Louis J. Lefkowitz Building
Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | |
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![]() Facade of the Louis J. Lefkowitz Building, originally known as the New York State Office Building, in Lower Manhattan. | |
General information | |
Type | Government |
Architectural style | Art Deco |
Location | Manhattan |
Address | 80 Centre Street |
Current tenants | Manhattan Marriage Bureau, New York Supreme Court |
Construction started | 1928 |
Completed | 1930 |
Cost | $6 Million |
Owner | New York City |
Landlord | New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services |
Design and construction | |
Architect | William Haugaard |
References | |
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/about/man_louislefkowitz.shtml |
The Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building is a prominent part of Manhattan’s Civic Center in New York City.[1] Designed by William Haugaard, State Architect for the State of New York, the Lefkowitz Building is home, among other things, to the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.[1]
History
Governor Al Smith laid the building’s cornerstone on December 18, 1928.[2] At the ceremony, Smith declared that he “pray[ed to] God it may stand here through the ages as a testimonial to the people of this great commonwealth.”[2] The building opened in October of 1930, and was originally home to the New York State Departments of Taxation, Finance, and Motor Vehicles.[3]
Originally known as the New York State Office Building, the State renamed it in honor of Louis J. Lefkowitz, then the longest-serving Attorney General of New York, in 1984. [1] It is also a monument to LGBTQ New Yorkers, as 293 couples wed there on the day same-sex marriage became legal in 2011.[4][5]
Proposed Reuse or Demolition
In August 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Correction announced a plan to renovate or demolish the Lefkowitz Building in order to build an expanded jail as part of its plan to close Rikers Island. [6]
Historic preservation groups, including the Historic Districts Council and New York Landmarks Conservancy, oppose the plan.[7][8] “Though marriage is supposed to be forever, Mayor de Blasio wants to give this temple of love an ugly divorce,” wrote preservationist Adrian Untermyer in Gotham Gazette.[9]
In 2018, the Historic Districts Council formally requested that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission evaluate the Lefkowitz Building for designation as a New York City Landmark.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 "DCAS - About DCAS - Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building". www.nyc.gov.
- 1 2 "SMITH LAYS STONE FOR STATE BUILDING; LAYING CORNERSTONE FOR NEW STATE BUILDING".
- ↑ "NEW STATE BUILDING OPENS HERE MONDAY; Taxation and Finance Offices to Start Moving Into Civic Centre Structure Today. RENTS NEARLY ELIMINATED $6,500,000 Cost Is Below Estimate --Quarters of Motor Vehicle Bureau Resemble Bank".
- ↑ Barbaro, Michael. "After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York".
- ↑ Untermyer, Adrian. "Show the Lefkowitz Some Love".
- ↑ "Project Information". a002-ceqraccess.nyc.gov.
- ↑ "Landmark the Lefkowitz: RFE for 80 Centre Street". 21 September 2018.
- ↑ http://www.nylandmarks.org/advocacy/preservation_issues/new_york_city_alert_-_save_the_lefkowitz_building/
- ↑ Untermyer, Adrian. "Show the Lefkowitz Some Love".
- ↑ "Landmark the Lefkowitz: RFE for 80 Centre Street". 21 September 2018.