LONG ISLAND CITY — The Queens Clock Tower is here to stay.
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to landmark the former Bank of Manhattan building in Queens Plaza, calling the 11-story structure "iconic."
"For nearly a century, the Queens Clock Tower building has been one of Long Island City’s most recognizable structures, greeting hundreds of thousands of commuters as they enter the borough,” LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said in a statement.
Locals have been pushing to preserve the building as Queens Plaza undergoes rapid development — including a plan to build a 70-story apartment tower, the borough's tallest, right next door to the Clock Tower.
The former bank building at 29-27 Queens Plaza North was built in 1927 and designed by architect Morrell Smith. It was known at the time as "the first skyscraper in Queens" and was honored by the Queens Chamber of Commerce as the borough’s best business building, according to the LPC.
"The Commission is proud to recognize this iconic building, which represents a significant period of development in Long Island City," Srinivasan said.
Property Markets Group and the Hakim Organization, which own the site, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
A representative for the developers said last month that they support the landmark bid and plan to renovate the site, including making repairs to the building's four-faced clock.
"We respect the building's place in Queens and Long Island City's history, and we appreciate its aesthetic beauty," Brad Zackson of The Hakim Organization said in April.
