Uncovering the Stories Behind New York's Historic Landmarks
Park Slope resident Tommy Silk explores the Landmarks of NY with daily Instagram posts, a recently released book, and walking tours
There are more than 38,000 landmarked sites across NYC’s five boroughs. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) grants landmark status to buildings that are architecturally, historically, and culturally significant. Unsuspecting New Yorkers often overlook these storied properties while going about their daily routines. Tommy Silk, a Park Slope resident, is looking to change that with his popular Instagram account Landmarks of NY.
Launched in 2019, Landmarks of NY features a daily photo of a NYC landmark along with the background information on the building’s designation. “I needed a hobby,” Silk says on a recent afternoon at Café by the Girls. He came upon the idea while looking for a way to cope with stress from his corporate tech job. One night, walking home from his midtown office to the Upper East Side, he noticed a sign on the side of a building. “I saw one of the landmarks plaques and I stopped to read it,” he recalls. “It was FDR’s first house with Eleanor after they got married. I was like, ‘How many times have I walked past this place?’”
His curiosity was piqued. He wondered how many other historic sites he’d regularly passed without ever noticing. He was happy to find that the LPC site offered a handy map of every landmarked building in the city. He borrowed a digital camera from his sister, went on You Tube for photography tips, claimed the Instagram handle Landmarks of NY, and set out on a new mission. “It was a mental health project,” he says. “I thought, ‘Okay, why don’t I try to do a post a day about a building I find interesting and see how long I can keep it up for.’ I just wanted to do it for me.”
Silk was happy to find a creative outlet to help him decompress after long days at the office. He’d set out after work with his camera in hand, taking advantage of the early evening light, and photograph landmarked buildings around the city. “I just wanted to take a walk. I would bring friends with me to go to new places we hadn’t been to before, and go to different parts of the city. Now I’ve covered pretty much every reach of the five boroughs.” At this point, Silk has posted over a thousand sites on his Instagram account that has more than 200,000 followers.
~~ Keep reading for Tommy's favorite Brooklyn landmarks, the story behind his book, and what’s next for Landmarks of NY—including a Park Slope walking tour in the works. ~~