Item 18
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
130395- Block 520, lot 54-
43 King Street – Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
A rowhouse built c. 1830 and altered c. 1955. Application is to alter the front façade and construct rear yard and rooftop additions.
While a simpler entrance, like that proposed here, could be appropriate, it is not enough to pull together this façade. The resulting design still feels too random. A design direction, whether restorative or more modern, should be chosen.
As for the proposed additions, an awful lot is being asked from this small rowhouse. It could be more palatable though if a cohesive design for the front façade was found.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 27
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
138988- Block 1381, lot 49-
791 Madison Avenue – Upper East Side Historic District
An Italianate/neo-Grec style rowhouse designed by F.S. Barus and built in 1871. Application is to alter the facades.
In general, HDC finds this proposal appropriate for Madison Avenue, but in need of a few minor alterations. The turn of the corner could be restudied to bring the two façades together better. We would also ask that on the street façade the first floor windows be slightly reduced in width in order to align better with those on the second.
LPC determination: no action
Item 25
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
141733- Block 1245, lot 92-
332 West 84th Street – Riverside – West End Historic District Extension 1
A Romanesque Revival style rowhouse designed by Joseph H. Taft and built in 1888-89. Application is to construct rooftop and rear yard additions.
HDC finds the fish bowl-like design of the proposed rear yard addition throws off the balance of old and new and of transparency and solidity on this Romanesque Revival style rowhouse. We recommend cutting the addition to just two stories rather than three to regain some of that balance and so as not to exceed the heights of the neighboring extensions.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 6
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
144102- Block 450, lot 28-
288 Carroll Street – Carroll Gardens Historic District
A rowhouse built in 1872-73. Application is to construct a rooftop and rear yard additions and excavate the rear yard.
The rooftop addition would be quite visible, breaking up a lovely line of 19th century cornices. Considering that so much is proposed to be added elsewhere on this rowhouse, the rooftop addition should be reduced or elminated.
LPC determination: no action
Item 21
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
144536- Block 1149, lot 17-
137 West 77th Street – Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District
A Renaissance Revival style rowhouse designed by Henry L. Harris and built in 1891-92. Application is to construct a rear yard extension, rooftop bulkhead, and install lot line windows.
While we approve of the rooftop bulkhead and lot line windows, HDC is concerned about the rear yard addition. Currently 137 West 77th Street’s rear façade is substantially intact. Like its neighbors, the rowhouse has a brick ell with punched openings, likely original to the building. The proposed addition would be flush with this historic extension creating a full width piece that would be out of keeping on this side of the block. We ask instead that the addition be pulled back some to retain a sense of the original form. HDC also asks that more of the historic design, including retention of the top floor fenestration as the commission typically requires, be worked into the proposal.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 7
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
145916- Block 307, lot 36-
230 Court Street – Cobble Hill Historic District
A rowhouse built in the 1850s. Application is to replace storefront infill and install a barrier-free access ramp.
The proposed storefront infill is certainly an improvement for this corner building. It is nice to see wood being used, but the details and proportions should be carefully reconsidered so that the result of all this time, effort, and money is worth it. The historic photo as well as other storefronts on the block should be looked to for guidance.
The side façade is a good location for a ramp, but the ramp’s materials and details could be improved to help it blend better. In particular, metalwork found elsewhere on the block could serve as inspiration for the rail.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 19
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
147393- Block 738, lot 78/79-
58-60 9th Avenue – Gansevoort Market Historic District
A pair of Greek Revival style rowhouses built in 1841-8142. Application is to excavate the cellar.
58 and 60 9th Avenue, along with their sister building at 62, are among the earliest structures in the Gansevoort Market Historic District. An incredible amount of work effecting a number of structures is proposed, and HDC questions whether the risk is really worth it.
LPC determination: approved
Item 5
ADVISORY REPORT
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
147868- Block 1, lot 1-
Jay Street at John Street – DUMBO Historic District
A street created from landfill in the early 19th century. Application is to install paving, seating, fencing, and to construct a land bridge.
HDC finds this proposal much more appropriate for the district than the Pearl Street plaza proposal the commission saw in September. The toned-down design and simple materials are in harmony with the historically industrial area. We ask though that the trees not be added as they block the key feature of the spot – the view of the water and the passing ships.
LPC determination: approved
Item 17
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149729- Block 574, lot 35-
18 West 11th Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
A brick rowhouse, designed by Hugh Hardy and built in 1979. Application is to construct a new rear façade and a rooftop addition, and excavate at the cellar.
HDC is happy to see 18 West 11th Street in the hands of its original architect and that the distinctive front façade is not to be changed. We wish though that the same could be said of the rear façade. It is rare to find front and rear façades that so speak to one another and create such a unified design, and it is sad that this would be lost to a much less unique design.
LPC determination: no action
Item 23
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149982- Block 1218, lot 129-
110 West 88th Street – Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District
A vacant lot. Application is to construct a new building.
HDC appreciates the generally sympathetic approach taken in the design of this new rowhouse. There are a number of interesting gestures and ideas, but maybe too many resulting in a rather busy design. One way to tone it down would be to restudy the material and height. If the house is to be of limestone, the cornice line of the row should be held. If it is to be taller than the row, brick should be used instead to play down that fact.
LPC determination: no action
PM Item 1
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149984- Block 1183, lot 53-
344 West 72nd Street – The Chatsworth Apartments and Annex, Individual Landmark
A Beaux-Arts style apartment building designed by John Scharsmith and built in 1902-04 with an Annex Building built in 1905-06. Application is to replace windows, create new window openings, modify window openings, alter the front areaway, and construct rooftop addition.
PM Item 2
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149985- Block 1183, lot 50-
340 West 72nd Street – The Chatsworth Apartments and Annex, Individual Landmark
A Beaux-Arts style apartment building designed by John Scharsmith and built in 1902-04 with an Annex Building built in 1905-06. Application is to modify a window opening, alter the front areaway, and construct a rooftop addition.
HDC finds the proposed rooftop additions inappropriate for the Chatsworth Apartments and Annex as they would change the reading of this important Individual Landmark. On the main building, the 13th floor could possibly be extended in a manner that would not be visible from the public way, but the addition of a 14th floor is excessive. On the annex, the extra 9th floor would be too visible. The designation report hails the Chatsworth for its “exuberant use of classical detail and a sumptuous choice of materials to produce an elaborate essay in grand French Beaux-Arts architectural tradition.” HDC urges the commission not to allow any visible additions which would disrupt this composition.
Also part of this composition are the historic wood windows of the building. Aluminum replacements would be an unfortunate choice, and we ask instead for the restoration of existing windows or their replacement in kind.
LPC determination: no action