The Municipal Art Society of New York

We’re off to an exciting start to 2012 as we launch an exciting year with an expanded line-up of innovative new programming and social opportunities for Urbanists in their 20s and 30s. Continue Reading>>

The owner of the City and Suburban Company’s First Avenue Estate model tenement complex is making a claim of economic hardship for two of the complex’s landmarked buildings, which if granted would result in their demolition.  The two buildings in question were built at the turn of the 20th century, and as part of First Avenue Estate complex, are important for their innovative design as well as in their role in social housing reform. MAS has long been a supporter of its designation and even filed an amicus brief upholding their landmark status.

The owners of the complex (from First to York Avenues between East 64th and East 65th Streets) submitted an application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for the demolition of 429 East 64th Street and 430 East 65th Street on the grounds that they do not generate a sufficient economic return. Continue Reading>>

MAS is pleased to announce that Kate D. Levin, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner, will receive the Evangeline Blashfield Award for her inspired and visionary leadership in enriching our city’s vibrant arts and cultural organizations. Prior to her appointment, Levin was an Assistant Professor of English and Theater at the City College of New York and Associate Director of the Simon H. Rifkind Center for Humanities and the Arts. She will receive the award at the MAS Annual Meeting on March 1.  MAS applauds her for all she has done and continues to do to make New York a more livable city.

The Evangeline Blashfield Award is named for the woman who, in 1893 at the age of 36, rallied a group of influential architects, sculptors and artists to establish the Municipal Art Society. Continue Reading>>

Mary W. Rowe, vice president of strategy and partnerships at MAS, is this week’s guest writer for City Builder Book Club. The City Builder Book Club is a joint venture between the Centre for City Ecology and Creative Urban Projects to facilitate a deeper understanding of how cities work by hosting a guided reading and discussion of books that have developed and challenged ideas on urbanism. This winter, the book club is reading at book many of us at MAS hold dear, Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Continue Reading>>

After nearly five years of review, the federal government has finally transferred the six-acre Admirals Row site to the City of New York, which will turn it over to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for redevelopment. The Navy Yard’s development will include a grocery store, retail and an industrial building. Their plans also include the preservation of two of the most significant historic buildings on the site, the Timber Shed and Quarters B.

MAS has been a strong advocate for the preservation of these historic buildings, and for five years has been raising serious concerns over the federal government’s failure to stabilize the buildings, and for leaving them open to the elements. Continue Reading>>

Join MAS on our first ever MAS VIP Livable City Tour–an extraordinary opportunity to see Olympic London before the public arrives!

Olympic London, the exciting program’s inaugural trip, will take place from March 28 through April 1, 2012. This first come, first serve exclusive London visit is limited to a very small group of up to 12 guests, and will provide a one-time opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Olympic Legacy Park, as well as several of London’s other key revitalization and preservation sites. The group will be accompanied by officials and planners deeply involved in these important city-building initiatives. Continue Reading>>

On Tuesday, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting And Maritime Uses affirmed the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper District. MAS testified in December in support of upholding the Downtown Brooklyn historic district, which we originally proposed in conjunction with the Brooklyn Heights Association and the New York Landmarks Conservancy in 2006. MAS congratulates all of our colleagues who were involved in this important decision Continue Reading>>

There’s a strong perception that greening historic buildings is made arduous by Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) regulations. To help counter that notion, MAS and the LPC are producing a manual, “Greening New York City’s Landmarks: A Guide for Property Owners.” MAS has selected Cook+Fox and Terrapin Bright Green to develop the guide, which will provide straightforward action steps on how to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of the city’s landmark buildings while meeting preservation standards. Continue Reading>>

In response to Governor Cuomo’s 2012 State of the State address last week, in which he announced a proposal to replace the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center with a complex in Queens, MAS President Vin Cipolla urges “What’s good for Manhattan must be good for Queens.” Vin’s op-ed on the State of the State for Metropolis follows below in its entirety.

What’s good for Manhattan must be good for Queens
For almost two decades, The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) has advocated for the transformation of the Farley Post Office into a new Penn Station to be called Moynihan Station. Governor Cuomo’s recent State of the State address suggests that 2012 could be the station’s moment. Continue Reading>>

MAS joined several hundred community residents last night for Community Board Two’s first official public review of NYU’s application to redevelop significant portions of their core campus in Greenwich Village. Huge attendance caused the meeting to relocate to a larger venue several blocks away; for nearly three hours, residents spoke about how the years of construction impacts, loss of public amenities and increased density will affect their neighborhood’s historic character and livability. Continue Reading>>

Have you ever wondered what that strange door in the hallway of your building was originally intended for?  Or who lived there one hundred years ago? Wouldn’t you like to know who built your favorite buildings in New York City?

Join MAS in February for Researching the History of Buildings in New York City, where participants will learn how to find the answers to these questions and much more. Discover how to access the city’s records in-person and online in this small seminar limited to 30 people. Continue Reading>>

From the inclusion of historic preservation in PlaNYC 2.0 as a result of our Preservation and Climate Change Campaign, to the terrifically successful second annual MAS Summit for New York City, where we released Fashioning the Future: NYC’s Garment District as well as the second annual MAS Survey on Livability, 2011 was a remarkable year for MAS.  Read more about the past twelve months at MAS in President Vin Cipolla’s end of year report.

On December 7, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses held a public hearing on the designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District. MAS, along with many preservation groups, including the Brooklyn Heights Association and the New York Landmarks Conservancy, testified in support of the historic district, stating:

“The City has made serious investments into the revitalization and rejuvenation of this part of Brooklyn,  from the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning to the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Continue Reading>>

Last week, it was announced that the Cornell University-Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Consortium was chosen from seven applicants who this past summer responded to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Request for Proposals (RFP) for Applied Sciences NYC. The RFP called for a university or partnership to develop and operate an applied science campus in New York City in exchange for access to city-owned land on Roosevelt Island, as well $100 million in city capital for infrastructure upgrades. Continue Reading>>

Last week’s release of the MAS report, New York’s Next Great Waterfront Park garnered a fair amount of media attention. A synthesis of the lively and insightful discussions that took place at our July 2011 charrette, the report was prepared in conjunction with noted New York landscape architect Barbara Wilks and her firm, W Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Read the complete report online, or to download it click here.

Check out the press about New York’s Next Great Waterfront Park below: Continue Reading>>