Villagers fight for landmark status of federal period buildings.

Just because something's old doesn't mean you throw it away, especially if those old-timers are 200-year-old New Yorkers with no desire for a new look.

However, with attracting and keeping New York City's businesses and creating new office space among the city's top priorities, various individuals and preservation groups are fighting to save 13 federal rowhouses from destruction or alteration.

From the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village to the ever-changing World Trade Center area, the 13 less-than-luxe-looking buildings from yesteryear continue to stand in their antiquated glory. The structures reflect the economic conditions of the times they were built (the 18th and 19th centuries) keeping them simple, practical and appropriate for city life. However, their uniqueness--marked by Flemish bond facades and paneled windows, not to mention the mere fact that they still exist in between various modern high-rises--gives them a charm of their own. However, there is a fight going on for their protection, which can be ensured by "landmarking" them, ensuring their status as permanent community fixtures.

"They're important buildings," said Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy. "They're survivors and we want them to be in good shape. There are more federal buildings than those 13, but we tried to pick the ones that were still in the best shape architecturally."

The buildings are located at 67, 94, 94 1/2, 96, 486 and 488 Greenwich St.; 57 Sullivan St; 4 St. Mark's Place; 7 Leroy St.; 2 Oliver St.; and 127, 129 and 131 MacDougal St.

According to Breen, each of the buildings, which are owned individually, have been kept in conditions from "fairly intact" to "very intact," with the exception of one location, 67 Greenwich St., which may soon be demolished. However, most of the buildings' owners have teamed up with NYLC, city council members and community boards to have them landmarked, a decision that will eventually be made by the city agency, The Landmarks Commission.

"Landmarking the buildings is honorific," said Breen. "It says, in the future if you want to do certain work on them, the commission has to approve it so it can't be altered in a way that changes them too much."

While the preservation groups say the landmark status of the buildings will help maintain the integrity of the structures as well as the entire downtown area, it's the no-alterations role that has one rowhouse owner a little nervous about the whole process.

"We haven't yet decided if we want the house to be a landmark," said Elise Coulter, who, with her husband Robert, owns a rowhouse at 57 Sullivan Street. "We're concerned because it ties your hands about what you can and can't do with your own property. Who wants the government dictating what you can do with your own house? If we wanted to put in a bay window, if the house was landmarked, we couldn't do it.

"We'd consider it for the environment as far as what gets built around us. If it's a landmark building we'll have more of a say about that."

Not only do owners require permission from the Landmarks Commission before making minimal alterations to their property, the Landmarks Law requires that the buildings must be kept in good condition at the expense of the owner in order to prevent "demolition by neglect."

So what are the benefits of becoming a landmark?

"Besides the prestige of owning a landmark, owning a circa 1830 rowhouse in its original state is worth a lot more than a highly altered building with its window sashes replaced," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. "There's very little special responsibility for the owner. If you're an owner, you'd want to upkeep your house anyway. If there was a hole in the roof, you'd fix it. In general, these rules will help the value of the property stay high, so that kind of investment more than pays for itself."

However, in cases of owners simply not having the money to maintain their homes, the Landmarks Commission can connect them to resources like grants and tax breaks.

"We'll do the work to ensure the protection of the houses in such a way that their features are preserved and they can continue to tell the story of New York and America's development," said Berman.

In order for a building to actually become landmarked and therefore protected under the "Landmarks Law" it must possess a special character, historical or aesthetic interest or value as part of the cultural characteristics of the city, state or nation.

Fifty-seven Sullivan Street, which was built in 1816 or 1817, according to the GVSHP, in an area that was then known as Lispenard Farm, certainly fits into those criteria.

"We love this house," said Coulter, of her historic home. "We're not rich people and we're very lucky to have it. It's a building that has a soul. A lot of people tune into that when they come into this house."