On The Square, by Ade in New York at flickr
• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: shots fired by police at Blake and Vermont in Brooklyn, an escaped prisoner at East 112th St. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, and a person under a train at Central Park West and 60th St. in Manhattan.
• Hassan Askari was invited to the State of the Union Address as the guest of Queens Congressman Rep. Joseph Crowley. Askari came to the aid of several Jewish people who were being attacked on the subway.
• A new Bronx courthouse is finally set to open, only three years behind schedule and $100 million over budget.

Some 30 years after Landmarks Preservation Commission officials first explored landmarking Crown Heights, the Commission has granted landmark status to the architecturally-rich neighborhood. more ›

Bruce Ratner’s mega-project isn’t only a catalyst for lawsuits. It’s also behind a push to create a historic district in Prospect Heights. “I think with the Atlantic Yards happening, there’s a real urgency to get it designated,” Municipal Art Society fellow Lisa Kersavage told Gothamist. “The development pressures are increasing dramatically.” more ›

MUSIC: Love is All takes over the Knitting Factory tonight with not one, but two shows. The early show is with Cause Co-Motion! and Devastations, the later one with Cause Co-Motion! and Tyvek. Choose wisely. Or you could always watch Jared Leo bring his emo wrath upon bloggers, his band plays Roseland tonight. more ›

+ And check out the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum this week. Because of National Design Week, it's free! more ›

When we first read that the Landmarks Preservation Commission was taking steps to preserve the stately mansions, row houses and churches of Crown Heights North, we weren't all that surprised. After all, the area's 19th and 20th century architectural gems span at least four distinct styles: Georgian/Federal; Renaissance/Baroque Revival; Romanesque Revival and Modern/Art Deco/Art Moderne. more ›