a. (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph two of this subdivision a, it shall be unlawful for any person in charge of a landmark site or an improvement parcel or portion thereof located in an historic district or any part of an improvement containing an interior landmark to alter, reconstruct or demolish any improvement constituting a part of such site or constituting a part of such parcel and located within such district or containing an interior landmark, or to construct any improvement upon land embraced within such site or such parcel and located within such district, or to cause or permit any such work to be performed on such improvement or land, unless the commission has previously issued a certificate of no effect on protected architectural features, a certificate of appropriateness or a notice to proceed authorizing such work, and it shall be unlawful for any other person to perform such work or cause same to be performed, unless such certificate or notice has been previously issued.
(3) It shall be unlawful for the person in charge of any improvement or land mentioned in paragraph one of this subdivision a to maintain same or cause or permit same to be maintained in the condition created by any work in violation of the provisions of such paragraph one.
b. (1) Except in the case of any improvement mentioned in subdivision a of section 25-318 of this chapter and except in the case of a city-aided project, no application shall be approved and no permit or amended permit for the construction, reconstruction, alteration or demolition of any improvement located or to be located on a landmark site or in an historic district or containing an interior landmark shall be issued by the department of buildings, and no application shall be approved and no special permit or amended special permit for such construction, reconstruction or alteration, where required by article seven of the zoning resolution, shall be granted by the city planning commission or the board of standards and appeals, until the commission shall have issued either a certificate of no effect on protected architectural features, a certificate of appropriateness or a notice to proceed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter as an authorization for such work.
c. (1) A copy of every application or amended application for a permit to construct, reconstruct, alter or demolish any improvement located or to be located on a landmark site or in an historic district or containing an interior landmark shall, at the time of the submission of the original thereof to the department of buildings, be filed by the applicant with the commission. A copy of every application, under article seven of the zoning resolution, for a special permit for any work which includes the construction, reconstruction or alteration of any such improvement shall, at the time of the submission of such application or amended application of the city planning commission or the board of standards and appeals, as the case may be, be filed with the commission.
(2) Every such copy of an application or amended application filed with the commission shall include plans and specifications for the work involved, or such other statement of the proposed work as would be acceptable by the department of buildings pursuant to the building code. The applicant shall furnish the commission with such other information relating to such application as the commission may from time to time require.
(3) Together with the copies of such application or amended application, every such applicant shall file with the commission a request for a certificate of no effect on protected architectural features or a certificate of appropriateness in relation to the proposed work specified in such application.