Resources
Designated LGBT Landmarks in NYC
National Register of Historic Places Nominations
All but one report (Rustin) were written by members or consultants of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project team. Years signify when each site was listed on the National Register. Each site is also listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places.
- Stonewall Inn (1999; declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000)
- Bayard Rustin Residence (2016)
- Julius’ (2016)
- Alice Austen House (2017 amendment)
- Caffe Cino (2017)
- Earl Hall (2018)
- James Baldwin Residence (2019)
- Church of the Holy Apostles (2020)
- Lorraine Hansberry Residence (2021)
- Women’s Liberation Center (2021)
- Lillian Wald Residence (2022)
- Greenwich Village Historic District (2024 amendment)
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Designation Reports
The LPC is the city agency responsible for designating and regulating significant historic sites as protected landmarks. Reports included here are for those landmarks that were designated primarily for LGBT significance. Years signify when each site was designated a landmark or historic district.
- South Village Historic District (2013)
- Stonewall Inn (2015)
- Audre Lorde Residence (2019)
- Caffe Cino (2019)
- Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse (2019)
- James Baldwin Residence (2019)
- LGBT Community Center (2019)
- Women’s Liberation Center (2019)
- Lesbian Herstory Archives (2022)
- Julius’ (2022)
LGBT Place-Based History (New York City)
Documents written or co-written by members of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, with the exception of the Stonewall National Monument page.
- Historic Context Statement for LGBT History in New York City
- Marching for Pride: The Basics
- Stonewall: The Basics
- Stonewall: Lo Básico (en español)
- Preservation of LGBTQ Historic & Cultural Sites — A New York City Perspective
- Stonewall National Monument page (National Parks Service)
Our project founders recorded oral histories through the New York Preservation Archive Project about their backgrounds in the historic preservation of LGBT history:
- The Roots of LGBTQ Preservation
- Direct link: Andrew S. Dolkart
- Direct link: Ken Lustbader
- Direct link: Jay Shockley
Maps
Maps co-created by members of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project.
- A Guide to Lesbian & Gay New York Historical Landmarks (Organization of Lesbian and Gay Architects + Designers; 1994)
- LGBT History Tour, Greenwich Village, NYC (National Parks Conservation Association; 2017)
- Tour de Sitios Históricos LGBT, Greenwich Village, Nueva York (en español)
- Downtown Brooklyn Self-Guided Bike Tour (NYC Department of Transportation; 2023)
Awards & Recognition
We are honored to have received the following awards and recognitions.
- Trustees’ Award for Organizational Excellence, National Trust for Historic Preservation (2022)
- Grassroots Preservation Award, Historic Districts Council (2020)
- “Preservation of LGBTQ Historic & Cultural Sites – A New York City Perspective” in Preservation and Place: Historic Preservation by and of LGBTQ Communities in the United States, University of Mary Washington Center for Historic Preservation Book Prize (2020)
- Excellence in Historic Preservation Award (2019), Preservation League of New York State
- “Preservation of LGBTQ Historic & Cultural Sites – A New York City Perspective” in the National Park Service’s LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History, Vernacular Architecture Forum’s Paul E. Buchanan Award for Excellence in Field Work, Interpretation, and Public Service (2018)
- New York State Historic Preservation Award (2018), New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Video
LGBT Place-Based History (Nationwide/International)
- Sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places that interpret LGBT History
- LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History
- Boston: The History Project: Documenting LGBTQ Boston
- Chicago: The Legacy Project
- England: Pride of Place: England’s LGBTQ Heritage
- Kentucky (statewide): Kentucky LGBTQ Historic Context Narrative
- Los Angeles: LGBTQ Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles: SurveyLA: LGBT Historic Context Statement
- Maryland (statewide): Maryland LGBTQ Historic Context Statement
- Saint Louis: Saint Louis LGBT History Project
- San Francisco: Citywide Historic Context Statement for LGBTQ History in San Francisco
- Washington, D.C.: Historic Context Statement for Washington’s LGBTQ Resources
- Virginia (statewide): LGBTQ Heritage in Virginia
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Advocacy
NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Public Testimony
The Project has provided testimony at public hearings in support of the landmark designation of New York City properties for their significance to LGBT history or in response to proposed changes to designated LGBT-associated landmarks.
Testimony in support of proposed landmarks:
- Stonewall (June 23, 2015)
- Audre Lorde Residence (June 4, 2019)
- Caffe Cino (June 4, 2019)
- GAA Firehouse (June 4, 2019)
- James Baldwin Residence (June 4, 2019)
- LGBT Community Center (June 4, 2019)
- Women’s Liberation Center (June 4, 2019)
- Lesbian Herstory Archives (October 25, 2022)
- Julius’ Bar Building (November 15, 2022)
- Modulightor Building (November 28, 2023)
Testimony in response to proposed changes to designated landmarks:
- Prospect Park — Upper Vale, Vale of Cashmere — Scenic Landmark (February 28, 2023)
- 101 East 63rd Street — Upper East Side Historic District (February 28, 2023)
Recommendations
The Project has advocated for the protection of LGBT landmarks through meetings with LPC staff and collaborations with other groups.
- Walt Whitman Residence, support of request for evaluation (November 2017)
- LGBT Historic Sites Recommendations (part 1) for the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (February 2019)
- 80 Fifth Avenue (former National Gay Task Force Headquarters), letter of support (June 2021)
- LGBT Historic Site Recommendations (part 2) for the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (July 2021)
NYC Board of Standards and Appeals
The Project has provided testimony for other place-based causes in New York City associated with LGBT history.
- Housing for Homeless LGBTQ Youth / Ali Forney Center (January 28, 2020)
Outside New York City
In cases where a potential LGBT landmark outside New York City has a connection to the Project’s work, we have provided letters or testimony in support of designation.
- Lyon-Martin House, San Francisco, CA (February 12, 2021)
- Gilbert Baker’s Rainbow Flagpole Installation, San Francisco, CA (December 2, 2021)
- Firebrand Books, Ithaca, NY (July 29, 2022)
- Morris Kight Residence, Los Angeles, CA (June 5, 2022)
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