Landmarks Preservation Commission calendars five Midtown South buildings tied to garment industry for public hearings

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on April 22 calendared five Midtown South buildings for future public hearings, moving to consider them as individual landmarks as part of the agency’s Midtown South initiative to document the neighborhood’s garment industry history.

The commission voted to calendar LP2687 (the Barbie Building, 15–17 West 30th Street), LP2688 (Fashion Tower, 135 West 36th Street), LP2690 (the Furcraft Building, 242–246 West 30th Street), LP2689 (20 Ninth Street Towers, 214–226 West 29th Street) and LP2691 (the Levcorp/Left Court Clothing Center, 275 Seventh Avenue). The research staff recommended the five properties to address a gap in designations that the commission’s staff says leaves the 1910–1930 garment center period underrepresented in existing LPC designations.

Why it matters: the commission’s research team told members the Midtown South initiative reviewed roughly 90…