Louis J. Lefkowitz Building
Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | |
---|---|
![]() Facade of the Louis J. Lefkowitz Building, originally known as the New York State Office Building, in Lower Manhattan. | |
![]() | |
General information | |
Type | Government |
Architectural style | Art Deco |
Location | Manhattan |
Address | 80 Centre Street |
Coordinates | 40°42′55″N 74°00′05″W / 40.7152°N 74.0013°WCoordinates: 40°42′55″N 74°00′05″W / 40.7152°N 74.0013°W |
Current tenants | Manhattan Marriage Bureau, New York Supreme Court |
Construction started | 1928 |
Completed | 1930 |
Cost | $6 Million |
Owner | Government of New York City |
Landlord | New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services |
Design and construction | |
Architect | William Haugaard |
Website | |
Official website ![]() |
The Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building is a building in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City.[1] Designed by William Haugaard, State Architect for the State of New York, the Lefkowitz Building is home, among other things, to the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.[1]
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/New_York_City_Marriage_Bureau_at_the_Louis_J._Lefkowitz_State_Office_Building_%2848129108877%29.jpg/220px-New_York_City_Marriage_Bureau_at_the_Louis_J._Lefkowitz_State_Office_Building_%2848129108877%29.jpg)
Governor Al Smith laid the building’s cornerstone on December 18, 1928.[2] At the ceremony, Smith declared that he “pray[ed to] God it may stand here through the ages as a testimonial to the people of this great commonwealth.”[2]
The building opened in October 1930, and was originally home to the New York State Departments of Taxation, Finance, and Motor Vehicles.[3] Originally known as the New York State Office Building, the State renamed it in honor of Louis J. Lefkowitz, then the longest-serving Attorney General of New York, in 1984. [1]
In 2002, the State transferred the building to the City of New York, which began using it for marriages in 2009.[1] The City moved the Manhattan Marriage Bureau to the Lefkowitz Building's ornate first floor lobby in order to better compete with wedding destinations such as Las Vegas.[4] These matrimonial duties later rendered the Lefkowitz a monument to LGBTQ New Yorkers, as 293 couples wed there on the day same-sex marriage became legal in 2011.[5][6]
Plans[]
In August 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Correction announced a plan to renovate or demolish the Lefkowitz Building in order to build an expanded jail as part of its plan to close Rikers Island.[7]
Historic preservation groups, including the Historic Districts Council and New York Landmarks Conservancy, oppose the plan.[8][9] “Though marriage is supposed to be forever, Mayor de Blasio wants to give this temple of love an ugly divorce,” wrote preservationist Adrian Untermyer in Gotham Gazette.[10]
In 2018, the Historic Districts Council formally requested that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission evaluate the Lefkowitz Building for designation as a New York City landmark.[11][4]
References[]
- ^ a b c d "DCAS - About DCAS - Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building". www.nyc.gov.
- ^ a b "SMITH LAYS STONE FOR STATE BUILDING; LAYING CORNERSTONE FOR NEW STATE BUILDING".
- ^ "NEW STATE BUILDING OPENS HERE MONDAY; Taxation and Finance Offices to Start Moving Into Civic Centre Structure Today. RENTS NEARLY ELIMINATED $6,500,000 Cost Is Below Estimate --Quarters of Motor Vehicle Bureau Resemble Bank".
- ^ a b Barron, James (2018-10-14). "Would You Want the Place Where You Were Married to Become a Jail?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
- ^ Barbaro, Michael. "After Long Wait, Same-Sex Couples Marry in New York". The New York Times.
- ^ Untermyer, Adrian. "Show the Lefkowitz Some Love".
- ^ "Project Information". a002-ceqraccess.nyc.gov.
- ^ "Landmark the Lefkowitz: RFE for 80 Centre Street". 21 September 2018.
- ^ http://www.nylandmarks.org/advocacy/preservation_issues/new_york_city_alert_-_save_the_lefkowitz_building/
- ^ Untermyer, Adrian. "Show the Lefkowitz Some Love".
- ^ "Landmark the Lefkowitz: RFE for 80 Centre Street". 21 September 2018.
- Buildings and structures in Manhattan
- Civic Center, Manhattan
- 1930 establishments in New York City
- Government buildings completed in 1930