Lower East Side Preservation Initiative 232 E. 11th Street New York, NY 10003 http://www.lespi-nyc.org/
LESPI is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the historic areas of Manhattan's East Village / Lower East Side. LESPI's strategy includes documenting and mapping the EV/LES historic streetscapes, starting with the East Village, and rallying community residents, city officials and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to effect landmark designation. Without landmark protection the last remaining historic areas of the EV/LES will be lost to demolition and insensitive development. If we act quickly we can protect this unique community's irreplaceable architectural and cultural heritage!
Historically the Lower East Side covered a broad swath of Manhattan, extending from East 14th Street south to Fulton and Franklin Streets, and from the East River west to Broadway and Pearl Street. It included such well known neighborhoods as Chinatown, Little Italy, and what's now called the East Village and Lower East Side. LESPI’s first order of business is to address preservation of the East Village, where development is rampant.
Landmark designation benefits all of us who now live, work in, or visit a historic district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s careful consideration of changes makes it possible for us to continue hearing the stories, and to continue to recognize the historic district’s special sense of place.
