Soon enough Manhattan's list of historic districts may include...the East Village? No joke. After years of talking, Community Board 3 is in the process of giving the okay to making a swath of 330 buildings in the East Village a historic district [here's a PDF of the map]. And so far the biggest opposition seems to be from religious leaders, of all people. No matter, last night the proposal was passed by the Board's landmarks subcommittee with two in favor and one abstention.
The proposed historic district includes most of Second Avenue from Second Street to St. Mark's Place (notably not including the former La Salle School or its adjacent church) and stretches to include much of Sixth and Seventh Streets to Avenue A. Professional preservationists like the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's Andrew Berman argue that the move to essentially lock-in the hood's exteriors will be a good thing for all (“If the Landmarks Preservation Commission moves ahead with the designation, all of these institutions, in one form or another, will be able to thrive,” he told the Local) but others aren't quite so sure.
“I see this as extra expenses for the community,” Father Michael Suvak of the Cathedral of Holy Virgin Protection reportedly said at last night's meeting. “This neighborhood is known for its artistic and independent nature. By landmarking and adding extra red tape, it’s going against the nature of the East Village.”
As more lay folk become aware of the district—which isn't exactly news since property owners have been getting letters about it for over a year—the debate will likely get louder before it goes away. The next community board vote will be next Thursday at a Parks subcommittee meeting after which, assuming it passes, it will be voted on at the full board meeting on Thursday, July 21 (details here). Then it moves back to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. If you want to learn more about the proposed district, the GVHS is holding a walking tours of the area on the mornings of July 13 and 20th (registration required). Meanwhile, it isn't like Manhattan doesn't have quite a few historic districts already...
