Oct. 7, 2015 By Michael Florio
The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has scheduled hearings for nearly 100 backlogged properties, including the iconic Pepsi-Cola Sign and the Old Calvary Cemetery Gatehouse located in the Blissville section of Long Island City.
The LPC will review 95 properties that have been under consideration to be landmarked, the majority for over 20 years, with some dating back to the 1960s. It has scheduled a hearing pertaining to the Queens sites on October 8th.
The hearing will take place from 12:30 to 3 pm at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1 Centre Street, on the 9th Floor.
The Pepsi-Cola Sign was built in 1936 and was located at the top of its manufacturing plant until it closed in 1999. It eventually wound up at its current position in Gantry Plaza State Park in 2009.
“The sign is considered to be an excellent example of the neon display technology which began to transform outdoor advertising in the 1920s,” the application reads.
“By virtue of its location, the Pepsi-Cola sign is one of the best-known examples of its type in New York City.”
Additionally, the LPC will be reviewing the Old Calvary Cemetery Gatehouse, a redbrick house built in 1892 located near the main entrance of the cemetery in Long Island City.
The graveyard is the final resting place for many prominent New Yorkers including Gov. Al Smith and Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. It was also featured in the classic 1972 mob filmThe Godfather.
The public is invited to attend tomorrow’s meeting and those interested in speaking will be given 3 minutes to state their views.