NYU Crimp in NYU’s Massive Expansion

Dear friend,

I have some important news I wanted to share with you regarding a ruling the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) made which will put a significant crimp in NYU’s massive expansion plans for Greenwich Village. 

The State has ruled that the Washington Square Village (WSV) complex and gardens are of sufficient significance to qualify for the State and National Register of Historic Places (see the ruling and information on GVSHP’s website at www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/nyu/doc/wash-sq-vill.pdf).  WSV and the neighboring Silver Towers complex are where NYU is seeking to build 2.4 million square feet of space as part of its 20-year expansion plan (seewww.nyu.edu/nyu2031/nyuinnyc/growth/the-plan.php#Intro).  However, they are planning to use State Dormitory Authority funds to do so.  Now that WSV is ruled eligible for the State and National Register of Historic Places (SNR), no state or federal money can be spent on any construction or demolition there unless it is approved by the State Historic Preservation Office, which will generally seek to preserve the historically and architecturally significant features of SNR-eligible properties and encourage the applicant to seek alternatives.  NYU is seeking to build two giant curving towers in the middle of the WSV complex over the gardens the SHPO have just ruled SNR-eligible (see www.nyu.edu/nyu2031/nyuinnyc/growth/the-plan.php#Intro).  All of NYU’s development plans in these complexes also require large-scale zoning changes needing the approval of the City Planning Commission and the City Council.  While the SHPO ruling by no means guarantees that NYU’s plans cannot go forward or will be changed, it does give us greater leverage, adds an additional hurdle for NYU, and adds to the argument that NYU should be looking to other more appropriate locations for its massive planned expansion.

In 2008 GVSHP and a number of groups and residents secured landmark designation for Silver Towers (seewww.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/silver_towers/Silvertowers-11-18-08.htm), and in 2009 GVSHP got the complex ruled eligible for the State and National Register of Historic Places (see www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/silver_towers/doc/snr-det-el-02-12-09.pdf).  That has already had an impact on NYU’s plans, as in late 2010, facing overwhelming opposition, NYU dropped plans to seek to add a 40-story tower to the complex (seewww.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/silver_towers/Silvertowers-11-18-10.htm), which would have required both NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission approval (because it is landmarked) and State Historic Preservation Office review (because it is eligible for the State and National Register of Historic Places).   GVSHP continues to urge the university to instead consider locations like the Financial District for its planned expansion (see www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/nyu/doc/ltr-nyu-01-05-11.pdf).

We have made some significant progress against NYU’s massive and inappropriate planned developments, but we still have a long way to go.  We’ll keep you posted of new developments and next steps in the process, but feel free to go to www.gvshp.org/nyu for the latest news.

Best, Andrew

Andrew Berman
Executive Director
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
232 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003
T: (212) 475-9585 x38 | F: (212) 475-9582