Preservationists afraid of losing South Village buildings before hearing

Preservationists are worried that developers and landlords will demolish or alter buildings in the proposed South Village Historic District before it is protected by an official calendaring of a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing. Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council, said that has been a problem before — the Noho Historic District extension wasn’t calendared in 2007, but a map of the district circulated and one building was demolished and a two-story addition was constructed on another, and the properties were cut out of the historic district. An informational meeting for property owners and residents in the proposed South Village Historic District is scheduled for May 12, but a formal calendar hearing has not been set yet. Berman said several buildings in the district have already been lost, including the Provincetown Playhouse and the San Remo Cafe.