New York City Landmark Designation

In New York City, landmarks designated by the LPC have special protections that regulate how the building, site or historic district may be changed. It is very difficult for owners to get approval to demolish or heavily alter properties that have been designated as landmarks by the LPC (though there is no law protecting the properties from neglect, and demolition to ensure public safety could be ordered by a City agency despite City Landmark status).

How LPC Selects Properties to Designate

The LPC has research staff that propose landmark designations, but individuals and groups may also suggest a landmark by sending a Request for Evaluation with supporting materials to the agency as a first step. The agency may then do additional research to be sure the place suggested can be protected by the Landmarks Law, meets the agency priorities and merits a full hearing. Hearings are listed on the agency calendar, and updated to reflect the individual properties that are being reviewed by the LPC each week (click on “Public Hearing Agenda”).

At a hearing, the Landmarks Preservation Commissioners hears from experts and the public about the property in relation to specific criteria for local landmarking. If you believe additional protections for a property are a good idea, go to the hearing and testify!

After hearing testimony, the LPC will vote on whether to designate the property as a NYC Landmark; the vote can happen at the same hearing as the testimony or a later public hearing.

New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) & NYCHA Properties

The New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) manages all applications and designations for both Registers and usually reviews all planned work on federally-suppoted properties. In order to avoid case-by-case review, NYCHA and SHPO performed a Historic Resources Survey and the SHPO determined that (37) NYCHA properties are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and reached an agreement about how to protect NYCHA properties in 2018.

The public was invited to comment on that agreement when it was being drafted, but that's over now. The agreement requires NYCHA to provide a list to SHPO of all properties that are fifty years old or older in 2023 so that it can review whether new properties should be added to the list of eligible or listed properties. Once SHPO reviews NYCHA's 2023 update, there might be an opportunity for the public to comment on a draft updated list.