Res. No. 922

Resolution to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the New York City Landmarks Law and the establishment of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

By Council Members Perkins, Felder, Avella, Barron, Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Liu, McMahon, Nelson, Recchia Jr., Sears, Stewart Vann, Weprin, Comrie and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum)

Whereas, On April 19, 1965 Mayor Robert Wagner signed the New York City Landmarks Law and helped to establish the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; and

Whereas, The Landmarks Law and the Preservation Commission were a response to the public outcry over the loss of the architecturally and historically significant Pennsylvania Station in 1963; and

Whereas, The loss of the original Penn Station made New Yorkers realize that the city was losing invaluable physical elements of its history; and

Whereas, While structures usually serve a practical function, they often also serve as symbols that identify a place and the cultural beliefs or values of its people; and

Whereas, New York is a unique, world-class, international city composed of people from around the globe; and

Whereas, The architecture and other structures of New York City reflect the beauty, power, and diversity of its people; and

Whereas, The mandate of the New York City Landmarks Commission is to identify and designate those structures within the city landscape that must be preserved; and

Whereas, Under the Landmarks Law, the purpose of such preservation is to safeguard the city’s special historic, aesthetic, and cultural heritage; stabilize and improve property values in historic districts; encourage civic pride in the beauty and accomplishments of the past; protect and enhance the city’s attractions for tourists; strengthen the city’s economy; and promote the use of the city’s landmarks for the education, pleasure, and welfare of the people of the city; and

Whereas, to date, New York City has been greatly enriched by having 1,119 individual landmarks, 83 historic districts, and 11 district extensions, totaling approximately 23,000 buildings; and

Whereas, The New York City Landmarks Law and Landmarks Preservation Commission helped to make constitutional law when the United States Supreme Court settled conclusively, in Penn Central Transportation Company v. New York City, that historic preservation advances are a critical public interest and an important governmental function that falls within the police power of the city; and

Whereas, As a result, the New York City Landmarks Law and Landmarks Preservation Commission helped to usher in an era of landmarks preservation nationwide; now therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York commemorates the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the New York City Landmarks Law and the establishment of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

DS

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