Hempstead, NY Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Anyone, with or without the owner's consent, can ask the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate a "landmark" or "landmark site" by filing an application on the Commission's form, and the Commission can also start the process on its own motion under § 76-6A. Chapter 76 defines a landmark broadly at § 76-1 as "any place, structure or building of historical value or aesthetic interest by reason of its antiquity or uniqueness of architectural design or as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the town, county, state or nation." In deciding whether to move forward, the Commission weighs the "special character, ambiance, historical significance, aesthetic value and uniqueness of architectural design" of the property under that same section.

Once the Commission takes up an application, § 76-6B requires certified-mail notice to the owner and to every property owner within 200 feet of the parcel, and the Town Board must hold a public hearing within 90 days of the Commission's decision, advertised in a newspaper at least 14 days ahead, per § 76-6D. No designation can take effect without that hearing. While the application is pending, § 76-7A freezes demolition, alteration or improvement permits for up to 120 days. The Commission itself has seven members: six appointed by the Town Board plus the Commissioner of Buildings or a designee, including one architect, one architectural historian and one attorney, serving three-year terms under § 76-2. A designated landmark can later be struck from the Landmarks Map under § 76-12 if it is destroyed or altered so extensively that it loses architectural significance, but only after written notice to the owner and a chance to be heard before the Town Board.