New Landmarks in the West Village and the Bronx

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday granted landmark status to a historic district in Greenwich Village and to the interior of the main post office in the Bronx.

The designation of the South Village Historic District had long been sought by preservationists who feared that the neighborhood’s distinctive architecture and its history would be diluted by development. The district encompasses about 10 blocks bordered by West Houston Street to the south, LaGuardia Place and West Broadway to the east, West Fourth Street to the north and Avenue of the Americas to the West.

The district “consists of approximately 250 rowhouses, tenements and institutional buildings,” the Preservation Commission said in a news release, “that reflect the area’s development between the early 19th and mid-20th centuries from an affluent residential neighborhood and a thriving immigrant and artist community to a magnet for bohemian culture and the center of gay and lesbian life in New York City.”

Robert B. Tierney, the chairman of the commission, said, “The district’s theaters, clubs and cafes nourished generations of authors, playwrights, musicians and also served as an incubator of the gay rights movement of New York City.”

As for the general post office on the Grand Concourse, the exterior was designated a landmark by the commission in 1976. But the interior remained unprotected, and preservationists worried about the fate of famous 1930s murals by Ben Shahn and Bernarda Bryson Shahn as the United States Postal Service intends to cease operations there and sell the building.

“The lobby, which was completed during the depths of the Great Depression, remains a monument to the ideals of the New Deal-era public works programs to this day,” Mr. Tierney said.

New York Today: Again With the Snow

Joshua Bright for The New York Times

Updated 8:51 a.m.

Good Tuesday morning. It’s 25 degrees and snow is falling on New York City.

What is this, Buffalo?

Not quite - they’ve had more than twice as much snow as us so far.

But another two to four inches is expected to blanket our region, just in time to mess up the morning commute as temperatures stay well below freezing.

That would make the fourth measurable snowfall in a 10-day stretch of - can it be? â€" autumn.

Stephen Fybish, a freelance weather historian, could not locate any precedent for it in his voluminous records.

“For four days to have measurable snow before winter is very rare,” he said.

The snow is expected to taper in the afternoon.

Many schools are closed or opening late.

A winter weather advisory is in effect till 4 p.m.

We may get another snow shower tonight.

Another tidbit from Mr. Fybish: The last 13 times there has been eight inches of snow in December, at least 17 inches more has fallen from January onward.

The expected high of 33 today would also make it the 11th straight day with colder than normal temperatures.

But things are easing. It should hit 50 by Friday.

And no more snow is forecast before Christmas.

Here’s what else you need to know.

COMMUTE

Subways: Delays on the C. Check latest status.

Rails: Delays of up to 15 minutes on L.I.R.R. and N.J. Transit. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: Half-hour inbound delays at the Lincoln Tunnel. Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is suspended for the snow, but meters remain in effect.

DE BLASIO WATCH

From David W. Chen of the City Hall bureau of The Times:

- For the fourth day in a row, the mayor-elect has no public events.

- But a least we know a little about what he did on Monday. “I actually had lunch with incoming Mayor de Blasio today,” Jeff Klein, the Democratic State Senate co-leader, told “Capital Tonight.”

- And the day before that: On Sunday, Mr. de Blasio broke bread with the Brooklyn Democratic Party, which endorsed his opponent William C. Thompson Jr. in the primary. [Capital New York]

- Mr. de Blasio has called City Council members urging them to elect Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito of Manhattan the next council speaker, NY1 reports.

- An Elle magazine interview with the future first lady, Chirlane McCray, hits the newsstands today. “The quiet defiance of that nose ring” she wore when she first met Mr. de Blasio is among the topics addressed.

COMING UP TODAY

- Mayor Bloomberg begins a five-borough farewell tour by opening the renovated skating rink in Prospect Park at 11 a.m.

- The most important Whole Foods opening of our time, in Gowanus, Brooklyn. 9 a.m. [Free, except for everything]

- Comptroller John C. Liu delivers his valedictory State of the City address at 10 a.m.

- The Landmarks Preservation Commission votes on whether to create the South Village Historic District in Manhattan.

- Lunchtime Dixieland with the Gotham Jazzmen at the Public Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center. 12 p.m. [Free]

- Behind the pastrami curtain: the owner of Katz’s Delicatessen talks about his new book at Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo. 7 p.m. [Free, R.S.V.P.]

- What kind of babka did Elaine and Jerry end up taking to the dinner party? If you know, you’ll probably excel at Seinfeld Trivia at McGee’s in Midtown. 8 p.m. [Free]

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

IN THE NEWS

- Next acts: The departing police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, has signed up with a high-priced talent agency and will hit the public-speaking circuit. [Daily News]

- Governor Cuomo is pushing for a tax break for New York City renters. [Associated Press]

- Loehmann’s is filing for bankruptcy for a third time and plans to shut down for good after nearly a century. [Daily News]

- The New York Archdiocese is exempt from the federal mandate to cover contraceptive care for its employees at schools and hospitals, a judge ruled. [New York Times]

- The city agreed to speed up the cleanup of mold in public housing to settle a suit filed by people with asthma. [New York Times]

- Scoreboard: Nets trounce 76ers, 130-94. Wizards bedevil Knicks, 102-101.

- The Jets are out of the playoffs after the Ravens beat the Lions.

AND FINALLY…

Talk about co-opting the opposition.

Walmart, Occupy Wall Street’s Exhibit A for all that is rapacious about corporate America, is selling Occupy Wall Street posters online.

Photos of the tarp-strewn encampment in Zuccotti Park, “printed on Premium Heavy Stock Paper which captures all of the vivid colors and details of the original,” go for $42.75 and up.

They’re in the “Marketplace” section of Walmart’s website, which lets third parties sell items.

“This print is ready for hanging or framing and would make a great addition to your home or office,” the listing says.

The large $52 version is still in stock.

But as of this morning, the $42 one is sold out.

Joseph Burgess and Annie Correal contributed reporting.

New York Today is a morning roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning.

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Leftovers at the Launderette

Dear Diary:

Hauling 50 pounds up and down four flights of stairs is what happens when you live in a building without a laundry room and go three weeks between washes.

Worse, there’s only a pair of six-load Megas at the Second Avenue Launderette. So I make a beeline for the unused one. Jerk the load on top of the machine and toss in a pair of socks. Head to the back for quarters.

When I return, a guy who works for the local gym has removed a sock and is stuffing towels. When I protest, the guy yells he’s been using both Megas, and that “mine” was just between washes.

After a minute I decide he’s got the better case (and his boss likely wanted him back ASAP). So I break out my load into smaller machines and leave for half an hour to run errands.

Come back to load dryer. The towel guy is gone but his towels are in the dryer. So I toss in the leftover sock. Figure one doesn’t do either of us any good.

Return in an hour. The place is now empty. Remove load. Start folding.

All is good, except I find … I now have an extra towel.

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