Jackson Heights Life

@Dotley, It is my understanding if the windows cannot be viewed from the street, land marking does not apply.
 @Am315. The windows may have been replaced before landmarking, so they are good. But eventually, they will be need to be replaced, and at that time, must adhere to Landmarking, so EVENTUALLY, they will ALL be restored back to its original design.

@Dotley - I believe it is only for the side of the building facing the road, there looks to be some guidance for secondary facades. Check out the LPC window guide linked to earlier in this thread.
@am315 - I can see the co-ops or responsible owners wanting to maintain the general styling (like the 6 over 1 arrangement on Elm Court). For new vinyl windows, it isn't expensive to get a little molding added. But if you need custom wood windows with custom glass, that's a serious investment.
@Benoit - Thanks for the insight. That at least sounds like well motivated reasoning on behalf of LPC, but unfortunately in reality, I feel homeowners will hold off on replacing windows for a long time - some of these original windows are approaching 100 years old! Unintended consequences...

Forgiveness not permission is the wrong way to go with a landmark building. Sooner or later the seller will have to pay to correct the violation and it goes against the essence of what the area looks like.

I agree. Our building replaced with aluminum some years ago - I guess before the LPC was formed. Our windows are cheap, ugly, and look so wrong for the era of the building. It's the thing I'd most like to change.

I wanted to follow up on this post.  I ended up using Adler Windows to replace my windows.  They obtained the proper paperwork from the Landmarks Commission.  We had a few hiccups, but I would definitely recommend this company.  To elaborate further, some of the windows were not a perfect fit and Adler Windows had them remade; I brought this to the attention of Adler Windows.  There are a lot of vendors that would have stuck me with the windows because the measurements were slightly off and the moldings would have covered them.  On the other hand, I hired a top rated company and they wanted to ensure that I was completely satisfied. 

There are a few tips I would like to share:

1) make sure that you get a picture and model number of the window that is being installed
2) make sure that the window specifications are in the work order, e.g., vent locks, color of hardware, painted, primed, unpainted, etc.
3) have somebody take the measurements independently from the window vendor and compare the measurements
4) on installation day, take the time to cover your floors and if you can put padding around the area where the workers will be working - you want to avoid scratches and dings on the floors
5) after installation, check each window's hardware to make sure that they open and close easily and that the window can be disengaged/re-engaged for cleaning the outside panes while the workers are still present
6) if they are installing window handles, have them measure the exact place where they are drilling to ensure consistency throughout all the windows

Thanks, JDinJH. I just called Adler Windows and they said they don't work in buildings that are occupied.

What brand windows did you use?

What do you mean that they do not work on buildings that are occupied?  That's strange.  They definitely worked on my windows and I was present when they performed the work - I had to take a few days off from work.

In any case, we ended up using Marvin Ultimate Next Generation windows on all but the bathroom windows; we used Crystal windows in the bathroom.  I ended up splurging for sound attenuated windows, about $300 extra per window.  On that note, I totally recommend getting sound attenuated windows.  While it does not totally eliminate outdoor noise, it really makes significant a difference when the planes fly over the neighborhood.