Our LPC Proposal to Landmark 29 Buildings in Murray Hill - Update

Friday, October 21, 2016

By: Susan Demmet, Chair, Preservation & Design Comm.

First, a bit of history: in 2013, 151 buildings in Murray Hill were added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Preservation & Design Committee of The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association asked the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark those 151 buildings. The LPC denied our request for expansion of the Murray Hill Historic District to the boundaries of the National Register of Historic Places and suggested that instead, we request landmark status for some additional contiguous rows and individual buildings within the National Register of Historic Places boundaries.

The P&D Committee did a walk-about early last year and identified 29 buildings worthy of landmarking. Forms were filled out and photos of the 29 buildings with descriptions were assembled and sent to the LPC in April of 2016. Petitions were signed by you, our members and neighbors, and letters were sent out to homeowners asking for support.

In October, we received a disappointing response from the LPC. They have chosen only 3 of the 29 buildings for consideration. Their letter states that the Morgan Hotel at 237 Madison Avenue and a townhouse at 38 East 38th Street “may merit designation and need to be assessed in the context of the agency's priorities for the city. The Church of Our Saviour at 55-59 Park Avenue may merit designation, but is not a priority at this time.”

We will let you know if these properties come up for a hearing at the LPC, although we think it will not be soon. In the meantime we will continue working to acquire landmark status for more buildings in order to preserve and protect the historic residential core of Murray Hill.

Full list of the 29 buildings requested