Item 4
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
137437- Block 1959, lot 13-
417 Clermont Avenue – Fort Greene Historic District
An Italianate style rowhouse built c. 1866. Application is to replace windows and construct a rear yard addition.
While the proposed rear yard addition may seem modest, in a garden core where only four out of the 53 rowhouses have additions, it is a considerable intrusion.
The Commission reviewed a similar situation in September at 438 Pacific Street in the Boerum Hill Historic District, where only 11 extensions existed in a block of 59 rowhouses. Commissioners applauded the applicant’s modest, one-story addition. One commissioner even stated that if the proposal was used as a template for others, the garden core would still be an impressive one.
Considering the even more pristine garden core here, HDC asks that the extension be reduced to just one story at the basement level as was approved in the Boerum Hill example.
Item 26
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BRONX
143734- Block 2460, lot 1-
900 Grand Concourse – Grand Concourse Historic District
A Colonial Revival style hotel building designed by Maynicke & Franke and built in 1922-23. Application is to replace windows and storefront infill and construct a rooftop addition.
The Concourse Plaza Hotel is one of the most notable buildings on this very notable boulevard. The hotel was designed to rival the best hotels in Manhattan, and its opening was a major event with Governor Alfred E. Smith giving keynote address. Completed the same year as nearby Yankee Stadium, the hotel hosted the likes of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle as well as visiting teams. The hotel was also the site of presidential campaign stops and countless social functions.
Such a significant building deserves proper work guided by historic documentation. None were provided in the proposal, so HDC is submitting some images found with a brief Google search. More substantial research could surely come up with more information. The black painted aluminum storefronts are less than what a significant hotel building of this era deserves and should be restudied. While we are thrilled to see the arched windows on the front restored, HDC asks that the configuration and details of the second floor windows on the 161st Street facade be restudied.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 6
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
145567- Block 948, lot 68-
115 Lincoln Place – Park Slope Historic District
An Italianate style rowhouse built in 1874-75. Application is to excavate the basement and rear yard and construct a rear yard addition.
This Park Slope garden core has remarkably few incursions. Where there are any, primarily on the north side of the block, most appear to be original extensions for kitchens and other service rooms. The proposed full-width, two-story addition with tall privacy walls (which amounts to an extra story without a roof) would be quite a disruption to this urban oasis.
As you have heard from neighbors, the historic garden core is a an important part of the block, a contributing piece of its special sense of place. It is part of what has drawn and kept residents here for decades. These residents have cared for and preserved these 19th century homes, and they are asking you now to please help them preserve their block. HDC recommends that if anything is approved it be a more neighborly, less intrusive extension of one story, without privacy walls on top, be designed for this location.
We were very happy a few years ago when the staff level rules were changed so that when a majority of buildings in a garden core did not have additions a proposal for one would have to come before the Commission for a Public Hearing. But if the condition is not actually considered, if the individual character of a garden core is not taken into account, there seems to have been no reason for that change.
LPC determination: no action
PM Item 7
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
147291- Block 1127, lot 61-
313 Columbus Avenue – Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District
A Romanesque Revival/Queen Anne style flats building built in 1889-90. Application is to replace storefront.
While a new storefront would certainly be welcomed here, HDC finds the proposed is not much of an improvement over the existing conditions. 313 Columbus Avenue is a prime candidate for a storefront master plan, and we ask that one be created to move this building in the right direction.
LPC determination: no action
PM Item 5
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
147431- Block 1185, lot 75-
357 West End Avenue – West End Collegiate Historic District
An Eclectic Renaissance Revival style rowhouse designed by Lamb & Rich and built in 1891. Application is to replace windows.
HDC compliments the applicant for the use of wood windows. It would be nice though if the historic diaper pattern was recreated in the upper sashes and a darker paint like what is seen in the historic photos was used. While the windows would be different from others on the building, they would not be too disruptive, as they would be at the top. More importantly the windows would be good examples for future replacements on this Lamb & Rich rowhouse.
LPC determination: approved
Item 12
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
147554- Block 544, lot 20-
439 Lafayette Street – NoHo Historic District
A Renaissance Revival style warehouse building designed by D& J Jardine and built in 1889-90. Application is to establish a master plan governing the future installation of painted wall signs.
While much of the content of this proposed master plan is appropriate and adhere to the guidelines the Commission has followed for the past decade or so, as well as the few previously approved master plans for such signage, HDC continues to be concerned about the issues of photorealism and the number of colors allowed. Much attention is paid to the placement of lot line windows and other alterations to side façades that may draw attention away from primary facades, and similar consideration should be given in the case of painted wall signs. Photorealistic imagery has more depth and visual articulation than simpler graphic images or text and therefore could have more of a visual impact on the protected architectural features of the buildings. In essence, we are concerned that the more detailed the advertisement is, the more the historic buildings transform into mere billboards. A master plan allows an expedited permit for new signs (which we appreciate the need for) without a public hearing. In return though, the master plan should at least conform to the Commission’s guidelines to create simpler signage that balances the need of advertisers and the historic district.
LPC determination: approved
Item 1
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF STATEN ISLAND
148772- Block 2822, lot 12-
1333 Bay Street – St. John’s Episcopal Church, Individual Landmark
An English parish style church with Victorian Gothic style details by Arthur D. Gilman and built c. 1869-71. Application is to install a barrier-free access ramp.
In general, HDC finds the proposed ramp to be a good solution to the issue of accessibility. We just ask that the materials of the ramp and details of the rail be restudied for a more appropriate finish.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 13
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149120- Block 624, lot 1-
585 Hudson Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
A loft building designed by D & J Jardine and built in 1890. Application is to install mechanical equipment at the courtyard.
HDC asks that this project not be approved until renderings and better details of the metal fence are provided so that the proposal’s impact on the streetscape may be evaluated.
LPC determination: approved
Item 5
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
149297- Block 1068, lot 1-
117 8th Avenue – Park Slope Historic District
A Romanesque Revival style mansion designed by C.P.H. Gilbert and built in 1888. Application is to create a new masonry openings and install a door and transom, and to install rooftop HVAC equipment.
HDC supports this application, with the exception of the rooftop mechanicals. While they seem to be placed in the best possible location, they are still very visible on a signature piece of this C.P.H. Gilbert Romanesque Revival style mansion. We ask that other possibilities, such as three shorter units, be investigated.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 15
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN
149586- Block 395, lot 60-
146 Waverly Place – Greenwich Village Historic District
A Greek Revival style rowhouse built in 1839. Application is to construct rooftop bulkheads, demolish and reconstruct rear yard additions and excavate at the cellar and rear yard.
HDC finds the proposed rooftop bulkheads too visible from a number of locations, and we ask that they be restudied. We are more concerned though with the excavation. While HDC is glad that a planting strip is being maintained at the back of the property, the excavation is proposed to go below existing footings. HDC asks that this portion of the proposal be reconsidered for the safety of this 1839 house and its neighbors.
LPC determination: approved
Item 8
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
149708- Block 1143, lot 57-
576 Carlton Avenue – Prospect Heights Historic District
A vacant lot. Application is to construct a new building.
HDC compliments the applicants on the choice of quality materials appropriate to this historic district and on the obvious thought that has gone into designing a modern rowhouse. The base though is problematic as it is difficult to design a contextual rowhouse with a garage. HDC asks that the entrance be differentiated more from the garage so that the two do not meld into a single dark void.
On the rear facade, HDC feels the fourth floor should be set back from the rear wall like rooftop additions are usually treated, to be more in keeping with neighbors.
LPC determination: approved with modifications
Item 9
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN
150892- Block 655, lot 31-
749 Fifth Avenue – Weir Greenhouse, Individual Landmark
A greenhouse building designed by Mercein Thomas and built in 1880 and altered by George Curtis Gillespie in 1895. Application is to demolish an ancillary structure on the same lot as the greenhouse.
HDC is thrilled that Green-wood Cemetery now owns the former Weir Greenhouse and is undertaking a substantial restoration that will result in a much-needed visitors’ center. We had watched the unfortunate deterioration of this building for several years and reported it to the Landmarks Commission as a clear case of demolition by neglect, so we were overjoyed when Green-Wood came to its rescue, at great expense and no little trouble. This was one of the principal reasons that Green-Wood Cemetery was awarded a Grassroots Preservation Award by us in 2012, although the Cemetery’s long-standing commitment to excellence in maintaining and restoring its historic buildings and its remarkable steps towards becoming a public place of history are not to be underplayed. We have concerns though, about approving the demolition of neighboring structures before a plan for replacement is presented and approved. After all, even no-style buildings in historic districts cannot be demolished without Commission-approved replacement buildings. We understand that plans are still in flux for the final project, but demolition is forever. Are the conditions of the additions so dire that stabilization is not an option? That way, the structures could potentially be reused in future plans, plans which are still being drafted.
Much of what is proposed for demolition was constructed at the time of or soon after the greenhouse’s 1895 alteration, an alteration described by the designation report as “so extensive that very little, if any, of the original greenhouse survives.” These pieces have been part of the greenhouse complex for practically its entire existence, or to put it in another context, since before Brooklyn was part of New York City. HDC would prefer to see a scheme that considered incorporating these pieces into the larger plan.
Green-wood is respected as a keeper of so much New York City history, they are a strong neighborhood partner and cultural leader in Brooklyn and have been fantastic stewards of their historic treasure,. HDC hopes that a solution can be found which allows an open discussion of all the future options of this historic building.
LPC determination: no action