South Street Seaport at Landmarks
At a LPC Public Meeting on November 18, Commissioners did not take a final vote but made comments on the proposal for South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 by the General Growth Properties. Of the total eleven members of the Commission, three were absent (Commissioners Joan Gerner, Christopher Moore and Roberta Washington) and the remaining eight had varying opinions on the plan.
There are three steps in the project to be ruled on by the LPC: 1. the demolition of the Pier 17 mall, 2. the relocation of the Tin Building and 3. the design and construction of new buildings.
For the first part, which is needed to make room for the rest of the project, there seemed to be a general, if unspoken, approval. Chair Robert Tierney, referring to Pier 17, noted “It’s a mess down there”, and Commissioner Diana Chapin voiced her approval of the demolition. Other commissioners did not directly mention the retention or demolition of the mall, except Commissioner Stephen Byrns. He talked about a visit the weekend before where he expected to find a failing mall. Instead, despite bad weather and a bad economy, he was surprised to see an active, lively place. Commissioner Byrns also commented that the building was appropriate for the district and cautioned against jumping to demolish it without more thought.
On the matter of relocating the Tin Building, there was more hesitation, even opposition. Commissioner Pablo Vengochea questioned if there had been enough exploration of maintaining the Tin Building at its original location as it is the “connecting tissue” between the pier and the rest of the historic district. Commissioner Margery Pearlmutter also thought that other options to modify or open up the Tin Building should be explored. Commissioner Roberta Gratz called relocating a landmark a last resort noting, as did Commissioner Byrns and others, that the planned esplanade could go around the building.
The bulk, massing, design and materials of the proposed new buildings on the pier met with the most disapproval. Most commented that the new buildings were out of scale with the district. Rather than opening view corridors, the new plan would block crucial views of the Brooklyn Bridge, offering only glimpses. Commissioner Elizabeth Ryan found the moving of seafaring materials to a building on land “very faux.” Other comments regarded the design and materials as disruptive to the historic district.
For more on the meeting and GGP’s response take a look the City Room blog and this article from the Downtown Express.