Panoramic Views At The El Dorado Sells For $7,500,000

The iconic El Dorado has just sold the full floor 9 room with panoramic views for $7,500,000 as the city begins to reopen. Rachel Altschuler and Nadia Bartolucci of Douglas Elliman were the listing agents.

El Dorado

 Residence 27D is a sprawling full floor co-op was designed and built by renowned architect Emory Roth, who was known for his imaginative blending of Beaux-Arts details into Art Deco design. The immaculate apartment is comprised of 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a massive great room, library, chef’s kitchen, formal dining room, maid’s room and a private elevator landing.  

Perhaps the most impressive feature though, are the astounding twenty-one windows, which illuminate this sun-drenched home, offering breathtaking eastern and southern views of Central Park, as well as panoramic views of The Reservoir, George Washington Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. 

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Compass Hires New Development Specialists Kirk Rundhaug and Paige Neuhauser

Kirk Rundhaug, Paige Neuhauser

New York, NY - Compass today announces the hiring of Kirk Rundhaug, Paige Neuhauser, and their five-person team. Previously at Douglas Elliman, they are known for their master negotiation skills and for selling properties others could not. Last year they sold $150 million in real estate and close to $2.5 billion during their career span including $450 million in the West Village building at 160 Leroy and over $850 million at the park-facing 10 Madison Square West in Flatiron. 

"Kirk and Paige are tremendous advisers to their clients,” said Rory Golod, President, NY Region. “We are confident they will leverage the Compass platform to do more for their clients than ever before.”

The team has a wide net client base ranging from investors to high-profile creatives and have worked with Broadway director Rob Roth, interior designers, Alexander Doherty, Charles Krewson, and scions of the art world, Alexander Acquavella and Alberto Mugrabi. Long term relationships with high-powered developers include hotelier extraordinaire, Ian Schrager, Witkoff, Atlas Capital Group, Edward J. Minskoff, HFZ, and most recently, Charles Dunne. They have a footprint on every edge of Manhattan from downtown to the Upper West Side and Upper East Side to Tudor City. 

"Invited to be a part of Compass because of our reputation and personality is rather gratifying," said Paige Neuhauser. "We're very excited to take our 'one-stop-shop' to the next level."

Kirk and Paige join Compass at a time when the company is accelerating the release of technology tools to optimize marketing and client relationship management. 

"Compass represents cutting-edge technology and has smart and intuitive staff who prioritize agent success," said Kirk Rundhaug. "Lots of people we admire and respect have already joined Compass. They are all successful, happy, and good people."

The Rundhaug Neuhauser Team will work out of Compass' 110 Fifth Avenue office. 

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The Real Estate Community Talks COVID-19

Jessica N. Todmann

Pamela Roman

The city as we knew it completely shut down on Sunday, March 22nd. In response to the rising concerns over COVID-19, Governor Cuomo announced to the public his "New York State on PAUSE" executive order. Statewide, all non-essential businesses closed their doors and gatherings of any size, regardless of the reason, were prohibited. The flags had been raised but there was still no clarity as to how severe the coronavirus outbreak was becoming or continuing to evolve. “I legitimately thought that this thing would blow over and it wouldn’t affect me whatsoever” said Jennifer*, a rental agent based in NYC. Unfortunately, this thing didn’t blow over and with it came a jarring sense of uncertainty. Especially for those working within the real estate industry. 

For Pamela Roman, the New Jersey based Managing Broker at a corporate relocation company, she had an early awareness of the pandemic’s growing magnitude. “Because we deal with global relocation, we were really interested in following the impact it would have because travel was obviously going to be an issue from other countries” she stated. The relocation industry held strong throughout 2019, and for 2020 roughly four out of ten organizations expected an increase in the volume of relocated employees, with the budget to support it. But similar to New York, stay at home orders were issued in the month of March for New Jersey and any new business from their international network became uncertain. “I think the first two weeks in March was when we were realizing that it was going to impact us severely.” 

Brown Harris Stevens’ top producing team of Nada Rizk and Joanne Greene states “COVID has changed the way that buyers shop for an apartment and offered a new perspective on due diligence. Once a welcomed offset to monthly common charges, buyers need to thoroughly examine the status of a building’s retail client and have a clear understanding of if and how a shortfall could be passed on to the shareholders. Renovation policies should also be reviewed, even the smallest project could be pushed out for months and be subject to new fees.”

Philip (Phil) Saint Denis Sanchez

Philip (Phil) Saint Denis Sanchez, a NYC based commercial and residential realtor, was able to “really pinpoint the moment” he realized COVID-19’s severity on both a professional and personal level. He had plans to head to Central America on March 13th, yet spent the week leading up to the trip contemplating whether or not to go. However, once he heard the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic his plans changed. Right after hearing the news, he reached out to an ex who had been living in Tuscany. “This is no joke” he recalls her saying, imploring him to take the unfolding health crisis seriously. He ended up canceling his trip. When it came to real estate, for Phil it was “pretty immediately apparent that this was going to have major ramifications on New York City real estate and global real estate”. 

Deirdre Virvo

Indeed, major ramifications were also obvious for Deirdre Virvo of lower Fairfield county: “I guess this really hit home for me right around March 5th, when we found out the kids were going to be homeschooled.” As a real estate investor, landlord, short sale negotiator and house flipper, having multiple real estate businesses came with a varying set of challenges. “We were all at a standstill because we didn’t know if this was going to cause a crash or a crisis and if we were going to see prices go down or not” she mentioned. As a flipper, she didn’t want to buy a house that might end up going down in value while she was working on it. 

Once April came around, Jennifer* was now facing a series of hard truths, “this is not going to blow over, I’m not going to be making money for a while, my main source of income (which comes from the rental market) is going to diminish and I need a backup plan for the next six months to a year”. Aside from rentals, she also had three pending residential sales transactions. They all fell through in March due to fears surrounding the coronavirus. About a month into the stay at home orders being in effect for Connecticut, Deirdre resumed her search for properties to invest in. However, while the normal response rate to her marketing strategies were 1.5%, this time around it was zero. Phil could see that the world would never be as safe as it once was, “I’m not going to be able to run around in the city showing apartments.” The livelihood of these real estate professionals had entered a near state of suspension, with no clear sight into how things would recover. 

While a core of the business within Pamela’s brokerage firm was from abroad, she and her team had to switch gears and turn their efforts towards domestic clients. “I feel bad, a lot of our agents relied on that income, that’s been their niche and they needed to adjust their style of business” she stated, “they have to become more traditional real estate agents now.” Although she understood the fear of the pandemic from a personal perspective, she was intent on remaining positive for the greater good and giving her agents the tools they needed to succeed in a newer environment. Her brokerage recently joined Zillow Premier Agent, and the program allows the organization to advertise their services on Zillow’s website. As of June 15th, New Jersey entered phase 2 of reopenings which now allows for open houses with a maximum of 10 people at a time; face masks and keeping six feet apart are still required. “Never in the history of anything has there been one thing that's affected your health, financial security and being able to see your loved ones all at once” said Pamela. How strikingly true.

Phil already had his ear to the pavement and an inkling that New York City real estate was poised for a change. “Multifamily was already tough for investment because of the 2019 laws” he stated, “and I felt as though this was going to make it even moreso.” A recent survey from PropertyShark showed that 12% of respondents felt multifamilies would be the most affected sector of commercial real estate and despite the jump in first quarter earnings as compared to 2019, the impact of COVID-19 may show more apparent as we cycle through the months. He also sees transformation on the horizon for retail property, one which makes sense, as people continue working from home and social distancing. Phil thinks a vacancy tax may end up being passed, a move that he states is “long overdue”. “In the past landlords have just sat on retail spaces forever,” he states, “my hope is that we use this as an opportunity to restructure a little bit….there needs to be some kind of equalizing mechanism that allows people to negotiate rents that are sustainable.”

Another business venture Deidre had underway was the opening of a residential assisted living facility. “That has been a big wrench, a major expense…I had put so much money into this but have nobody living there.” Although furniture for the property has been on backorder for months, she still anticipates the location opening on July 1st. With her rental tenants, Deidre had been very proactive in working with those that couldn’t pay due to COVID-19 related obstacles. She even went so far as to offer one tenant a job on her construction team and accepted deferred rental payments from another who was unable to reenter the US due to travel restrictions. When New York shut down, a flood of construction workers seeped into Connecticut looking for employment, where construction related work was still deemed essential. Although she was able to continue working on projects, it came at an unknown price that left her with guilt. “I hired a crew to come over from Westchester so that they could work,” she stated, “cause they couldn’t work in New York”. Unfortunately, throughout March and April she found that a number of her workers were falling ill with COVID-19.

“At the end of the day, you need to do what’s in the best interest of your clients” Jennifer* said. “I had to put on gloves, take videos (of the property) for them, I had to open doors then walk away and let them go into the building so there was no contact.” 

It’s clear that this group won’t be deterred by this pandemic and are opting to work through it, no matter how difficult it may be. They’re adapting to change and, after all, that’s what you need to do to survive- especially from a business standpoint. These real estate professionals are ready to rethink and revamp their approaches to the industry. “I’m positive about the future, but it’s going to a long haul” Pamela mentioned, “this will separate the men from the boys, so to speak.”

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How NYC Developers Are Giving Back

While the city is dealing with COVID-19 we are seeing a number of developers across NYC giving back to their local neighborhoods and assisting in the relief effort throughout the City, helping out healthcare workers, local residents and businesses and their own employees who continue to work.

Some, like CIM Group, have donated hundreds of N95 masks from their closed construction site to hospitals, others like F&T Group and Rockefeller Group are supporting local restaurants and donating meals to nearby residents, and still others like the LeFrak Organization have taken a unique position and contributed thousands of dollars to a fund created in appreciation for their building staff who continue to work and keep their residents safe during this time.

F&T Group courtesy of AiA

LeFrak Organization

The LeFrak, Fisher and Olnick families, who make up the ownership of Gateway, are matching contributions to a Go Fund Me page organized in appreciation for building staff at Gateway, the Battery Park City residential complex. Created by residents of the development, the Go Fund Me will provide e-gift cards to express thanks and support for Gateway staff who continue to work during the pandemic. Residents have currently raised over $15,000 for the fund to support Gateway staff—including doormen, security personnel, maintenance workers and porters—and Gateway Residential Management will match donations dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.

The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria

Since opening its doors in 1931 in the midst of the Great Depression, Waldorf Astoria New York has stood the test of time as a coveted New York institution. Some of New York’s most famous recipes were also created, or rumored to have been created, at the Waldorf, including the namesake Waldorf Salad, Red Velvet Cake, Eggs Benedict and Thousand Island Dressing.

Waldorf Astoria New York touched on that food history to create an Instagram campaign to support God’s Love We Deliver, partnering with social media food influencers to create a traditional take on three of the Waldorf Astoria’s most famous dishes - the Waldorf salad, a Rob Roy cocktail, (a direct descendant of the famous Manhattan cocktail,) and the red velvet cake. Check out the campaign on Instagram. Waldorf Astoria New York has pledged $25,000 toward matching donations to God’s Love We Deliver—Please use this link for your donation to count twice.

River Park Brooklyn

River Park Brooklyn partnered with Operation Feed Brooklyn, an organization providing regular meal deliveries from local restaurants to those who need it. With hospital cafeterias closed, healthcare workers are struggling to find resources to feed themselves while working hard all day. At the same time, restaurants are also struggling: to stay in business and to support relieved or furloughed staff.

River Park's first meal donation was prepared by Mile End Deli and delivered to the Maimonides Medical Center. Their second meal donation came from Cobble Hill's Henry Public Saloon to the NYU/Bellevue Juvenile Justice Mental Health Team at Crossroads Juvenile Center. 

75 Kenmare

Proudly perched at the intersections of four distinct cultural epicenters - SoHo, NoHo, the Lower East Side, and Little Italy - 75 Kenmare has always admired the spirit of their beloved neighborhood NoLita. Uniquely charismatic, artistically charged, and an enigmatic destination they're lucky to call home. 

To support their neighbors during these difficult times, every two weeks, the team at 75 Kenmare will be partnering with different local eateries and donate those meals to the heroic doctors and nurses helping fight COVID-19 throughout the different downtown hospital. For the first dropoff, 75 Kenmare partnered with Slice Out Hunger to donate pizzas from their local favorite Lombardi's to the incredible team at NYU Langone.

F&T Group

F&T Group — the prestigious Flushing developer behind game-changing mixed-use projects One Fulton Square, Queens Crossing and Tangram that have redefined the neighborhood — has teamed up with Asians in America (AiA), a charitable organization dedicated to increasing social services and community activism among Asian Americans founded by Democratic Assembly candidate Steven Lee, to purchase and deliver over 1,200 meals from Flushing’s most beloved restaurants to those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. F&T Group is proud to have found an opportunity to support their restaurant tenants while also giving back to their community. The real estate firm paid for the first 1,200 meals all prepared and delivered from the restaurants at the company’s mixed-use properties One Fulton Square and Queens Crossing, including eats from TKK Fried Chicken, Spot Dessert Bar, Nanxiang Xiao Long Bao, Guan Fu Sichuan, Hope to See You, PappaRich Flushing, and Szechuan Mountain House. The food was sent to workers at the 109th Precinct, Flushing Hospital Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Queens and the local fire departments. F&T is working with AiA in an effort to continue delivering meals to first responders and expanding their outreach to serve individuals and families who cannot afford or are unable to access fresh food at this time.

CIM Group

New Line Structures and CIM Group donated 350 N95 masks from their Front & York development in DUMBO to Mount Sinai West hospital to assist in the relief effort and provide health care workers with personal protective equipment. CIM Group is exploring additional initiatives to support residents and businesses in DUMBO and New York City.

Rockefeller Group

NoMad’s new Rose Hill tower was quickly up and running with virtual tours and demonstrations and has been conducting regular “virtual open houses” for large groups of real estate brokers. Rose Hill’s developer — the historic Rockefeller Group of Rockefeller Center fame — is using the funds that would typically be allocated for “regular" open houses and is supporting first responders and neighborhood retailers. For example, most recently Rose Hill partnered with NoMad's Bourke Street Bakery, and instead of feeding 60 hungry real estate brokers at an open house, Rockefeller took the event budget and had the shop bake and deliver 60 care treat packages to the heroes at nearby Bellevue Hospital. Rockefeller Group and Rose Hill will continue to help other neighborhood businesses and first responders at least twice a week.

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Compass: Continues Accelerated Agent Growth, Hires Christopher Covert

Compass,has announcedthat Christopher Covert has joined the firm. Covert is known for his aptitude in interpreting market data, providing his clients with sound counsel to secure the best deals - from modern and historic homes to waterfront properties. 

Christopher Covert

"Chris is a forward-thinking entrepreneur who we are so excited to have in the Compass family," said Rory Golod, President, New York Region. "We believe he will continue to do amazing things here with access to our technology platform and suite of services."

Covert joins Compass on the heels of the best month for organic agent growth in the company's history. Other recent big hires in the New York region include Mark Leventhal, Maria Lanzisero, Donna Spinoso-Gelb, Shelley Scotto, Angela Dooley, and Nick Colombos.

All agents joining Compass at this time are welcomed with a seamless and personalized virtual onboarding experience that comprises the use of innovative tools such as the Enboarder platform. 

In recent weeks, Compass has launched new digital tools to enhance the way agents operate including an exclusive marketing suite, Virtual Agent Services. It includes enhanced 3-D staging, virtual open houses, and live postcards - each enables agents to optimize how they engage with their target audiences in highly customizable ways. 

"The real estate business has been changing, and the COVID-19 outbreak has only accelerated the transformation in how we live and conduct business," said Covert. "I feel that Compass is distinctively positioned to pivot into the future of the industry, and the future is now."

Prior to Compass, Covert was a top-performing agent at Saunders & Associates, and before he entered real estate, he had a 20-year career as a Creative Executive in Film, Television, and Music. 

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Lisa K. Lippman named 2019 Brown Harris Stevens Number One Broker

At Brown Harris Stevens’ annual awards and sales meeting on Thursday, February 27, 2020, Lisa K. Lippman was named the firm’s Number One Broker of the Year, an honor she received for the fourth consecutive year. 

In addition, Lisa was recognized for having sold the most Co-ops and Condos by a Manhattan Agent (57 deals), and was named the West Side Broker of the Year, and the West Side Listing Broker of the Year. She was also added to the firm’s 2019 Million Dollar Club.

Lisa is a 23 year real estate veteran, having successfully closed over $1 billion in sales over the last four years alone. She specializes in helping a discerning clientele buy and sell high-end cooperatives, condominiums, and townhomes throughout Manhattan. 

Consistently recognized among Manhattan’s top 5 individual brokers and the country’s top 20 brokers in terms of transaction volume, Lisa is currently representing some of the city’s most iconic properties including multiple apartments in the famed Apthorp, a large terraced apartment at 15 West 63rd Street, for $28,900,000, 25 Columbus Circle, 54Dfor $8,800,000, and 1185 Park Avenue, 9D for $7,000,000. 

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One Essex Crossing reveals teaser website & first official rendering

 One Essex Crossing, the second condominium building and seventh overall building at the Essex Crossing neighborhood on the Lower East Side. As you know, the lower levels of the building are dedicated to retail and include a section of The Market Line bazaar. 

Credit: VMI Studio

Located on 202 Broome St. One Essex Crossing has 83 units: 2% studios, 43% one-bedrooms, 35% two-bedrooms, 6% 3-bedrooms, and 6% penthouses. Approximately 30% of the units offer private outdoor space.

Designed by CetraRuddy Architecture, One Essex Crossing's private amenities include a substantial outdoor offering, a fitness center, a playroom, and a glass-enclosed residents’ lounge

Sales anticipated to begin in spring 2020 and occupancy in early 2021

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Douglas Elliman Launches Elliman Studio

Douglas Elliman Real Estate, announced today the launch of its all-new digital business management platform for agents, Elliman Studio.

“Elliman Studio is going to revolutionize the way Elliman agents across the country do business,” said Scott Durkin, president and Chief Operating Officer of Douglas Elliman.  “Technology progresses quickly in our industry, and we are enormously proud to be at the forefront of new advances that improve our agents’ ability to serve their customers and clients efficiently and effectively.”

Featuring a full-service toolkit of client relationship management, marketing and business management tools, Elliman Studio was built as a highly intuitive platform designed to put agents in the driver’s seat of their business. Elliman Studio will maximize output and nurture client and customer relationships, enabling agents to close more sales and stay steps ahead of the rapidly moving real estate market.

Related: Broker Marcos G. Cohen Launches New Digital Film

“After extensive research and design, we are thrilled to deliver an agent-facing, feature-rich business management platform that will enhance the productivity and profitability of our agents,” added Durkin. “Elliman Studio is user-friendly and intuitive and we look forward to delivering it to our agents in the next few weeks.”

Related: Douglas Elliman Expands to Texas

 Some of the key features will include

1.   Client Relationship Management Tools:

• Automatic cross-check of buyer and seller profiles, to match people and properties in seconds.

• Manage leads in one place:

  • Consolidate leads from multiple sources—Elliman.Com, Zillow, Realtor.Com, StreetEasy, etc.— and automatically convert them into contacts.

• Track, tag and sort follow-up with contacts:

  • Monitor agent contacts’ status and be alerted when to follow-up.

  • Auto-populate contact profiles from saved inquiries, searches and listings.

2. Marketing Tools:

• Build beautiful property websites in just a few clicks with dedicated domains that will be live on Elliman.com and ready for direct marketing eforts.

• Cross market listings with agents nationwide.

• Auto-send marketing materials:

  • Broadcast updates in pre-determined intervals, so agents may always keep the agent-client conversation going.

      3. Business Management Tools:

• Monitor closings and earnings 24/7 via sales pipeline:

  • Identify opportunities that help agents reach commission and sales goals — and track progress throughout the year.

• Sync calendars across Google, Outlook, etc.—never miss a date or deadline.

• Safeguard data via a secure and ownable platform.

The mobile-friendly platform will go live for most Douglas Elliman agents nationwide on November 18th. It will be fully accessible for download in Elliman’s agent app store on Douglas, the firm’s intranet that launched last year.

Related: Douglas Elliman Honors Top Agents in New York City at The Ellies

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One West End Hosts Real Estate Icons to Discuss What It Takes To Sell In A Challenging Market

Last week Elad Group hosted real estate icons from Douglas Elliman – Susan De Franca, John Gomes, Noble Black, Ariel Cohen, Glenn Davis, Eleonora Srugo, Andrew Wachtfogel, and Julia Spillman for a round table panel discussion in One West End’s duplex unit, 29B, with more than 120 of the city’s top brokers and marketing professionals in attendance.

The discussion focused on what it takes to sell in a challenging market – covering topics such as the success of sales closer to completion, the need to understand the value of a property, and the importance of understanding your buyer and what they are looking for.

During the talk, De Franca noted that 20 years ago it was all about selling a dream and because there wasn’t much inventory, selling the dream was a relatively easy task; however, in today’s market even though you can still sell a dream, the reality is that buyers cannot deny a finished product.

Gomes commented the importance of understanding the different segments within the market – for example many buyers under the $4M mark are investors and are not the end-user therefore, don’t have a strong personal connection to the product and might feel more comfortable purchasing farther out from completion, whereas the more one spends, the greater the personal connection, the more risk they are enduring and therefore want to see more done in terms of completion.

Black discussed that the sales process is all about pricing and the product and emphasized that if one is trying to sell a product through renderings, the dream has to live up to the end product.

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RE/MAX Launches First and Only Manhattan Office

RE/MAX’s latest expansion into the Manhattan market makes their brand-new office the first-of-its kind and only one in the borough. Headed by Broker/Owner Shoka Mamedov, the Manhattan office marks an exciting milestone for the international company traditionally known for its strong ties within the suburban market.

The office was launched earlier this month by real estate professional Shovkat Mamedov who, along with her rapidly growing team, will bring RE/MAX’s world-class services and brand name, known around the globe, to this competitive, new market.

“Our Manhattan office is in an ideal location to bring the RE/MAX brand to this thriving commercial and luxury residential market,” said Mamedov.  “The advanced technology and the international network that RE/MAX offers will allow us to make an immediate impact. We have already received a tremendous response from brokers, agents and clients, especially those looking to invest in Manhattan’s active hospitality market.”

With extensive experience in the New York real estate market, Shoka has sold hundreds of residential and commercial properties in all the boroughs of New York City. She and her team are leveraging both RE/MAX’s Commercial and Classic Collection brands to attract local customers and those from abroad. She has also partnered up with Carlo Seneca, Owner of C & A Seneca Construction who is one of the most sought after Hospitality Builders in NYC who along with Shoka made a turnkey office with Real Estate, Development, Construction, Architectural and Design services. And they together will spearhead a huge Hospitality division for RE/MAX in Manhattan.

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Broker Marcos G. Cohen Launches New Digital Film

Marcos G. Cohen

Douglas Elliman Real Estate, announces that top broker Marcos G. Cohen has launched a digital marketing film, showcasing his knowledge and expertise about the landscape of New York City, be it the city’s architecture, treasured locations and especially, its residential real estate. Cohen, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, moved to New York City at the age of 22, and began his career at Elliman in 1994. He has been a consistent top-producer ever since he joined the company three decades ago, servicing local, domestic and international clients.

In 2019, Cohen was the tenth highest ranking individual at Douglas Elliman. He was the top ranked individual agent in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and second ranked in 2015 among 7,000 real estate professionals company-wide.

“No two customers are the same, and I use my skills and personality to provide exemplary service to my clients from day one until closing,” said Cohen. “Throughout my career, I’ve had the ability to help many people realize their dreams here in New York City. In exchange, my own dreams are realized, which is priceless to me.” 

“Marcos’ unparalleled dedication to his clients has been demonstrated over his accomplished and longstanding career at Douglas Elliman,” said Howard M. Lorber, Executive Chairman, Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC. “His enthusiasm for New York City, as demonstrated in this digital film, is no different than the passion he shows on a daily basis when working with clients and colleagues.”

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James Baldwin's Home Among NYC Buildings To Get Landmark Status For Significance in LGBTQ History

New York real estate is famously expensive and hard to come by. In the fast-paced and ever-changing city, buildings are quickly sold and bought, torn down, or renovated into modern oases of luxury. While homes that are rehabbed typically sell twice as quickly as those that are not, some efforts in New York City are aiming to keep certain buildings off of the market and in their original state.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission of NYC formed over 50 years ago with the purpose of granting landmark status to certain buildings and neighborhoods based on their architectural significance.

The commission started these efforts after the demolition of the old Pennsylvania Station was met with outrage. The building wasn't any average train station with subway tiles that originated in the NYC subway stations of the early 1900s, but an amazing piece of architecture. Novelist Thomas Wolfe even described the old Pennsylvania Station as "vast enough to hold the sound of time."

Now, the commission is expanding its protections to buildings with cultural significance as well. With the World Pride celebration coming to New York City for the first time this year, it's no coincidence that the next buildings under consideration for landmark protection had critical roles in the gay rights movement.

Six buildings are now under consideration for landmark protection status because of their significance to LGBTQ history and culture. While five of these six buildings are in neighborhoods that are already designated historic districts, the new status would give the buildings an additional layer of protection if future owners ever tried to make exterior changes.

The new status would also be a recognition of the individual buildings' histories and their importance in LGBTQ rights. One of the buildings under consideration is 137 West 71st Street. This structure in the Upper West Side is where writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin kept an apartment for himself and his family.

The building was last altered in 1961 and, according to comments from the current owner Romeo Salta, it would fall within the 85% of homes in the country built prior to 1980 that are currently in need of home improvement. Salta said that he was considering fixing up the building's facade within the next few years as it is starting to look run down, making him a bit ambivalent about the building's impending landmark status. As Baldwin met with other literary and cultural figures and worked on many plays, screenplays, and novels in that apartment, the building certainly qualifies for cultural significance.

Another of the six buildings is in Greenwich Village on Cornelia Street. The ground floor of the building was once a restaurant called Caffe Cino from 1958 to 1968. Although 34% of Americans visit casual dining restaurants once a week, this space became much more than just a cafe for the city's gay artists in the middle of the 20th century.

At the time, the portrayal of homosexuality in theatrical productions was illegal. Local theater artists instead gathered at Caffe Cino to share their work with one another. This simultaneously made Caffe Cino the city's first gay theater and the birthplace of Off Off Broadway.

The other buildings under consideration include Audre Lorde's home in Staten Island and various centers in Manhattan for members of the LGBTQ community. The Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse is considered New York City's first gay community center and the Women's Liberation Center was a crucial home for lesbian organizations that wanted to break away from both male-dominated groups and feminist groups that wouldn't accept them.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center is the sixth building under consideration. This center has been crucial to the LGBTQ community as a home for groups such as the Partnership for the Homeless and S.A.G.E and in its role as an HIV clinic. In today's times about 85% of urgent care centers are open seven days a week. However, the medical field was not quite so accessible or kind to members of the LGTBQ community in the 1980s, making this space an essential structure in the community's history.

Sarah Carroll, Chair of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, has said that there will be a public hearing to discuss these sites on June 4. The commission is expecting to make a final vote on the six buildings just before the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and the city's Pride celebrations that take place at the end of June.