By Nicole Breskin and Serena Solomon
DNAinfo Reporters/Producers
CITY HALL — A Times Square building that became a fixture in the American pop-music industry earned landmark status on Tuesday to the delight of music lovers and architecture fans alike.
The Brill Building at 1619 Broadway — where greats like Duke Ellington, Carole King and Neil Diamond churned out hits — received a unanimous vote in favor of the designation from the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.
“It’s a remarkable building with remarkable history,” LPC Chair Robert Tierney said at the meeting. “Creative men and women produced some of rock ’n’ roll’s best songs. This is an important day… It is a highly significant building for the music industry and New York.”
The Art Deco building was completed in 1931 by the developer Abraham Lefcourt, who hoped the 10-story structure would rival the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in style and grandeur.
Yossi Kimberg, a video editor who’s worked in the building for the past 27 years, welcomed news of the milestone.
"All the recording artists that came out of here, there was a certain sound," he said. "It was the Brill Building sound."
Robin Rothstein, who also works in the building, said the designation will ensure the longevity of a structure that has been featured in films like the “Sweet Smell of Success” starring Burt Lancaster and “Grace of My Heart” about an aspiring singer.
“I love looking at this building,” Rothstein said, gazing at the building’s grand façade and foyer. "It looks just like that in the movies."
The designation now awaits a final vote from the City Council.
