The New York Landmarks Conservancy

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The New York Landmarks Conservancy Dedicated to preserving, revitalizing, and reusing New York’s architecturally significant buildings. Learn more about us at http://www.nylandmarks.org/

The Conservancy’s combination of financial assistance and technical expertise distinguishes us from other, similar groups. We are one of the largest preservation groups in the country, and very few can match our range of nationally recognized programs and resources. The Historic Properties Fund is one of the nation’s largest revolving loan funds used exclusively for historic preservation. It has committed over $25 million in low-interest loans to more than 240 buildings in all five boroughs. The loans target homeowners in lower and moderate income areas, small apartment buildings and historic facilities owned by non-profit and religious institutions. The Landmarks Conservancy staff provides important project management assistance to assess building needs, develop an affordable financial package, find appropriate architects and contractors, and help ensure successful restorations and repairs. The Emergency Grant Program addresses immediate hazards to landmark properties owned by non-profits organizations. It has underwritten over $545,000 in grants since its establishment in 1999. The Sacred Sites Program — one of the first programs in the country to assist landmark religious properties — provides loans, grants, and technical assistance throughout the State. In addition, the program hosts regular workshops to help congregations with everything from energy conservation to fundraising. The Technical Services program provides expert architectural and preservation advice to property owners, developers, and contractors. Staff members answer hundreds of calls and makes dozens of site visits each year. The City Ventures Fund offers grants and loans to non-profit developers of affordable housing and other services that benefit lower-income communities, in non-landmark, architecturally significant buildings. It has provided over $1.5 million in financial assistance, resulting in the creation of more than 800 affordable apartments. The City Ventures Fund also promotes neighborhood renewal through grants and project management assistance to non-profit community organizations that own historic buildings or rehabilitate older buildings for low and moderate income housing and social service needs. Our grants have helped housing projects supportive of people living with AIDS/HIV and victims of domestic violence, a Lower East Side community center and dozens of other properties.

One of New York’s most famous parks is Central Park, created in 1857 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Coverin...
10/15/2026

One of New York’s most famous parks is Central Park, created in 1857 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Covering 843 acres, it is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated 42 million visitors annually, and is the most filmed location in the world. Due to its success, Central Park became the model for many other urban parks throughout the United States and because of its wide influence in landscape design, the park was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966; the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission also designated the Park as the City’s first Scenic Landmark on April 16, 1974. Central Park is managed by our friends at the Central Park Conservancy since 1998.

Can you identify this New York City landmark?Correctly name the structure or location in the photo and you will automati...
10/14/2026

Can you identify this New York City landmark?

Correctly name the structure or location in the photo and you will automatically be entered into our Mystery Landmark contest drawing. Comment or submit your guess to [email protected] by 5pm on October 15th.

As a hint, in October, we are highlighting New York City parks.

New York’s City Planning Department has identified a “fast track” list of 12 community districts where the least amount ...
10/13/2026

New York’s City Planning Department has identified a “fast track” list of 12 community districts where the least amount of new affordable housing has been built in the last five years. As a result, the approval process for new development will be sped up, hoping to create more affordable housing faster.

The Upper East and West Sides of Manhattan are on the “fast track” list, despite having many currently affordable units and also being the densest areas in the City. They also contain historic districts, which will now face extreme development pressure.

There has been little coverage, and even less analysis, in the media.

Council Member Gale Brewer, a longtime proponent of affordable housing, represents the Upper West Side. “Throughout my career in the City Council, and as Manhattan Borough President, I’ve always stood for increasing and preserving affordable housing stock.” Brewer wrote, “But I opposed this Charter change last year, and it’s bad policy now.”

The City Council will hold a hearing on the Mayor’s overall plan and the fast-track changes on October 21 at 1 p.m. Council Member Brewer will be testifying. So will the Conservancy.

If your community is listed and you are concerned about the lack of Council and community input, you could testify. Or you could call or write your Council Member in advance of the hearing. Wherever you live, if you agree this is bad policy, let your Council Member know.

Community members deserve a say in how their neighborhoods grow and change.

-See link in comments for a more detailed rebuttal of the Fast Track plan and for more info on testifying or contacting your Council Member.

photo: Upper West Side - Hudson River view

Crotona Park has served the Bronx community steadily since its purchase by the City in 1888. Among naturalists, the par...
10/09/2026

Crotona Park has served the Bronx community steadily since its purchase by the City in 1888. Among naturalists, the park is widely known for its variety of tree species (28 in all) and gorgeous 3.3-acre lake, which serves as home to turtles, ducks, and fish. In addition, Crotona Park features the borough’s largest pool (300 feet); 20 hardcourts for tennis; five baseball diamonds; and many playgrounds spread throughout the park. Crotona Park was landmarked in 2007.

A New Threat to America’s Historic Preservation LawTake Action Now! – The Senate Could Act November 9.The only thing wor...
10/08/2026

A New Threat to America’s Historic Preservation Law
Take Action Now! – The Senate Could Act November 9.

The only thing worse than the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation’s gutting of the Federal Historic Preservation Law is a bill the Senate recently introduced. The “Bipartisan Affordability and Jobs Act” (S.5653) goes even further to eviscerate preservation law.

Why a bill aimed at destroying preservation clothed itself in “affordability” and “jobs” is another story. But the resulting deal is an affront to the lawmakers who passed the National Historic Preservation Act 60 years ago and ignores its great nationwide success.

The Senate bill is on a fast track. A vote is expected when the Senate returns from recess on November 9. Given this bill’s bipartisan sponsorship and fast track, there is no room for negotiation. It has to be defeated.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Section 106 is a provision in U.S. federal law under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and it is an inherently democratic process. Since then, it has given citizens opportunities to consult with government agencies to ensure community concerns are addressed when planning federal projects.

Important preservation outcomes in New York include:
-Saving the Eero Saarinen TWA Terminal at JFK Airport and transforming it into a hotel
-Recognizing the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan
-Salvaging the Survivors’ Staircase at Ground Zero
-Incorporating Moynihan Train Hall into the Penn Station complex

SECTION 106 DOESN'T STOP PROJECTS. It creates an opportunity for government agencies, preservationists, and communities to identify historic resources, consider potential harm, and find ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate that harm.

AND IT WORKS. Over the last six years, New York’s State Historic Preservation Office has reviewed more than 25,000 federal consultation projects, with average review times of just seven to 12 days and fewer than 1% determined to have adverse effects.

S. 5653 Would Change Historic Preservation
Under the Senate bill:
-Public participation could become optional – Federal agencies could decide whether the public is notified about a project

-Fewer projects would receive review – The bill would narrow which projects are subject to Section 106

-Federal agencies would have more power to dismiss preservation concerns – Agencies could give greater weight to other considerations without fully considering ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate harm

-The requirement to address harm would be weakened – The bill would significantly alter how adverse effects are defined and addressed

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY FOR PRESERVATION

The National Historic Preservation Act has protected our nation’s heritage for 60 years. Section 106 is not an obstacle to progress. It is a democratic process that gives communities a voice before decisions are made and historic places are lost. We cannot allow that voice to disappear.

Contact Senator Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand - Tell them to vote NO on S. 5653, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.

TAKE ACTION NOW
If we don’t act now, we could lose one of the most important tools we have to protect America’s historic places—and the public’s voice in deciding what happens to them.



photo: Survivors' Staircase. Worker affixes an American flag to the staircase prior to its moving to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Zuma Press Inc. Alamy.

Fort Tryon Park is a 67-acre park situated on a ridge in Upper Manhattan, with commanding views of the Hudson River, the...
10/08/2026

Fort Tryon Park is a 67-acre park situated on a ridge in Upper Manhattan, with commanding views of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge, the New Jersey Palisades, Washington Heights, Inwood, the Bronx, and the Harlem River. It is built on a formation of Manhattan schist and contains interesting examples of igneous intrusions and of glacial striations from the last Ice Age. Fort Tryon Park was funded by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and was constructed during the Great Depression.

Rockefeller engaged the Olmsted Brothers to design the park and James W. Dawson to create the planting plan. Dawson’s designs included extensive plantings of various flora among many gardens, including a vibrant four-season Heather Garden, which contains one of the largest heath and heather collections in the country and was restored in the 1980’s.

Besides the gardens and the Cloisters, the park has extensive walking paths and meadows. The Cloisters Museum & Gardens is a branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art, architecture, and artifacts of medieval Europe. The museum opened to the public in 1938 and was designed by architect Charles Collens to resemble a French Romanesque abbey. The gardens of The Met Cloisters were planted among reconstructed Romanesque and Gothic cloisters, to evoke the spirituality within a medieval monastery.

Fort Tryon Park became a Scenic Landmark in 1983.

Verdi Square is a triangular public park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Formed by the intersection of Broadway and Amst...
10/07/2026

Verdi Square is a triangular public park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Formed by the intersection of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, the square is known for its 25-foot Giuseppe Verdi Monument (1906), sculpted by Pasquale Civiletti to honor the legendary Italian opera composer alongside life-sized statues of his most famous characters. The park has served as a vital gathering place for world-renowned musicians like Enrico Caruso and Arturo Toscanini. In the 1990s, the park was home to a weekly farmers market, which was featured in the 1998 movie You've Got Mail. The annual Verdi Square Festival of the Arts continues to host free classical performances for the community. Verdi Square became a Scenic Landmark in 1975.

10/06/2026

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gordon J. Davis, whom we were honored to recognize as a New York Living Landmark in 2020.

Gordon was a respected attorney, dedicated public official, engaged private citizen, and enthusiastic adopted New Yorker. Beginning in the 1980s, he was a driving force behind the restoration and revitalization of New York’s parks. He was a principal founder of the Central Park Conservancy and, together with Wynton Marsalis, helped create Jazz at Lincoln Center.

His vision, leadership, and devotion to New York left an enduring mark on our city. We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who were fortunate to know him.

Bryant Park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. It...
10/06/2026

Bryant Park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. It is also one of New York City’s Scenic Landmarks. Bryant Park is entirely located over an underground vault that houses the New York Public Library’s stacks, which were built in the 1980s. The new library facilities were built below ground level while the park was restored above it.

Formerly known as Reservoir Square, the site was first used as a park in 1847. Over the years the park has served as home of the Crystal Palace, the site of the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853); used for military drills during the American Civil War; and was the site of some of the New York City draft riots of July 1863 when the Colored Orphan Asylum at Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street was burned down.
In 1884, Reservoir Square was renamed Bryant Park, to honor longtime editor of the New York Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant. Today, Bryant Park features lush gardens, seasonal free activities, and al fresco dining. Bryant Park became a Scenic Landmark in 1974.

This month, we are celebrating National Walk to a Park Day on October 10th by exploring New York City's spectacular gree...
10/05/2026

This month, we are celebrating National Walk to a Park Day on October 10th by exploring New York City's spectacular green spaces. Beyond their lush landscapes and vibrant autumn colors, the City's parks feature everything from nature centers and historic houses to athletic fields. They also host hundreds of free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals each year. To discover more, visit the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation at www.nycgovparks.org.

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