Preservation Lobby Day 2009
NYLC President Peg Breen
Starting at far left, Councilmembers Tony Avella, Jessica Lappin, and Bill DeBlasio (at podium)
From Staten Island to Crown Heights, Sunnyside and the Bronx, preservationists join together for Lobby Day
The Landmarks Conservancy is the leading voice for preservation across the City. Since the early 1990s staffing levels at the Landmarks Preservation Commission have fallen by over one-third, while the number of permit applications has risen dramatically and over 50 historic neighborhoods wait to be designated. We have been long-time advocates for increased LPC funding, so in 2007 we initiated Preservation Lobby Day, an annual event in which representatives from preservation and community groups across the City join together to speak out loudly for that cause. Since the first Preservation Lobby Day the Commission has received an extra $300,000 annually, which they have used to fill positions in the Research Department.
On May 6, representatives of over 100 groups from all five boroughs (see list) along with Councilmembers Jessica Lappin (Chair of the Landmarks Subcommittee), Tony Avella, and Bill DeBlasio, gathered together on the steps of City Hall for the third annual Lobby Day. This year, the coalition called upon the City Council to maintain the LPC funding which is in the Mayor’s proposed budget, including a renewal of that $300,000 which the Council added two years ago. Preservationists spoke out in favor of helping the LPC obtain the staffing and resources it needs to continue protecting New York City landmarks and landmark districts.
Download List of Participating Groups
