Your voice is needed to protect the historic character of Gowanus!
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will hear testimony from the public on Tuesday, September 24th on the designation of five individual landmarks in Gowanus. The Park Slope Civic Council has been actively involved in promoting landmarking within Gowanus through its participation in the Gowanus Landmarking Coalition, which has included Gowanus residents, nearby community associations and the Historic Districts Council.
The Civic Council invites all those who value the historic character of Gowanus to attend the hearing and to speak in favor of these designations. The hearing will take place on the 9th Floor of the Manhattan Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street in Manhattan . The five buildings are scheduled to be heard at 9:30 AM. Speakers are limited to 3 minutes and encouraged to provide a written copy of their remarks. Attendees should arrive 15 minutes early to allow for security screening at the lobby.
The Commission is considering designating these five buildings:
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPSC) Building, 233 Butler Street
- Gowanus Flushing Tunnel Pumping Station and Gate House, 196 Butler
- Brooklyn Rapid Transit Powerhouse, 152 2nd Street
- Somers Tinware (American Can Co.) Factory, 238-245 3rd Street
- Montauk Paint (Norge Sailmakers) Factory, 170 2nd Avenue
The LPC has stated that “these buildings were prioritized …because of their historical relationship to the Gowanus Canal and the industry that it enabled to grow up around it, and are architecturally significant with intact historical character.” The LPC also expressed potential interest in three additional buildings but did not prioritize their designation at this time:
- Planet Mills, 376 President Street
- St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, 419 Sackett Street
- Thomas Roulston Grocery Warehouse, 9th Street at 2nd Avenue
The Coalition submitted a much larger list of properties for the LPC’s consideration, including several small historic districts, one of which would have encompassed the Gowanus Pumping Station as part of a Head of the Canal District. Among the buildings the LPC determined did not merit designation arew the Thomas Paulson and Son Brass Founders Building, or the “Green Building,” at 460 Union Street, the Carriage House at 383 Carroll Street, now home to Lavendar Lake, and the Leonhard Michel Brewery and Ice House Complex at Bond and 3rd Streets, among others.