Louis J. Lefkowitz Building | |
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General information | |
Type | Government |
Architectural style | Art Deco |
Location | Manhattan |
Address | 80 Centre Street |
Coordinates | 40°42′55″N74°00′05″W / 40.7152°N 74.0013°W Coordinates: 40°42′55″N74°00′05″W / 40.7152°N 74.0013°W |
Current tenants | Manhattan Marriage Bureau, New York Supreme Court |
Construction started | 1928 |
Completed | 1930 |
Cost | $6 Million |
Owner | Government of New York City |
Landlord | New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | William Haugaard |
Website | |
Official website |
The Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building is a building in the Civic Center of Manhattan in New York City. [1] Designed by William Haugaard, State Architect for the State of New York, the Lefkowitz Building is home, among other things, to the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. [1]
Governor Al Smith laid the building’s cornerstone on December 18, 1928. [2] At the ceremony, Smith declared that he “pray[ed to] God it may stand here through the ages as a testimonial to the people of this great commonwealth.” [2]
The building opened in October 1930, and was originally home to the New York State Departments of Taxation, Finance, and Motor Vehicles. [3] Originally known as the New York State Office Building, the State renamed it in honor of Louis J. Lefkowitz, then the longest-serving Attorney General of New York, in 1984. [1]
In 2002, the State transferred the building to the City of New York, which began using it for marriages in 2009. [1] The City moved the Manhattan Marriage Bureau to the Lefkowitz Building's ornate first floor lobby in order to better compete with wedding destinations such as Las Vegas. [4] These matrimonial duties later rendered the Lefkowitz a monument to LGBTQ New Yorkers, as 293 couples wed there on the day same-sex marriage became legal in 2011. [5] [6]
In August 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Department of Correction announced a plan to renovate or demolish the Lefkowitz Building, making way for an expanded jail, as part of its plan to close Rikers Island. [7] Historic preservation groups, including the Historic Districts Council and New York Landmarks Conservancy, oppose the plan. [8] [9] “Though marriage is supposed to be forever, Mayor de Blasio wants to give this temple of love an ugly divorce,” wrote preservationist Adrian Untermyer in Gotham Gazette. [6] In 2018, the Historic Districts Council formally requested that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission evaluate the Lefkowitz Building for designation as a New York City landmark. [4] [8]
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