Certificate of Appropriateness Testimony
LPC-23-04408
11-15 East 26th Street – Madison Square North Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A neo-Gothic style store and loft building designed by Rouse & Goldstone and built in 1912- 13. Application is to install storefront infill, a revolving door and a marquee, remove interior lot-line walls, reconstruct and alter the parapets and install railings, construct rooftop additions and install mechanical equipment.
Architect: Rockrose, Vocon, MdeAS, HQ Partners
HDC finds this application for a facade restoration to be appropriate, elegant and very well done.
Action: Unanimously approved
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PUBLIC MEETING ITEMS
Did you know?: If No Action is taken on an LPC Public Hearing Item, the applicant may return to the Commission to present their revised proposal at a subsequent Public Meeting. Though no public testimony is taken on Public Meeting Items the public can submit testimony on these items in writing prior to the hearing, which LPC staff shares with the commissioners. HDC reviews all Public Meeting Items, and submits testimony in writing to the LPC.
The LPC hearing on January 31st featured an unusually high number of Public Meeting Items. Below is a selection of HDC’s written testimony for the the hearing’s Public Meeting Items.
LPC-22-09533
60 Wall Street
MISCELLANEOUS – AMENDMENT
A Postmodern style office tower designed by Roche-Dinkeloo and built in 1985-1989 pursuant to a special permit under Zoning Resolution Section 74-79, which found a harmonious relationship between this building and the lndividual Landmark at 55 Wall Street, a Greek Revivalstyle exchange building designed by Isaiah Rogers and built in 1842, with an addition designed by McKim, Mead and White and built in 1907. Application is to amend CR 85-004 (LPC 84-0715) to alter the base of 60 Wall Street.
Architect: KPF
HDC is very pleased to see the changes made to this application, which now preserves the harmonious relationship between 55 and 60 Wall Street. We feel the proposal has been vastly improved, and we support these changes, with the exception of the downgrade in materials from bronze to aluminum on the proposed glass wall trim. We believe the material integrity of 60 Wall Street, which stands out as one of the finest examples of postmodern architecture in New York, should be maintained.
Given the building’s prominence within postmodern architecture, HDC has been very vocal in our support for designating 60 Wall Street. We find the proposed changes to be appropriate for a building worthy of landmark designation, and we continue to urge the commission to move swiftly ahead with calendaring 60 Wall Street for consideration as an interior and exterior landmark.
Action: Unanimously approved
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LPC-22-11159
43 Barrow Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A Federal style rowhouse built in 1828. Application is to construct a rooftop addition, alter the facade and excavate the cellar.
Architect: SUK
HDC appreciates this significant improvement over the previous proposal. We feel the project is headed in the right direction. We believe, however, that the detailing, proportions and materiality of the rooftop addition remain out of scale with the surrounding buildings. Additionally, the visibility of the two condensing units is problematic. Perhaps the applicant could explore extending the party walls up in brick to conceal these mechanical units.
Action: No Action
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LPC-23-03274
768 Fifth Avenue – The Plaza Hotel – Individual and Interior Landmark
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A French Renaissance style hotel designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh and built in 1905- 1907, with an addition designed by Warren & Wetmore and built in 1921. Application is to replace terracotta with glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) units.
Architect: Howard L. Zimmerman, Acheson Doyle Partners
HDC believes that the applicant is trying to find a way to perform slightly less remedial structural repair work than is needed. Exposing the outriggers back to the inboard spandrel beam and either repairing those or replacing them with new galvanized tubes is likely the better and more thorough repair. Once the outriggers are properly restored or replaced, the weight of replacement terra cotta will be easily accommodated. We would also note that 1100 pounds of GFRC falling to the street will be just as deadly as 1650 pounds of terra cotta. We say this because the real issue here is the need to repair the primary underlying structural condition.
Action: Unanimously approved
LPC-22-11297
22 East 81st Street – Metropolitan Museum Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A rowhouse, originally designed by Thom & Wilson and built in 1883-84, and remodeled c. 1977 with a new stucco façade. Application is to reclad the façade, replace windows and modify openings.
HDC believes that this proposal has not been further developed since the previous hearing, and comments made at that time by the commissioners and by HDC are still relevant. The hierarchy of the window and door enframements remains unresolved. Further, the proposed detailing of the building’s stone cladding is awkward and in need of more careful study and execution. We also note that one-inch thick limestone cladding is not sufficiently thick enough to resist freeze-thaw cycles. HDC asks the Commission to continue to work with the applicant to further study and refine this scheme.
Action: No action
