September 28, 2010
LPC Docket Number: 110521
Brooklyn, Block: 296, Lot: 32
177 Congress Street – Cobble Hill Historic District
An Italianate style rowhouse built in the early 1850s and later altered. Application is to legalize and modify door, windows and planter installation at front façade and areaway without LPC permits.
HDC Testimony
HDC does not approve of the legalization of the chunky planters installed without LPC permits. While there are others in the area, we question how many of those examples were approved by the commission. If there is a wish to enclose the areaway, a project more along the line of the fences seen in the tax photo and elsewhere in the district should be considered.
As for the changes to the entrance and windows, it is nice that the applicant is trying to improve the existing stripped-down appearance of the façade, but one period or style needs to be picked to unify the building. The proposed has the 6-over-1 windows of the colonial revival renovation that happened at some point between the tax photo and designation in 1969, but the corresponding entryway is not being restored. Instead, the entrance is modeled after one found in another row on another street. It is handsome, but not necessarily appropriate in the context of the rest of 177 Congress Street. If the Italianate style is what is being sought, it would be better to look at the tax photo and the existing entrances on 179, 181 and 183, which were built together with 177 as a row, for details.
LPC Determination: Approved with modifications
LPC Docket Number: 111118
Manhattan, Block: 1008, Lot: 15
130 West 56th Street – Individual Landmark
A Moorish-inspired theater building designed by H.P. Knowles and built in 1922-24. Application is to remove flag poles, install a marquee and signage, and alter a side entrance door.
HDC Testimony
HDC appreciates the title of this project, “Stepping Forward”, and we would suggest adding the subtitle “Treading Lightly.”
In general, we find most of the application appropriate with the exception of the marquee. It is nice to see the arched pieces reflecting the building’s design – reference to an existing historic building is something missing from most of the contemporary marquee proposals that have been seen here over the past few years. We find though that the horizontal pieces are too heavy though, blocking the good done by the otherwise fine marquee. These sections, which seem to be there primarily for signage and to hide the lights, will obscure already difficult views on this narrow side street. With two other large, eye catching signs, the marquee does no need to repeat the theater’s name, and other light sources should be investigated if their visability is an issue. We also question the need for the two smaller canopies proposed to flank the main marquee. Their inclusion takes away from the prominence of the central portion of the design and further obscures the façade.
The historic, exotic design of the impressive former Mecca Temple is its own best advertisement and its visibility should be the first determination of any alteration’s appropriateness.
LPC Determination: Incomplete
LPC Docket Number: 109719
Manhattan, Block: 615, Lot: 44
17 Bank Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
An Italianate style rowhouse designed by Linus Scudder and built in 1857. Application is to demolish a skylight, alter the rear façade, and excavate the rear yard.
HDC Testimony
HDC has no objections to the proposed alterations to the rear façade with the exception of raising the parapet. Doing so would change the proportions too much, a particular concern as this façade is visible through a gated alley in the rear. We recommend a railing be installed instead.
LPC Determination: Approved
LPC Docket Number: 111898
Manhattan, Block: 619, Lot: 23
224 West 10th Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
A Greek revival style rowhouse built in 1847-48. Application is to construct a stoop, alter the front façade and rear window and install a rear deck.
HDC Testimony
HDC would like to compliment the applicant for this sensitive proposal. The alterations in the rear façade are visible from the public way, but are respectful of the building and its era. On the front, the 1926 basement entrance and window are nice, but they are not part of a larger design, the type of historic alteration that might normally preclude the reinstallation of the stoop. Our only quibble is that there were no measurements or materials mentioned in the boards, and we ask that the applicant work closely with LPC staff to ensure the project and its details turn out as good as they look on paper.
LPC Determination: Approved
LPC Docket Number: 107703
Manhattan, Block: 745, Lot: 11
347 West 21st Street – Chelsea Historic District
An Italianate style house built in 1846. Application is to alter the façade and construct rooftop and rear yard additions
HDC Testimony
347 West 21st Street is in a rather unusual situation in that its rear façade is visible from the public way. It is unfortunate that filling in the existing extension would cause the building to lose its historic massing and the neighboring building to lose windows. Also, a 6-foot extension is proposed to be added to what is already an addition of over 19 feet, making the total 25 feet, the deepest incursion into the most well-preserved portion of this garden core. While only at the basement and cellar levels, we hope that it would not be a base for any further incremental infill in the future.
HDC does not approve of altering the mansard roof, or adding on top what is already an (historic) addition. While there are many examples of glassy rooftop additions shown in the presentation, we must ask how many were LPC-approved. In the front, proposed alterations would take away the double slope of the mansard roof, making it basically a flat topped roof instead. In the rear, the proposal would create of two stories of glass, visible from the public way, drastically changing the house’s massing and design. The existing dormers and mansard are charming – they just have not been taken care of in a while. HDC recommends focusing on restoring these historic features rather than destroying them.
LPC Determination: Incomplete
LPC Docket Number: 110755
Manhattan, Block: 1111, Lot: 1
Central Park Loeb Boathouse – Scenic Landmark
A boathouse built during the 1950’s within an English Romantic style public park designed by Olmsted and Vaux in 1856. Application is to construct new structures and a ramp and alter railings and decking.
HDC Testimony
When it comes to new construction, or any alterations, to the iconic Central Park it is important to stop and listen to its original designers. In their proposal for the park, Olmsted and Vaux stated “…we conceive that all such architectural structures should be confessedly subservient to the main idea, and that nothing artificial should be obtruded in view as an ultimatum of interest. The idea of the park itself should always be uppermost in the mind of the beholder.”
The proposed ticket booth is very unassuming, receding into the background as Olmsted and Vaux would have wanted. The same cannot be said of the new outdoor bar proposed for the boathouse.
While the existing bar is no great piece of architecture, it does not need to be one. Its design and materials honestly express what it is – a seasonal, temporary structure within the park. The proposed comes off as very thick and heavy, its rounded tear drop shape is too contemporary for the location, and the use of aluminum is inappropriate for Manhattan’s most famous piece of artful nature. The white color further calls attention to a structure that should not be the visual center of attention here. In addition, it is situated closer to the boathouse than the existing bar, giving the appearance of extending the larger building. A lighter, more trellis-like design or something more akin to Central Park’s many naturalistic pavilions and other small structures would be far more appropriate.
LPC Determination: Incomplete