JACKSON HEIGHTS — A 1930s apartment building and a cluster of 1920s residential buildings have been removed from the landmarks calendar as part of a massive effort to clear a decades-long backlog of properties.
The Fairway Apartments, at 76-09 34th Ave., and the Spanish Towers, a cluster of 10 buildings on 75th Street, have been up for consideration from the Landmarks Preservation Commission since 1990.
At a hearing Tuesday, the board recommended they be removed from the calendar as it tries to prioritize dozens of other sites from a long backlog.
Both sites are close to the neighborhood's existing historic district but are not contiguous to it, and while the board called the sites "charming and unique" to Jackson Heights, neither was deemed significant enough to be an individual landmark.
They could be reconsidered at a later date, officials said.
The Fairway Apartment was designed by Joshua Tabatchnik in a neo-Tudor style and built in 1937. The Spanish Towers — a cluster of 10 buildings on 75th Street — was built between 1927 and 1928 in a Spanish/Mediterranean style.
One member said the nature of the landmarks law could allow buildings like the Fairway to "fall between the cracks" because it can't be considered an individual landmark, although it adds to the neighborhood's charm.
Queens sites that were prioritized for this year's landmarking during Tuesday's hearing includes the Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City, the Bowne Street Community Church in Flushing and the Lydia Ann Bell and William Ahles House in College Point.
