Vote on Bronx’s Bedford Park historic district nears

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is gearing up for a vote next week on a small new historic district in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, along Perry Avenue. Approval from the commission — followed by similar decisions from the City Planning Commission and then the City Council — would mean landmark status for 10 buildings, preventing demolition and changes to their facades. “We’re trying to increase the designations of properties outside of Manhattan,” said Elisabeth de Bourbon, spokesperson for the commission. At the meeting, the commission will also hear arguments on whether landmark status should be granted for seven additional Bronx buildings, including Highbridge’s Union Reform Church, built in 1890, Riverdale’s 19th-century Percy R. Pyne-Elie Nadelman House and Civil War-era Greyston Dodge Estate Gatehouse, and the Dollar Savings Bank on Third Avenue and 147th Street. A decision is also expected on whether to hold a public hearing on a proposed historic district for part of the Grand Concourse. [NYDN]