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Skills-for-architects nyc-landmarks

Check if a NYC building is landmarked or in a historic district using LPC data.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/plugins/00-due-diligence/skills/nyc-landmarks" ~/.claude/skills/alpacalabsllc-skills-for-architects-nyc-landmarks && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: plugins/00-due-diligence/skills/nyc-landmarks/SKILL.md
source content

/nyc-landmarks — LPC Landmark & Historic District Check

Check if a NYC building is individually landmarked or within a historic district using the LPC Individual Landmark & Historic District Building Database. No API key required.

Usage

/nyc-landmarks 120 Broadway, Manhattan
/nyc-landmarks 1000770001          (BBL)
/nyc-landmarks 1001389             (BIN)

Step 1: Parse Input

Accept one of:

  • Address + Borough/Zip — "120 Broadway, Manhattan" or "120 Broadway 10271"
  • BBL — 10-digit number (boro 1 + block 5 + lot 4)
  • BIN — 7-digit Building Identification Number

Borough codes: Manhattan=1/MN, Bronx=2/BX, Brooklyn=3/BK, Queens=4/QN, Staten Island=5/SI

Step 2: Resolve via PLUTO

Query PLUTO to get BBL, BIN, and building metadata. No API key needed.

By BBL:

https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/64uk-42ks.json?bbl={BBL}

By address:

https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/64uk-42ks.json?$where=upper(address) LIKE '%{STREET}%'&borough='{BORO_CODE}'&$limit=5

Address normalization: Uppercase, strip unit/apt suffixes. Borough names to codes: Manhattan=MN, Bronx=BX, Brooklyn=BK, Queens=QN, Staten Island=SI. If multiple results, ask the user to pick. If zero, try variations (ST vs STREET, AVE vs AVENUE) or suggest providing a BBL.

Store from PLUTO: 

bbl
, 
bin
(or 
bldgbin
), 
address
, 
borough
, 
bldgclass
, 
zonedist1
, 
yearbuilt
, 
ownername
, 
numfloors
, 
lotarea
, 
latitude
, 
longitude
, 
histdist
.

Parse BBL into: boro (1 digit), block (5 digits zero-padded), lot (4 digits zero-padded).

Step 3: Query LPC Database

Use the Individual Landmarks dataset (

buis-pvji
). Query by BBL first:

https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/buis-pvji.json?bbl={BBL}

If no results, fallback by block + lot:

https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/buis-pvji.json?$where=block='{BLOCK}' AND lot='{LOT}' AND borough='{BOROUGH}'

Key fields: 

lpc_name
, 
lpc_lpnumb
, 
desdate
, 
landmarkty
, 
lpc_sitede
, 
lpc_sitest
, 
lpc_altern
, 
address
, 
url_report

Also check PLUTO's 

histdist
field from Step 2 — if it has a value, the property is in a historic district even if not individually listed in the LPC dataset.

Step 4: Print Results

## Landmark Status — {Address}

**Status: LANDMARKED / IN HISTORIC DISTRICT / NOT DESIGNATED**

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| LP Number | {lpc_lpnumb} |
| Name | {lpc_name} |
| Designation Date | {desdate} |
| Type | {landmarkty} |
| Site Description | {lpc_sitede} |
| Site Style | {lpc_sitest} |
| Also Known As | {lpc_altern} |
| LPC Report | {url_report} |
| Historic District | {histdist from PLUTO} |

**Implications:** Exterior alterations require LPC Certificate of Appropriateness before DOB permit.

Source: [LPC Individual Landmarks](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Housing-Development/Individual-Landmarks/buis-pvji)

If not landmarked and not in a historic district: "No landmark designation found for this property."

Conventions

  • All dates: YYYY-MM-DD
  • If Socrata returns empty array: "No results found"
  • If HTTP error: note it and suggest checking the address
  • If the user requests, write results to a file