Save New York City’s Tin Pan Alley!

To:  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

From Irving Berlin to Scott Joplin, Fats Waller to Cole Porter, the composers and lyricists of Tin Pan Alley wrote the songs that defined American popular culture from the late-1880s to the mid-1950s. Beginning as early as 1885, music publishers flocked to this singular block, on West 28th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues in Manhattan, to set up shop.

A number of the structures that housed these creative agencies still remain: the row houses at 47, 49,51, 53 & 55 West 28th Street. Yet despite their undeniable significance, these five properties sit unprotected and vulnerable to development and real estate pressures.

Now Loopnet lists the properties as up for sale – for a whopping $44,000,000.00.
The broker’s pitch? “5 contiguous mixed-use [properties] to be demo’ed, yielding over 111,000 square feet of Prime Chelsea property.”

This is no way to treat American cultural history. The preservation of these five row houses is long overdue and now it’s time for the Landmarks Commission to preserve these important structures for generations to come.

The undersigned urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark 47, 49, 51, 53 & 55 West 28th Street NOW to honor the importance of Tin Pan Alley to the musical and popular culture of the 20th century.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Save New York City’s Tin Pan Alley! Petition to New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was created by and written by Historic Districts Council (hdc@hdc.org).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.