By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — In a victory for preservationists, plans to create a historic district that could protect up to 790 buildings along West End Avenue moved ahead this week.
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission agreed to study the area where the district would be located, an important first step toward creating the district.
The historic district could span from West 109th Street to West 70th and include side streets between West End and Riverside Drive. The area includes many 19th-century architectural gems adorned with decorative cornices and grilles.
Creating the district would make it more difficult to change the outside of the neighborhood's elegant residential buildings.
Some worry that historic districts create a "mausoleum effect" that stalls progress in a city that thrives on constant change.
But Josette Amato, spokeswoman for the West End Preservation Society — the group that's led the charge to create the historic district — said historic districts have been shown to boost property values and enhance a neighborhood's desirability.
"Everybody benefits," Amato said. "The neighborhood looks better, the property values go up. Change and alterations and building still goes on in historic districts. It's not an end to anything, but it does add an extra step to the process."
In a historic district, some alterations to buildings' exteriors require special permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Amato said.
The next step in creating the district is to research the buildings that could be included. They Landmarks Preservation Commission will study each building's history, who built it, what materials were used and other details.
The commission will also look at whether the area has a unique sense of place, Amato said.
Biulir Felix, a porter at 490 West End Avenue at West 83rd Street, said he likes the idea of creating a historic district.
Felix said people often stop in front of 490 West End Avenue's iron and frosted glass canopy to take pictures. The building's entry is flanked by two Doric columns. The building was built in 1913, city records show.
"They see this and they're kind of amazed at how the place looks," Felix said. "I love the old style. The modern buildings downtown, they have no life, they're generic."
A map and report about the proposed West End Avenue historic district is on the Landmarks Preservation Commission website.
