Place Matters is a joint project of City Lore and MAS.
The Kentile Sign along the Gowanus Canal was nominated to the Census of Places that Matter for serving as a symbol of Gowanus’ industrial heritage and for being a remnant of this former Brooklyn business. Highly visible from the both the Gowanus Expressway and the F train, this 8-story-high sign dominates the Gowanus skyline even though Kentile Floors left Brooklyn in the late 1980s and the sign’s neon purple letters are no longer illuminated.

Founded in 1898 by Arthur Kennedy (hence the name, Kentile), the company had factories in both Queens and Long Island before building a new plant on 2^nd Avenue along the Gowanus Canal in 1949.  The iconic “Kentile Floors” sign was likely erected at this time. Kentile specialized in vinyl and asphalt floor covering that featured bold colors and patterns. Continue Reading>>

Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center in Corona, Queens, was nominated to the Census of Places that Matter because it houses the largest circulating Black Heritage reading collection in New York State. The facility was established as a result of local community efforts in the 1960s to form a community-controlled library and cultural center focusing on the history and needs of the African American community in the Corona neighborhood.

The library originally opened in 1969 in a former Woolworth’s store on Northern Boulevard. According to its Place Matters nomination, the original location provided the library with a storefront presence and also served “as a reminder of an earlier moment in history [when] this Woolworth’s was the site of a local civil rights struggle to break the color barrier for hiring in Queens.” Opening just two years after Langston Hughes’ death, the library was the first public institution named for the poet. The library’s Black Heritage Reference Center has grown over the years to more than 40,000 volumes of materials “written by, about, for, with and related to Black Culture.” In addition, the library has a special collection of works by and about its namesake, including Hughes’ own published works, analyses of his work, and even musical settings composed by Hughes. Continue Reading>>

This morning, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to “calendar” (the first step in the landmark designation process) the Shore Theater building in Coney Island.  MAS President Vin Cipolla said, “MAS has long advocated for the renewal of Coney Island, and the Shore Theater represents Coney Island’s distinct status as a recreation and amusement destination. The Landmarks Commission took a huge step today to ensure that this wonderful theater will play a role in Coney Island’s future.”

During the Coney Island rezoning process, MAS recommended to the City that the area’s historic resources, like the Shore Theater, be protected, as they are key to a revitalized Coney Island.  The Shore Theater has long been one of Coney Island’s most striking buildings.  Opened in 1925 as the Coney Island Theatre and designed by noted theater architects, Reilly & Hall, the Shore Theater sat nearly 2,400 people in its auditorium and featured both live vaudeville shows and moving pictures.  Although it has long been vacant, if reinvigorated, the Shore Theater could present a unique opportunity for theater and other performance space in the amusement area. Continue Reading>>

The former Gage & Tollner restaurant on Fulton Street near Brooklyn’s Borough Hall is now the most beautiful Arby’s in the world, thanks in large part to its designation as both an exterior and interior landmark. Gage & Tollner was nominated to the Census of Places that Matter because for over 100 years it “gave diners a taste of old Brooklyn”. Although Gage & Tollner closed in 2004, its Victorian interior remains intact and open to the public, now as home of Brooklyn’s first Arby’s.

The restaurant that became Gage & Tollner was originally opened by Charles M. Gage in 1879.  When Gage partnered with Eugene Tollner a few years later, the restaurant was renamed for the two of them.  In 1892, Gage & Tollner moved from its original location near present-day Cadman Plaza to the 1870s Italianate row house at 372 Fulton Street. The building’s wooden Neo-Grec storefront, which is still intact, was likely added at this time. Gage & Tollner’s clientele were among Brooklyn and Manhattan’s elite, and throughout the next century, the restaurant was renowned for its food quality and excellent service.  The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s 1974 designation report for the building’s exterior refers to Gage & Tollner as “one of Brooklyn’s best known restaurants.” Continue Reading>>

Westbeth was nominated to the Census of Places that Matter for both its past role as the home of Bell Laboratories and its current role as a thriving artists’ housing project. Occupying the entire block bounded by West, Bank, Washington, and Bethune Streets, Westbeth is a remnant from the time when the Greenwich Village waterfront was an industrial neighborhood and is an early example of the rebirth of industrial spaces for artists’ live-work housing.

The Bell Laboratories, originally known as Western Electric and part of the larger American Telegraph & Telephone Company (AT&T), moved its headquarters to a newly-constructed building on West and Bethune Streets in 1898.  Over the years, the company expanded on the block while developing some of the most important technological advances of the first half of the twentieth century.  Continue Reading>>

Just two months after the 1929 stock market crash, the doors of the lavish St. George Theatre opened at 35 Hyatt Street in Staten Island. Commissioned by Solomon Brill, the palatial theatre was intended to bring leading vaudeville acts, such as Al Jolson, Kate Smith and Guy Lombardo, to the island borough. It was also meant to rival to the great movie houses of the era.

Eugene DeRosa, the architect for over 35 cinema houses in the New York City area, worked with Staten Island architect James Whitford to design the distinguished, though austere, exterior of the St. George Theatre. Any restraint on the exterior’s design is more than compensated for by the interior opulence. The extravagant Spanish and Italian Baroque interior was conjured up by Nestor Castro, who was responsible for designing many of Time Square’s finest theatre interiors as the art director for Libman-Spanjer. Outfitted with stately gilded balconies, luxurious velvet seats, sparkling chandeliers, epic murals, sculpted fountains and grand marble staircases, going to a show at the St. George Theatre was an experience in and of itself. Continue Reading>>

Today is another large Designation Day at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The focus of today’s hearing is expanding some of the city’s existing historic districts to include worthy buildings that were excluded from the original designations. See our slide above and continue reading to learn more about the LPC’s activities today. Continue Reading>>

MAS testified on Tuesday before the Landmarks Preservation Commission in support of the landmark designation of two buildings in Midtown built in 1909 for the B.F. Goodrich Company. The buildings, both designed by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, occupy an L-shaped site fronting the east side of Broadway (pictured here) and the north side of 57th St (both pictured after the jump). Unfortunately, the buildings’ owner only supports the designation of the Broadway building and is opposing the designation of the 57th St. structure.  MAS joined our colleague NYC preservation groups, as well as several groups based in Shaw’s home state of Illinois, in urging the LPC to designate both buildings.

Founded in Akron, Ohio, in the 1870s, B.F. Goodrich rapidly grew in the early 20th c. with the rise of the automobile industry.   As a leading automobile tire and rubber manufacturer in the United States at the time, the company wanted a New York presence for its new corporate headquarters.  The company selected an L-shaped location on Broadway and 57th Street, at the heart of what was then considered “automobile row.”  Running along Broadway and its side streets, from north of Times Square to north of Columbus Circle, automobile row held a concentration of showrooms, repair shops, offices, and other uses all associated with automobile companies like B.F. Goodrich, General Motors, Ford, and Fisk Tires. Continue Reading>>

The Brooklyn Navy Yard recently released its RFP for the redevelopment of the Admiral’s Row site. MAS sees the RFP process as an opportunity to provide practical information to developers interested in responding to the RFP and to encourage the retention and rehabilitation of more than just the required two historic buildings on the site. As part of our Admiral’s Row work, MAS has developed several site plans showing how additional historic buildings can be integrated into new development on the site. In addition, we have gathered many resources on the history and potential future of the site. We are eager to work with developers in tailoring our initial site plans to the information provided in the RFP and to aid in identifying tax credits and financial incentives to help fund the preservation of these buildings.

We hope that our experience and information will be helpful to responders looking to create an exciting new development at Admiral’s Row that combines both new construction and the preservation of the incredibly-significant historic buildings. Continue reading for downloadable resources and further information Continue Reading>>

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is devoting tomorrow morning to the consideration of 5 new individual landmarks in Manhattan, images of which can be viewed in this slideshow. Continue Reading>>