Public Hearing Approved for Morningside Heights Historic District

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — The creation of a historic district to protect a swath of land in Morningside Heights from development is one step closer to being created.

On Tuesday, the city Landmarks Preservation Committee voted to schedule a public hearing in November for a proposed Morningside Heights Historic District, a committee spokesperson told Patch.

The district would cover a 115-building portion of Morningside Heights that "reflects the residential development of Morningside Heights, primarily comprising residential buildings, with some institutional buildings, largely constructed between the 1890s and the 1920s," according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The district would begin on West 119th Street and cover most buildings east of Broadway until West 109th Street. Some buildings on West 113th, West 112th, West 111th and Cathedral Parkway between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue would also be included in the historic district.

Here's how the LPC has sketched out the historic district.

Residents of Morningside Heights have been trying to protect their neighborhood's character for decades. Twenty years ago the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee was founded with a mission to protect the neighborhood's "rich history which is embodied in its buildings, green spaces and streetscapes," reads the group's website.

The committee created an online petition calling on the Landmarks Preservation Commission to establish a historic district in the neighborhood. As of this writing the petition has 426 supporters, with a goal of 500.

An exact date for the November public hearing has not yet been chosen.

Photo: Flickr user llahbocaj via creative commons.