Last night Community Board 4 recommended that the Landmarks Preservaton Commission designate 127 Seventh Avenue as a landmark. The four-story red-brick building, which has a poorly known historical record, was thought to be a stable at one time for Macy’s, when the store located on 14th Avenue in the latter part of the 19th century, and later the mission school of the Presbyterian Church.
Currently vacant, there have been rumors circulating that its demolition is imminent, with a new, large residential building slated to go up in its stead (naturally). In recommending that the building be granted landmark status, the board said the 1846 building has “exceptional architectural and historic significance,” such as its facade that’s divided into three “strongly expressed” piers and two recessed three-story bays topped by segmented arches. Back when it served as a stable for Macy’s, stores throughout the Ladies’ Mile district had their own stables to deliver goods throughout the city.
-Matthew Grace