The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation finds that a 'Gay Pride' slide show from the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission rings a bit hollow when the LPC has not designated a single building in New York based primarily on LGBT history.
Now for the first time, the LPC has also created a “Gay Pride Month” slide show for June's LGBT Pride and History Month. For this, the LPC, and especially the staff who put it together, should be commended. The enlightening and useful presentation covers a broad range of landmarked sites with some connection to LGBT individuals and history. Many are, unsurprisingly, located in the Village, with several others located in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Governor's Island, and Upper Manhattan. You can view the slideshow here.
Ironically, however, what the presentation lacks is a single site actually landmarked by the Commission primarily because of its significance to LGBT history. And in most cases, the LPC's own designation reports, which officially define the building's significance, make no acknowledgement whatsoever of any connection to LGBT history.
In fact, the LPC has a rather poor record when it comes to landmarking sites whose primary significance is LGBT history. In truth, the LPC has never designated a single building in all of New York based primarily upon LGBT history, in spite of several requests to do so and ample opportunities in what is perhaps the premiere city in the world for modern LGBT history sites.
Read more at the GVSHP about the many sites ignored by the LPC.
