July 2025 Newsletter

Inside This Issue

Fond Farewells – and New Faces
Commission Approves Adaptive Reuse of Kingsbridge Armory
Welcoming Audiences Back to the Delacorte Theater
LPC Launches New Archaeological Repository Exhibit Exploring Colonial Taverns
The Next Generation
Looking Ahead
In Case You Missed It: LPC in the News
Sign Up for LPC Public Hearing/Meeting Updates

Fond Farewells – and New Faces

A longtime partner and founder of the firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners, LPC Vice Chair Fred Bland retired after 17 years on the Commission. During his time as Commissioner, Vice Chair Bland brought an astonishing breadth of experience in historic restoration and renovation to his time at LPC – from the consolidation of Manhattan's landmark General Theological Seminary to the residential conversion of the landmark former Long Island Headquarters of the New York Telephone Company in Brooklyn. In hearing after hearing, he brought that expertise to bear, lending a skilled eye and thoughtful voice to Commissioner deliberations. In addition to his years of service at LPC, Vice Chair Bland has served on the board of the Brooklyn Historical Society, as president of the Brooklyn Heights Association and as chairman of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's board of trustees.

During her 18 years on the Commission, Commissioner Chapin leveraged her in-depth expertise in preservation and distinguished record of public service, with leadership roles at the Queens Library Foundation, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Buildings, and NYC Parks, where she was also the first Queens Borough Commissioner. In addition to serving as LPC Commissioner, she is also a founding and current member of the Historic House Trust.

Over her nine years with LPC, Commissioner Lutfy enriched the agency's work with her diverse background across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and deep expertise in real estate, marketing, and design. Her work on major projects over the course of her career, from the adaptive reuse of Brooklyn Army Terminal to the creation of new business districts in Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Staten Island, added invaluable insight and a unique perspective to the Commission's deliberations.

This month was also a time of new beginnings, as three new faces joined us at the Public Hearing Room table: newly-appointed LPC Commissioners Erasmus Ikpemgbem, Frank Mahan, and Stephen Michael Wilder.

Commissioner Ikpemgbe runs the Architecture Department at Sabir Richardson and Weisberg, an engineering and architecture firm, and brings to the Commission a broad skillset in transportation, institutional, mixed-use, resiliency, and building assessment projects, and deep expertise in the public sector and city infrastructure. Commissioner Ikpemgbe has also served as a board member and parliamentarian for the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), where he helped shape local programming including Project Pipeline, a national NOMA initiative aimed at increasing the number of Black architects nationwide.

Commissioner Mahan is a Design Principal and Adaptive Reuse Practice Leader at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), overseeing the firm's restoration, preservation, and adaptive reuse projects. A recognized leader in preservation and adaptive reuse, Commissioner Mahan has led the redevelopment of iconic landmarks properties like the Waldorf Astoria and the James A. Farley Post Office, as well as groundbreaking projects that rejuvenated aging midcentury modern buildings, including individual landmark Lever House. Commissioner Mahan has been recognized with the AIA Young Architects Award and has been named to Building Design+Construction's 40 Under 40 list. He is a member of both the American Institute of Architects and Docomomo International, a fellow of the Urban Design Forum, and sits on the Cal Poly Architecture Advisory Council.

Commissioner Wilder is the Principal Architect of Think Wilder Architecture, leading a practice dedicated to thoughtful, community-rooted design that balances innovation with cultural context. His firm is currently supporting the United Order of Tents in the restoration of their historic Brooklyn headquarters—an effort that blends architectural preservation with cultural legacy. Stephen maintains professional affiliations with esteemed organizations such as the AIA and the National Organization of Minority Architects, and currently serves as President of its local chapter, the New York Coalition of Black Architects. He is also a trustee of the Preservation League of New York State, where he champions efforts to protect and celebrate historic places across the state.

Learn more about LPC's new Commissioners

LPC Approves Adaptive Reuse of the Bronx's Kingsbridge Armory

Image courtesy FXCollaborative Architects

On July 22nd, the Commission voted unanimously to approve an exciting plan to reimagine the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, an individual landmark. Backed by $200 million in funding from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, the plan will preserve and update the site for modern needs, increasing the energy efficiency of the structure while creating affordable housing, new community and cultural spaces, and retail opportunities.

Watch the LPC Public Hearing/Meeting at which the Kingsbridge Armory proposal was presented, discussed, and approved

Welcoming Audiences Back to the Delacorte Theater

LPC Chair Sarah Carroll joined The Public Theater for the reopening of the iconic Delacorte Theater after an 18-month renovation to update the theater to meet modern needs, including expanded accessibility and an improved visitor experience. In 2022, LPC approved the plans for the project, which ensured that the intimate, rustic character of the Delacorte was maintained during the renovation of theater, located in scenic landmark Central Park.

Watch the LPC Public Hearing/Meeting at which the Delacorte Theater proposal was presented, discussed, and approved

LPC Launches New Archaeological Repository Exhibit Exploring Colonial Taverns

"The Stadthuys of New York in 1679 corner of Peal St. and Coentijs Slip",
Image courtesy the New York Public Library

On July 28th, LPC launched a new digital exhibit from LPC's NYC Archaeology Repository: The Nan A. Rothschild Research Center that explores the vital civic role that taverns played in colonial New Amsterdam. The exhibit is the latest in a series of initiatives in honor of LPC's 60th anniversary (and New York City's 400th anniversary), and features artifacts like marbles, wine corks, and more that were discovered during the 1979–80 excavation of the Stadt Huys Block, the city's first major archaeological dig.

Explore the digital exhibit, "Lovelace Tavern: Everyday Merriments in Early New York"

The Next Generation

LPC was lucky to be joined this summer by our 2025 Placzek Fellow and an incredible group of interns, who spent the summer learning about the Commission's work and conducting special research projects. A big thank you to the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), the Design Trust for Public Space, Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, and the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation (NYLPF) for supporting these important programs. We're excited to see what this talented group does next!

Looking Ahead

Several sites are currently in the public process of being considered for designation. Once dates have been set for the next public hearings/meetings for these proposed landmarks, that information will be posted on the hearings page of LPC's website.