All topics / Promoting Viable Communities and Neighborhoods
Landmarks Preservation Commission
The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was created in 1965 through legislation signed by Mayor Robert F. Wagner, prompted by public outcry over the 1963 demolition of Pennsylvania Station and other losses of historically significant buildings.
What's working
- What percent of archaeology applications reviewed within 10 business days?: 98% — staying comfortably ahead of target, thanks to a dedicated archaeology team and streamlined review guidelines
- How many enforcement actions taken: Total Warning Letters, Summonses, and Stop Work Orders were issued?: 416 summonses
What's getting worse
- How many individual, interior, and scenic landmarks, and historic districts were designated?: 7 districts — decreasing, though this reflects case-completion timing, not less program activity
- What is the total buildings designated?: 433 buildings — decreasing, but this swings hugely — a single historic district can add hundreds of buildings
- How many work permit applications were received?: 8,685 permit
- and 1 more below
Critical indicators
With a numeric target
What percent of archaeology applications reviewed within 10 business days?
98% — staying comfortably ahead of target, thanks to a dedicated archaeology team and streamlined review guidelinesBeats target by 13%
What percent of archaeology applications reviewed within 10 business days?
98% — staying comfortably ahead of target, thanks to a dedicated archaeology team and streamlined review guidelinesBeats target by 13%
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 98% | 85% |
| FY23 | 97% | 85% |
| FY24 | 97% | 85% |
| FY25 | 97% | 85% |
| FY26 (YTD) | 98% | 85% |
LPC has kept this review comfortably ahead of its 85% target every year, consistently in the high 90s. The agency credits its dedicated four-person Archaeology Department along with revised archaeology review guidelines it issued to make the process more efficient, transparent, and consistent for applicants.
Researched July 19, 2026 — LPC, "LPC Releases New Guidelines For Archaeological Work In NYC", LPC, Archaeology Department
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia
Without a numeric target
How many individual, interior, and scenic landmarks, and historic districts were designated?
7 districts — decreasing, though this reflects case-completion timing, not less program activity
How many individual, interior, and scenic landmarks, and historic districts were designated?
7 districts — decreasing, though this reflects case-completion timing, not less program activity
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 3 districts | 20 districts |
| FY23 | 12 districts | Not available |
| FY24 | 11 districts | Not available |
| FY25 | 4 districts | Not available |
| FY26 (YTD) | 7 districts | Not available |
| FY26 (projected) | ~9 districts |
LPC's own reporting describes landmark designations as "the outcome of an organic process with many steps," so the count completed in a given fiscal year is a snapshot shaped by how many multi-year cases happen to finish that year rather than a measure of program activity. The FY25 dip to four coincided with LPC advancing several cases -- including two proposed historic districts in Flatbush, Brooklyn and five individual landmarks in Midtown South -- that were designated only after the fiscal year closed.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia
What is the total buildings designated?
433 buildings — decreasing, but this swings hugely — a single historic district can add hundreds of buildings
What is the total buildings designated?
433 buildings — decreasing, but this swings hugely — a single historic district can add hundreds of buildings
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 147 buildings |
| FY23 | 81 buildings |
| FY24 | 164 buildings |
| FY25 | 4 buildings |
| FY26 (YTD) | 433 buildings |
| FY26 (projected) | ~577 buildings |
This indicator swings enormously because a single historic-district designation can add hundreds of buildings at once, while a year with only individual landmarks adds just a handful. FY25's total of 4 reflects a year with no historic districts designated, while the jump in FY26 lines up with LPC's designation, in November 2025, of the Beverley Square West and Ditmas Park West Historic Districts in Flatbush, Brooklyn -- which alone added 118 and 127 houses respectively -- on top of individual landmark designations elsewhere in the city.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, Brownstoner, "Flatbush Gets Two New Historic Districts Following LPC Vote"
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia
How many work permit applications were received?
8,685 permit
How many work permit applications were received?
8,685 permit
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 12,378 permit |
| FY23 | 12,211 permit |
| FY24 | 11,436 permit |
| FY25 | 11,748 permit |
| FY26 (YTD) | 8,685 permit |
| FY26 (projected) | ~11,580 permit |
8,685 permit in FY26 — has no numeric target set by the City, and it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia
How many actions taken on work permit applications are there?
8,668 permit
How many actions taken on work permit applications are there?
8,668 permit
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 11,423 permit |
| FY23 | 11,489 permit |
| FY24 | 11,120 permit |
| FY25 | 11,324 permit |
| FY26 (YTD) | 8,668 permit |
| FY26 (projected) | ~11,557 permit |
8,668 permit in FY26 — has no numeric target set by the City, and it has trended in the wrong direction over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia
How many enforcement actions taken: Total Warning Letters, Summonses, and Stop Work Orders were issued?
416 summonses
How many enforcement actions taken: Total Warning Letters, Summonses, and Stop Work Orders were issued?
416 summonses
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 387 summonses |
| FY23 | 427 summonses |
| FY24 | 468 summonses |
| FY25 | 468 summonses |
| FY26 (YTD) | 416 summonses |
| FY26 (projected) | ~555 summonses |
416 summonses in FY26 — has no numeric target set by the City, and it has trended toward improvement over the past 3 years of reported data.
Why this is tracked
The original Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts landmark completed in 1910, was demolished starting in 1963 to make way for a new Madison Square Garden, and at the time there was no city agency with legal authority to prevent the loss of a building simply because of its historic or architectural value. The public outcry over its destruction directly led Mayor Robert Wagner to sign the Landmarks Law on April 15, 1965, creating the Landmarks Preservation Commission as the first city body empowered to formally designate and protect historic buildings, and helped spur similar preservation laws nationwide.
Penn Station and the Rise of Historic Preservation — MCNY Blog, Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) — Wikipedia