City landmarks five Garment District buildings ahead of major changes in Midtown

Midtown South could look a lot different in the coming years, with a neighborhood rezoning imminent, but at least five buildings will remain protected. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to designate five buildings that not only are unique architecturally, but also reflect the development of the Garment District and the importance of the fashion industry to New York City. The designation comes as the City Council prepares to vote on the Midtown South Mixed-Use plan this week.

“Designed by many of the city’s leading architects of the time, the buildings designated today are some of the Garment District’s most impressive examples of early 20th-century commercial architecture, which tell the full story of the Garment District’s historic development, the people who worked here, the labor history that grew here and spread nationally, and the industry that has been one of New York City’s most important economic and cultural engines,” LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said.

LPC started surveying the area, roughly 23rd to 42nd Street, and Fifth to Ninth Avenues, focusing on the blocks set to be rezoned. The research staff then developed a framework to illustrate the development of the Garment District, which had largely been left out of the previous designations in the neighborhood.

The five buildings “stand out architecturally and historically, and together tell the story of a time of great change for Midtown Manhattan,” a press release reads.

The new individual landmarks include 15 West 38th Street, known as the Barbey Building. The oldest of the five, the 12-story tower was designed in 1908 by Delano & Aldrich and features a Renaissance Revival style, with a facade of red brick, terra cotta, and gridded windows. From 1985 to 2019, the building served as the corporate headquarters for Lord & Taylor.

The Fashion Tower at 135 West 36th Street is a 20-story tower designed by prolific architect Emery Roth in 1925. The building features a distinctive blend of Medieval, Renaissance Revival, and Art Deco styles, with colorful peacocks at the lobby and freight entrances and winged angels holding cutting shears and brushes.

At 242-246 West 30th Street, the Furcraft Building rises 14 stories. Designed by Henry I. Oser in 1926, the building is on what was known as “Furriers’ Street,” the heart of the city’s thriving fur industry. According to the commission, more than 85 percent of the nation’s furs were produced in New York City from the early 20th century through the 1970s.

The entrance to the limestone building is flanked by two fox sculptures. The facade of a Greek temple sits at the top, which was likely visible from Penn Station during its early years, as 6sqft previously reported.

Also designed by Henry Oser, the 29th Street Towers include two buildings built for fur manufacturing, made evident at the entrance of the building, which features grotesques of beavers. As the LPC noted, the towers’ intact facade and terra cotta decoration represent a “standout example” of manufacturing buildings built to house the fur industry in the Garment District.

The 27-story brick building at 275 Seventh Avenue, known as the Lefcourt Clothing Center, was also landmarked on Tuesday. The Art Deco building, designed by architect Ely Jacques Kahn, has setbacks starting on the 18th floor, textured brickwork, decorative metal window enframents at the second through fourth stories, which originally held showrooms. In the 1930s, one floor of the building was leased by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union to be used as a health care facility for workers.

This week, the full City Council will vote on the Midtown South rezoning, which is expected to be approved. The plan updates zoning rules for 42 blocks of the neighborhood to allow for roughly 9,500 new homes, 2,800 of which would be affordable. As part of the deal reached with City Hall and the Council, $120 million will be set aside to help protect and support the Garment industry.

As 6sqft reported, the city will connect local businesses with new resources via Midtown Made, create a local production fund to encourage designers to work with local manufacturers, and allocate $50 million to help find below-market space for the garment industry.

“Smart planning and preservation go hand-in-hand, and we’re utilizing all the tools at the City’s disposal to help Midtown South adapt and grow while protecting the neighborhood’s vibrant history,” DCP Director Dan Garodnick said.

“These architectural gems won’t just enliven the neighborhood for current and future residents, they also serve as a reminder of the continuous adaptation across historical eras in Midtown Manhattan.”

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