential character and history of the district,” said Simeon Bankoff, the group’s executive director.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants the area rezoned so that some of the existing buildings can be replaced by taller ones.

The rezoning would affect the East Side of Manhattan from 39th Street to 57th Street, an area that includes the Chrysler Building, the Waldorf-Astoria and other landmarks.

Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said that while “wonderful buildings” are in the district, it lacks the kind of new buildings that tenants prefer.

This article appeared in print on page D21 of the January 30th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.