Seven to Save Spotlight: Proposed South of Union Square Historic District
The proposed South of Union Square Historic District is one of this year’s Seven to Save. This neighborhood in Manhattan boasts a wide variety of of building types, many of which have ties to important social and cultural movements. Our colleagues at Village Preservation have been pushing for landmark designation and zoning protections to preserve the area’s historic character, limit out-of-scale construction, and prevent needless demolition.
Threat: Demolition; Development Pressure; Loss of Visual/Architectural Integrity
An aerial photograph highlighting the footprint of the proposed historic district south of Union Square. The approximate boundaries are 14th Street to the north, eastern blockfronts of 3rd Avenue to the east, 9th Street to the south, and western blockfronts of 5th Avenue to the west. Credit: Village Preservation
“We’re so grateful that the League has chosen to highlight the unique and endangered history of the area South of Union Square; the timing could not be more perfect,” said Andrew Berman, Executive Director of Village Preservation. “This neighborhood, long a crossroads, contains a civil rights and artistic history stretching back well over a century, in buildings designed by some of the greatest architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. How many neighborhoods can claim to have been central to the struggles for African American and LGBTQ+ civil rights, as well as the Women's Suffrage movement, while also housing some of the most important artists, writers, dancers, sculptors, publishers, and recording studios of the last century and a half? Sadly that rich history is gravely endangered by a rising tide of demolitions and oversized development. We hope this designation will help spur the new Mayoral administration to finally act to protect this irreplaceable history, so central to the story of New York and our country.”
A row of three buildings with fire escapes seen on their front facades, location on the northern side of East 13th between 3rd and 4th Avenues. Credit: Village Preservation
The proposed South of Union Square Historic District contains a remarkable concentration of sites connected to key civil rights and social justice movements, as well as influential literary, artistic, and music movements. It offers a unique window into New York City's development in the late-19th and early-20th century, with an eclectic array of buildings, many designed by world-class American architects.
Despite its historic importance, this neighborhood is severely lacking in landmark and zoning protections. Over the decades, change to this area had typically been characterized by inventive adaptive reuse: factories and schools became apartment buildings; row houses and firehouses became shops, theatres, and restaurants; large printing houses, lofts, and recording studios became university classrooms and laboratories. In recent years, this positive redevelopment has become subject to aggressive development interests. Several buildings that housed artist studios, office space for civil rights leaders, and emerging nonprofits have been threatened, altered beyond recognition, or destroyed.
Hotel Albert at the corner of University Place and East 11th Street. Credit: Village Preservation
While the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has cited the architectural and cultural variety of the area as a reason why the neighborhood shouldn't be landmarked, this variety and vibrancy are precisely what make the proposed South of Union Square Historic District such a vital resource to preserve. Village Preservation has designed and led the campaign for landmark designation of the South of Union Square Historic District and the League is eager to join them in this work.