5 Chelsea Buildings On 'Tin Pan Alley' Could Be Landmarked

CHELSEA — The Landmarks Preservation Commission has its eyes on five historic Chelsea buildings on West 28th Street to be protected as landmarks.

On Tuesday, the commission will hold a meeting to consider calendaring five buildings on a block known as 'Tin Pan Alley,' known for being where iconic American songs were written at the turn of the 20th century, such as "God Bless America." Preservationists have long-advocated for the block to be formally protected under landmark status.

The five Italianate row houses built in the 1850s include 47, 49, 51, 53 and 55 West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Ave.

Being "calendared," which is what the LPC is considering Tuesday, is the first step for the buildings to be formally designated as a landmark.

"We're thrilled about this," Simeon Bankoff of the Historic Districts Council, told Patch. "This is an area which we have been concerned about since 2007 and we're really quite pleased that the LPC has decided to finally move on some of these buildings."

The block is known for being where songwriters such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael and Sammy Cahn wrote songs.

No. 47 was known for being home to one of the earliest publications in the U.S. devoted to entertainment, The New York Clipper, according to the Historic Districts Council, which has advocated for preserving the buildings along Tin Pan Alley. Others that could be landmarked include where sheet music publishers M. Witmark and Sons, William C. Dunn & Co., Paul Dresser Publishing Company and Ed Rogers Music Publishing Co. were located, according to HDC.

Bankoff emphasized that it is "terrific" the LPC is moving to protect Tin Pan Alley, a site of "national historic significance," he said.

But, he added other buildings may also merit designation, such as the nearby buildings at 38, 40, 41, 43, 45 and 57 West 28th St.

In October 2017, preservationists rallied for "Tin Pan Alley" to be landmarked — particularly in the years after developer Yair Levy purchased the row of buildings along the historic street, sparking fear of demolition.

Back in 2011, a judge ruled that Levy and his firm were banned from "engaging in any business activity relating to thee advertisement, offer or sale of securities — which includes condominium and co-operative apartments — in or from the state of New York." Then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called Levy a "predator in the marketplace."

LPC's meeting regarding the five buildings is Tuesday, March 12 at 9:30 a.m. on the ninth floor at 1 Centre St.