Rare Lexington Avenue Residence threatened with demolition–in the heart of the Upper East Side Historic District Expansion
Jun 26th, 2008
If the expansion of the Upper East Side Historic District is not designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the architectural character, pedestrian scale and charm of Lexington Avenue will be replaced with large out-of-scale development.
Despite overwhelming support from hundreds of individuals in the neighborhood and throughout New York City, as well as from our elected officials and preservation organizations, the LPC has not yet acted! PLEASE URGE the LPC to take action and designate this endangered neighborhood before it’s too late!
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
- SIGN our ONLINE PETITION
- WRITE a letter of support to LPC Chair Tierney and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Click here for a sample letter.
- SPEAK at the upcoming Community Board 8 Meeting on July 21st, 6:30 p.m. (Hunter College School of Social Work, 129 East 79th Street). The community board will be voting on the proposed expansion. Please attend and show your support!
Read More about the Kean House
This elegant Mediterranean inspired residence, originally painted a salmon pink, has leaded glass windows, handsome rusticated detailing and a remarkable double height space on East 65th Street. Originally built as two brownstones in 1880, 861-863 Lexington Avenue was transformed in 1922 by Francis L. V. Hoppin for J. Stewart Barney, an architect, artist and society figure.
In June 2003, Christopher Gray wrote about the Kean House in the New York Times Streetscapes column, 65th Street and Lexington Avenue; A City Sonata in 4 Corners of Architectural Music, referring to the intersection as “an urban sonata, one whose distinctive architectural notes rise even above the neighborhood’s dense traffic.”
