Landmarkin'

On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated three city properties as landmarks. The first, shown here, is the Loew's Paradise Theater interior, at 2405-2419 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx.

The John Eberson-design building was completed in September of 1929; it was one of five so-called "wonder" theaters, which served large population centers outside of Manhattan. It has 4,000 seats and was designed "to evoke the art and architecture of the late Renaissance or early Baroque period," as the L.P.C. puts it. Boston's Caproni and Brother produced many of the sculptures that grace the interior, along with artificial trees, vines and birds.

The theater was converted to a multiplex in 1973, then closed in 1993, before reopening as an entertainment center in October 2005.


The second landmarked property is the Estey Piano Factory, at 112-128 Lincoln Avenue, also in the Bronx.

Built in 1886, it's the oldest-known extant piano factory in the Bronx (which in years past had a large piano industry). Designed by A.B. Ogden and Sons, its facade consists of detailed terra cotta, patterned brick and contrasting stones.


The third, and final, property designated by the L.P.C. is the Theodore F. and Elizabeth J. De Hart House at 134 Main Street, on Staten Island.

Built circa 1850, the building is a throwback to when the village of Tottenville sat on the South Shore of the island. Before they died off--or were over-harvested--oysters played a key role in the economy of the South Shore, and several oyster barons lived in this property, which displays local building traditions with Greek and Gothic Revival elements. -Matthew Grace