The Tribeca West Historic District is a local historic district in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Upon designation on May 7, 1991, by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), it encompassed 17 blocks and approximately 220 buildings, comprising warehouses, factories, and office towers,[1] mostly dating from 1860 to 1910.[2] Notable buildings within the district include the former New York Mercantile Exchange, and the Powell Building, a Beaux-Arts office tower designed by Carrère and Hastings and built in 1890; and the Tribeca Film Center.[3]
Geography
editThe Tribeca West Historic District has an irregular boundary. Greenwich Street forms the western boundary of the district, starting at Reade Street to the south and extending northward to Hubert Street. The northern border zigzags along Hubert Street, Hudson Street, Ericsson Place, Varick Street, and North Moore Street. The district's eastern border runs largely along West Broadway from North Moore Street in the north to Chambers Street in the south. Some land lots on the western side of West Broadway between Leonard and Thomas streets, as well as near the intersection with Duane Street, are excluded from the district. The southern border is formed by Hudson and Reade streets, though the district excludes several structures on the northern side of Reade Street between Greenwich and Hudson streets.[4]
The southern tip includes Bogardus Plaza[1][a] at the intersection of Chambers Street and West Broadway.[5] The district also includes Duane Park,[6] one of the oldest public parks in New York City.[7]
History
editMotivated by the residents' desire to preserve the integrity of Tribeca's architectural heritage, historic preservation efforts began with the founding of the Committee for the Washington Market Historic District in 1984. In 1986, a proposal to construct an 11-story tower atop a historic example of cast-iron architecture at 55 White Street was opposed by the committee as detrimental to the area's historic character. The following year, the LPC held a hearing, after which the construction was halted. Ultimately, in 1989, after multiple such campaigns, the LPC responded to the committee's request to establish a historical district for the entire Tribeca with a plan to create four smaller historic districts, which plan was executed during 1991–1992,[8] with Tribeca West the first to be established.[9] The other three districts—Tribeca South, East, and North—were formed in 1992;[10] one of these districts was further expanded in 2002.[11] At the time of designation, the Real Estate Board of New York had advocated downsizing the district's boundaries to the area between Franklin, Reade, and Greenwich streets and West Broadway.[2]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The Bogardus Plaza, constructed in 2020, was developed from a traffic island bounded by three streets, named in the early 1980s as the James Bogardus Triangle, after James Bogardus.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (May 12, 1991). "District in TriBeCa Wins Historic Designation and Elbow Room to Flaunt and Flex". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Shawn G. (August 11, 1991). "TriBeCa West: The Issue of Boundaries". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (May 26, 1991). "Commercial Property: TriBeCa West; A New Historic District Under Landmarks Scrutiny". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "Tribeca West Historic District (LP-01713) Map" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ a b "A decade in the making, Bogardus Plaza is open". Tribeca Citizen. December 16, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Woodman, James S. (June 26, 2008). "Landmarks to Tribeca architect: Addition needs some subtraction | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "The Oldest Parks : Online Historic Tour : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "Tribeca Historic Districts". New York Preservation Archive Project. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "Oliver Allen papers on the historic preservation of Tribeca: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids". findingaids.library.nyu.edu. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "3 Historic Districts Are Created in TriBeCa". The New York Times. December 9, 1992. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "Postings: 28 Buildings Added to Historic District; City Extends TriBeCa Zone". The New York Times. November 24, 2002. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
Further reading
edit- Tribeca West Historic District (PDF) (Report). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2009.