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 buildings and found the city’s existing landmarks there emphasize earlier residential and late-19th‑century entertainment eras but do not adequately reflect the period when the garment industry consolidated into purpose-built lofts and showrooms. The five calendared properties date from about 1908 through 1929 and include both pre-1916 zoning examples and buildings that incorporate the stepped setbacks introduced by the 1916 zoning resolution, staff said.

Staff context and presentation: Margaret Herman, LPC’s director of research, described the Midtown South initiative and said staff analyzed previous surveys, historic maps and existing designations, identifying thematic gaps in the garment-era resources. Marian (Mary Anne) Hurley of LPC’s research staff presented the Barbie Building, noting its 1908–09 construction by Delano & Aldrich and later use by Lord & Taylor as offices. Matt Postel presented Fashion Tower, designed by Emery Roth and built in 1924–25; Michael Caratsos presented the Furcraft Building, tied to the neighborhood’s fur trade; Sarah Eccles presented the connected 20 Ninth Street Towers (designed by Henry I. Oser); and Jessica Fletcher presented the Levcorp (Left Court) Clothing Center, a 1929 Art Deco building associated with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU).

Commission discussion and votes: commissioners generally supported the research framing and presentations. The commission then moved, item by item, to calendar each building for a future public hearing. Commissioners made motions and seconds on each calendaring action and the chair announced each item as calendared; where a motion was made on the record the maker and seconder are noted below. The research department will schedule public hearings to accept testimony and consider designation for each property.

What staff emphasized about the group: LPC staff said the five properties together illustrate Midtown South’s transformation from a mix of residential blocks and entertainment uses into a consolidated garment center with purpose-built loft buildings, showrooms and offices. The staff presentation repeatedly referenced the 1916 zoning resolution as the code that shaped the stepped setbacks and massing seen on the later buildings.

Next steps: the commission has calendared each property, which schedules a public hearing and moves the proposals forward in the designation process. The research staff said it will present each building in more detail at those hearings and make the supporting documentation available to the public.

Ending note: the calendaring advances LPC’s stated goal of filling a chronological and thematic gap in Midtown South designations and sets a timeline for public hearings on the five properties.