About the NYC Landmarks60 Alliance

Our Mission

The NYC Landmarks60 Alliance is comprised of individuals and organizations committed to informing and educating the public about historic preservation in New York City. On April 19, 1965, Mayor Robert Wagner signed New York City’s Landmarks Law, and the era of historic preservation began.

The NYC Landmarks60 Alliance was formed to create an appropriate commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the New York City's Landmarks Law in 2025, and to ensure that the preservation community, as well as the wider New York City public, and its visitors reflect upon and embrace the significance of the role of historic preservation in shaping New York City. The goal of this project is to broaden the appreciation of, and commitment to New York City's admired architecture, and to develop a new audience and a new generation of future preservationists, who will take responsibility for protecting the continuity of the New York cityscape.

The NYC Landmarks60 Alliance continues to believe that ‘preservation provides a reassuring chain of continuity between past and present.’ While preservationists comprehend the importance and the value of the law, the goal of the Alliance is to use the 60th Anniversary commemoration to encourage the understanding of the wider public, including the many new publics, as to how the Landmarks Law helps to preserve and enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers, and visitors alike; and to further the recognition of the general public that the preservation movement is, at its heart, a grassroots, collaborative cause whose proponents represent the vast diversity that is New York City.

History & Education

What Happened in 1965?

What is the mission of NYC LPC?

On April 19, 1965, Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed the Landmarks Law of New York City, and the new era of historic preservation began. Since then, as of January, 2024, there are 1,459 individual landmarks, 121 interior landmarks, 11 scenic landmarks, and 156 historic districts, and historic district extensions located throughout all five boroughs that have been designated; a total of more than 38,000 buildings and structures.

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission is the mayoral agency responsible for identifying, designating, preserving, and regulating New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites. The landmarks law of New York City, considered among the most influential in the nation, stipulates that the Landmarks Commission must be comprised of at least three architects, a historian, a realtor, a planner or landscape architect, as well as a representative of each borough. The agency consists of eleven Commissioners and approximately 80 staff members, including architects, architectural historians, restoration specialists, planners, and archaeologists, as well as administrative, legal, and clerical personnel. Although it is one of the smallest New York City agencies, the Commission is the largest municipal preservation agency in the United States.

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission was established by the Landmarks Law in 1965 to:

  • Safeguard the city's historic, aesthetic, and cultural heritage

  • Help stabilize and improve property values in historic districts

  • Encourage civic pride in the beauty and accomplishments of the past

  • Protect and enhance the city's attractions for tourists

  • Strengthen the city's economy

  • Inform the people of New York City about the value of landmarks for their education, pleasure, and welfare

  • The Landmarks Law was amended in 1974 to include Interior Landmarks and Scenic Landmarks.

  • The Landmarks Law can be found in Chapter 74 of the New York City Charter.

  • Click Here to View the Charter

The NYC Landmarks Law

There are four types of designations:

Individually Designated Landmarks There are currently 1,459 individual landmarks that include Carnegie Hall in Midtown Manhattan, the Louis Armstrong House in Queens, the Wonder Wheel in Coney Island, the Bronx Borough Courthouse, and the Alice Austen House in Staten Island.

Interior Landmarks There are 121 interior landmarks that include the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport, the RCA Building Lobby at Rockefeller Center, the Sailors' Snug Harbor Chapel in Staten Island, the Crotona Play Center in The Bronx, and the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower in Brooklyn.

Scenic Landmarks There are eleven scenic landmarks: Bryant Park, Verdi Square, Riverside Park and Riverside Drive, Central Park, Fort Tryon Park, Morningside Park, Prospect Park, Eastern Parkway, Ocean Parkway, and Magnolia Grandiflora (a designated tree that grows in Brooklyn).

Historic Districts are areas of the city that possess architectural and historical significance, and a distinct "sense of place." There are 156 historic districts and historic district extensions. Examples include: Ladies' Mile in Manhattan, Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, St. George-New Brighton in Staten Island, Jackson Heights in Queens, and Longwood Historic District in The Bronx.

Join Us

NYC Landmarks60 Alliance invites you to join us in creating an appropriate commemoration for the upcoming 60th anniversary of the NYC Landmarks law. Volunteer your time, attend an event, or even develop an event or program about landmarks on your block or in your neighborhood or in any appropriate part of the five boroughs. Please send us your event information, and we will post it on our website calendar. Join this collaborative effort!

While we strongly support the preservation of our built environment, our heritage, and our history, we recognize and support the many other, alternate histories that make up our city. Though sometimes hidden, these histories are often integral, though unknown parts of a more familiar story. We also recognize that many new New Yorkers have yet to have their histories “woven” into the physical historic fabric of our architectural heritage. The NYC Landmarks60 Alliance believes that this new New York, in all its complexity, must be part of the present and future of historic preservation.

Contact the NYC Landmarks60 Alliance