Strand Book Store Pushes Back Against Proposed Landmark Status
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A battle is brewing over the Strand Book Store in Manhattan.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing Tuesday on whether to name seven Greenwich Village buildings historic landmarks.
The commission says the buildings are highly intact, architecturally distinctive and represent an important era in the development of the area.
Watch: Strand Book Store Owner, Workers Speak Before Landmarks Preservation Commission
Among those buildings is 826 Broadway, which houses The Strand.
But store owner Nancy Bass Wyden says the designation would destroy her family's business.
"The Strand is the last of the great bookstores that were a hallmark of business development south of Union Square. We're the last for a reason," she said Tuesday. "Please do not destroy the Strand by adding more bureaucracy and unnecessary expenses and restrictions, slowing us down just when we need to be our most impactive."
The other buildings up for consideration are 817, 830, 832, 836, 840 and 841 Broadway.