Landmark Tuesday: Eberhard Faber Approved, Dumbo Goes "Astonishingly Well"

Yesterday was a good day for a couple of possible Brooklyn landmark districts. The Eberhard Faber District in Greenpoint was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and appears headed for final approval by the City Council. Meanwhile, the hearing on the Dumbo Historic District "went astonishingly well," according to the Historic Districts Council Newsstand blog. Here's an excerpt:

...over 30 people spoke in favor - including Jed Walentas. The BID, who had been problematic about the designation , spoke in vague support - mostly to ask the LPC to make sure that the area's Belgian block streets were protected (and restored) and asking that LPC be lenient to ground floor retail...LPC is is keeping the record open for a week, but it feels like the designation is definitely fast-tracked.

The Eberhard Faber District includes a number--but not all--of the buildings that were once the home of the Eberhard Faber pencil factory in Greenpoint. The landmarking vote was nearly reported in real time yesterday by Brownstoner. Several buildings are already being redeveloped, so preservationists consider a district to be a significant victory. The old buildings are among the most significant major surviving industrial buildings in Greenpoint, particularly after last year's Terminal Market Fire destroyed those structures before they could be landmarked.