Take Action on an Advocacy Campaign
50 West 13th Street Has Been Landmarked, but It Hasn’t Been Repaired or Restored
During our four-year campaign to landmark 50 West 13th Street, the building’s owner allowed the historic structure to deteriorate badly. Tell the Mayor and Landmarks Preservation to closely monitor this site, push the owner to undertake necessary repairs until they are completed, and ensure the building is properly protected.
New LPC Chair Kersavage and Mayor Mamdani Should Address Longstanding Issues That Have Been Ignored by the Landmarks Preservation Commission
Village Preservation has written to the new Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair to share with her multiple ongoing concerns regarding the Commission, and to urge her to act upon them. This includes outstanding proposals for landmark designation South of Union Square, throughout the East Village, at Our Lady of Guadalupe and Most Holy Redeemer Church, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, as well as the general lack of designations by the Commission in recent years.
The New 538 ft Tall Superluxury “City of Yes” Tower at 5 West 13th Street Shows the City MUST Change Zoning Rules
Tell City leaders to fix zoning rules that currently allow buildings like 5 West 13th Street — out-of-context, out-of-scale, no affordable housing — to be constructed under the “City of Yes” rezoning.
The Landmarked 34½ East 12th Street Must Be Restored and Its Future Secured
No. 34½ East 12th Street, owned by the City and occupied by the Police Athletic League for many years, has fallen into an unfortunate state of disrepair. Built in 1855 as the city’s first school for girls and landmarked in 1998, the building has been surrounded by scaffolding with virtually no activity going on inside for some 20 years. Tell Mayor Mamdani and key City Councilmembers that you support our joint campaign to get the building finally repaired and launch a conversation about its future.
388 Hudson Street Plans Must Be Rethought and Dapolito Recreation Center Must Be Saved
The City is moving ahead with plans for an oversized 400 ft. tall tower with a “cheese grater” design on public land at 388 Hudson Street, and not with any plans to repair and reopen the nearby Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. The Hudson Street building is unnecessarily oversized, woefully noncontextual, and still doesn’t have any clear guarantees for truly affordable housing nor its permanence. The chosen developer also appears on the Public Advocate’s “Worst Landlords” list. Urge our leaders to address these issues and make changes made to this consequential project.
Preserve + Protect Women’s History Landmarks South of Union Square
Recognize and protect more than 20 women’s history sites South of Union Square, and support designation of the area as a historic district.
Deregulation Doesn’t Help Affordability, and Sensible Development Regulations Aren’t the Cause of Unaffordability
A groundbreaking new study produced at the London School of Economics, “Inequality, Not Regulation, Drives America’s Housing Affordability Crisis,” disproves the increasingly widely held belief that reasonable regulations cause housing unaffordability, and stripping them away will help make our city affordable — something we’ve been proving for years. Tell our city’s leaders to stop supporting this theory and support sensible regulation for new housing.
Mayor Mamdani’s Agenda Should Drop Harmful Adams Policies and Embrace Preservation
Mayor Mamdani has promised an “audacious” agenda for governing New York City, and promised a break from his predecessor Mayor Adams. We couldn’t agree more that many of Mayor Adams’ policies and practices should be left in the dustbin of history and many of his approaches rethought. Tell the new Mayor to support our efforts to preserve our history rather than destroy it.
Eric Adams Was the Worst Mayor in History for Landmarking: Let’s Make Sure Mayor Mamdani Does Better!
Village Preservation’s recently released updated report analyzing all landmark designations since they began in 1965 to the end of the Adams Administration found that Mayor Adams was the worst Mayor in the city’s 60-year history for new landmark designations. Tell City leaders, especially new Mayor Zohran Mamdani, that preserving our history and telling our diverse stories is vital to our future, and that New Yorkers want them to do so.
No Zoning Variance for 203-ft.-Tall Luxury High Rise at 51 Little West 12th Street
A developer is claiming “hardship” and seeking exemptions from zoning rules to allow him to build a 203-ft.-tall luxury residential tower in the Meatpacking District at 51 Little West 12th Street that would be out of scale for the neighborhood. Tell the Board of Standards and Appeals to reject the zoning variance for this site.
Mayor Mamdani and Local Elected Officials Will Decide If the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center Will Be Saved
Tell our local elected officials and Mayor Mamdani to work together to honor the Mayor’s campaign pledge and restore and reopen the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center.
City Leaders Must Drop Mayor Adams’ Plan for Gansevoort Super-High-Rise Filled with Luxury Apartments
The City under Mayor Adams chose a developer for a 600-ft.-tall tower on public land in the Meatpacking District that would include hundreds of units of super-luxury housing. The number of affordable units and how “affordable” they would actually be has not been determined, but we only know that 25% are required to be and affordability levels can be twice the median income for NYC residents. Mayor Mamdani can change this plan, and local Councilmember Harvey Epstein and Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal will be key to determining the outcome.
The City Must Hold Developers Accountable for Illegal Work and Damage They Do
Under the Adams administration, developers regularly performed illegal and unpermitted work, resulting in historic buildings being damaged or destroyed, people being displaced from their homes, and rent-regulated/affordable housing being destroyed. Few if any penalties were levied against them for these violations. Mayor Mamdani must now hold developers accountable, protect New Yorkers from dangerous and illegal work, and ensure that both our historic landmarks and our housing are protected.
Don’t Repeat the Failures and False Promises of the SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Rezoning
In 2025, Village Preservation issued a report analyzing the impact so far of the SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown rezoning, taking a look at how closely reality lined up with the City’s promises and predictions. In short, it doesn’t. Now a developer is moving ahead with what may be the first housing development under the rezoning in the four years since it was passed, one that violates even more promises. Tell City leaders to not support these kinds of lies and faulty premises for radical zoning changes that only destroy neighborhoods.
Save the Historic Most Holy Redeemer Church in the East Village
The Most Holy Redeemer Church at 173 East 3rd Street has been an important part of the East Village for more than 150 years, and has played a important role in the city’s religious, immigrant, and fire safety history. Tell City leaders to preserve this currently endangered historic church.
Preservation and Affordability Go Hand in Hand; Demolition and Oversized Development Harm Neighborhoods and Affordability
The increasing lack of affordability of housing in New York is a serious challenge facing our city and only getting worse, but the “build baby build” approach held by many elected leaders may not. be the best answer for our communities. Read our new Policy Paper on Affordability and Preservation to counter myths and misinformation, and urge officials to implement its recommendations for a more affordable and resilient city.
Don’t Let the State Legislature Override Landmark Protections for Religious Properties
The “Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act” sounds innocuous enough, but it would actually override landmarks safeguards for historic religious properties and zoning protections for neighborhoods. Tell state elected officials to fix the legislation so it would maintain historic protections while fostering affordable housing and helping faith-based institutions.
Protect Black History South of Union Square
The unprotected section of Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square contains a remarkable array of sites connected to Black history — from civil rights leaders and organizations to musicians, authors, recording studios, and performance venues. So far previous Mayors and the Landmarks Preservation Commission have refused to support historic district designation of the area, resulting in an increasing number of these critical sites being lost. Tell our current leaders to preserve this neighborhood.
Support Expanded Landmark Protections in the East Village
Urge the Mayor, LPC Chair, and Councilmember Rivera to support significantly expanded landmark protections in the East Village. More and more of that history is being erased or lost, and can only be preserved and protected through landmarking.
Support landmarking the proposed South of Union Square Historic District NOW!
The dozen blocks South of Union Square between Third and Fifth Avenues in Greenwich Village and the East Village are rich in civil rights, labor, literary and cultural history, as well as striking architecture. Our research also shows the unrivaled role the neighborhood has played as a mecca for artistic innovation, particularly in the mid-20th century when it helped shift the center of the art world from Paris to New York. This history must be preserved through landmark designation, before it is lost forever.
Save the Historic Eye and Ear Infirmary at 13th Street and Second Avenue!
The historic New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (NYEEI) at East 13th Street and Second Avenue is in grave and imminent danger of being lost forever. Mount Sinai is seeking to close NYEEI, in which case these buildings will likely be sold off to a developer, and the historic institution destroyed. Even if the hospital closure is avoided, Mount Sinai has made clear they want to close NYEEI, and will likely sell off and demolish the building. Only landmark designation can save it.
Demand the City Recognize + Preserve Our Lady of Guadalupe, NYC’s First Spanish Church
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 229-231 West 14th Street was New York City’s first church for a Spanish-speaking congregation or for congregants from the Spanish-speaking world. Unfortunately, the church is now endangered, and the City has refused to act. The City should reconsider its refusal and landmark this historic structure, before the opportunity to do so is lost.
Recognize and Protect LGBTQ+ Landmarks South of Union Square
There is a rich array of sites connected to LGBTQ+ history in the area of Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square that lack landmark protections. As a result, these enormously important historic sites are vulnerable to compromise or demolition, and more are being lost every day. Send a message that we must protect or support protections for this incredibly important and underrepresented history
Remarkable Film History Is One More Reason to Landmark South of Union Square
The incredibly important role the area of Greenwich Village and the East Village South of Union Square has played in over a century of the development of the film industry is just one more reason this endangered historic area needs and deserves landmark protection.
Save the Merchant’s House Museum
Proposed construction next door to the Merchant’s House Museum could do grave damage to this historic and vital public resource. No construction should be allowed at 27 East 4th Street that would leave the museum damaged or prevent public access to or enjoyment of this beloved institution.
Save Theatre 80 and 78-80 St. Mark’s Place!
Now that Theatre 80 and the buildings in which it’s located at 78-80 St. Mark’s Place have been sold at auction, the City MUST step up to ensure this vital cultural institution and New York City landmark is preserved.
Stop the Siting of Oversized and Unnecessary 5G Towers in Our Neighborhood
Demand the City rethink its program to place ungainly, 32-ft.-tall Link NYC 5G towers in our community; consider impacts upon landmarks and historic districts; allow for true public review and input; and stop the installation of huge concentrations of these towers in areas where they are clearly not needed and would have unmitigated negative impacts.
Urge City Officials to deliver on their ‘Equity Framework’ and landmark 285-287 East 3rd Street
Tell the Landmarks Preservation Commission to take immediate action in honoring the legacy of Steve Cannon with 285-287 East 3rd Street’s designation as a landmark.