Letters : Time Runs Out for Landmarked Clock Tower

RE: Time Runs Out for Landmarked Clock Tower

(BroadsheetDAILY APRIL 9, 2019 by Matthew Fenton)

The single most devastating decision to the cause of preservation in the history of the New York City Landmarks Law and, without a doubt, the most disappointing in my 27+ year career as an attorney.

My heart breaks at the notion that a last-of-its-kind, 120-year old tower clock and its surrounding suite — both designated by the Landmark Preservation Commission as an historic interior landmark — will, absent reversal through reargument (the motion for which is still pending), soon be converted into a luxury condo, all so that a developer will be able to receive an additional $20+ Million of profit.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission, prior to this instance, had never approved conversion of an interior landmark into a private apartment.

Absent reversal, it won’t be the last.