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Statement of the Historic Districts Council
Certificate of Appropriateness Hearing
2/3/2009
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 093663
Brooklyn, Block: 326, Lot: 24
15 Tompkins Place - Cobble Hill Historic District
A Greek Revival style rowhouse built in the 1840s. Application is
to construct a rear yard addition.
HDC Testimony
This is a special row within the Cobble Hill historic district,
noted in the designation report for its "pleasing variety within
a certain uniformity". This balance is reflected both on the
buildings' street facades as well as their rears. While the rear
of a building in any rowhouse district is important from a planning
and development point of view, the composition of these buildings'
rear yards was always an important aspect of their design, as evidenced
by the large depth of the lot. These buildings were built before
zoning or any codified concept of appropriate lot coverage, so why
didn’t the designers take more advantage of their generous
lots? It is obvious, from their design that the vast open space
in the back of thee buildings was intentional and part of their
original plan.
Therefore, the proposal to extend the back of the building by 7
on in some cases 10 feet violates the historic design principle
of not only this house, but the whole row. By penetrating the rear
open space in this way, this proposal is transforming this Cobble
Hill Greek Revival row house into something it is not and it should
not be allowed.
With regard to the actual design of the additions, the fenestration
pattern is frankly too generic and bland for a building of this
style. Historically, Greek Revival had much more interesting fenestration
than what is being offered. Especially when compared to the new
windows next door, these windows look rather corporate.
Finally, the staircase bulkhead is obviously visible, and placing
it atop the tallest building in a row will only make it stand out
more.
LPC Determination: Incomplete
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 095413
Manhattan, Block: 173, Lot: 19 & 20
78 and 80-82 Leonard Street - TriBeCa East Historic District
A Second Empire style store and loft building, built in 1864-65,
and an Italianate style store and loft building, designed by James
H. Giles and built in 1860-1862. Application is to construct a rooftop
addition.
HDC Testimony
HDC's committee was frankly taken aback by this proposal. To begin
with, when we reviewed the many board, the proposal itself was particularly
obscure and seemed more interested in proving a philosophical point
than clearly showing what was proposed. It was also lacking some
important information, for a proposal so dependent on its materials,
a materials board would have been very welcome.
A proposal such as this one asks big questions about the definition
of appropriate in a historic district and what kind of guidance
should the LPC give for new additions to historic buildings. Fortunately,
these are fairly well-trod grounds and HDC feels no hesitation in
saying that this proposal is not appropriate for the Tribeca East
Historic District and is not the direction that new additions to
historic buildings should be headed. The philosophical reason behind
our objection is our belief that, in the end, an addition should
be subservient to the original historic building or at the very
least be neutral towards it. This addition does not behave in that
way - it bridges two separate buildings in a singularly ungainly
manner. The rooftop addition does not look like part of a building,
but rather a boulder that has been placed atop two buildings - or
perhaps an odd inflatable float that has been tethered to them.
The addition is not referential to the buildings at all, which can
be a design goal, but in a historic district, one strives for a
connection to context and the preservation of a sense of place.
This addition is simply not a good neighbor to its extraordinary
historic brethren and it's not fantastically innovative enough to
cast a new light on these old buildings.
LPC Determination: Approved
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 092948
Manhattan, Block: 520, Lot: 85
5 King Street - Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District
An Anglo-Italianate style apartment building built in 1846. Application
is to alter the fa?ade, install a new storefront, and install a
barrier-free access ramp.
HDC Testimony
While HDC does not have any major issues with the majority of this
application, we were concerned about the three new window openings
on the southern end of the fa?ade. They seem discordant to the new
openings to the north, and we would strongly recommend that they
be rethought to better fit with those openings.
LPC Determination: Approved
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 096019
Manhattan, Block: 646, Lot: 18
440 West 14th Street - Gansevoort Market Historic District
A building built in 1852 and altered as a utilitarian style market
building in 1923 by James S. Maher. Application is to alter ground
floor openings and install new infill.
HDC Testimony
HDC finds this storefront to be too open and too glassy and requests
that the existing masonry in the opening be retained. So little
of the industrial past of this district is left, that we must preserve
what vestiges that remain.
LPC Determination: Incomplete
Hearing Date: 8/5/2008
LPC Docket Number: 091285
Queens, Block: 8065, Lot: 25
240 Ridge Road - Douglaston Historic District
A Tudor Revival style house designed by Henry Kiefer and built in
1930. Application is to amend Certificate of Appropriateness 07-9921
for construction of additions.
HDC Testimony
This addition would be a tight squeeze into this space. Much time
and careful thought was taken by commissioners, and surely by staff
and the applicant, in 2006 and 2007 to create a proposal that was
approvable. The proposed now seems to be taking the project back
in the direction of what was first proposed, before commissioner’s
input. HDC recommends that the design of the 2007 approval be retained.
LPC Determination: Incomplete
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 093282
Manhattan, Block: 497, Lot: 11
550 Broadway - SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A store building designed by R.G. Hatfield in 1854, and altered
in 1901. Application to install a marquee and signage.
HDC Testimony
HDC has concerns with this application and would urge that it be
modified. In the process of regularizing signage, one should keep
to the existing pattern, not modify it. Therefore, we feel that
the letters on the signband should start on the signband and then
travel up, like the Banana Republic sign next door, rather than
being placed directly atop the signband. Furthermore, we are concerned
about the sheer amount of signage, there seems to be a great deal
of it on the windows. Finally, HDC strongly objects to the signage
on the second floor windows, even if that might have been a historic
condition, if we can pick and chose which historic features to revive,
we don't choose that one.
LPC Determination: Approved w/mods
Hearing Date: 2/3/2009
LPC Docket Number: 092108
Manhattan, Block: 1128, Lot: 49
28 West 76th Street - Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic
District
A Renaissance Revival style rowhouse with Romanesque elements designed
by Gilbert A. Schellenger and built in 1891. Application is to alter
the rear fa?ade and construct a rear yard addition.
HDC Testimony
HDC does not object to the bulk of this rear yard addition. Unlike
other recent proposals, this infill does not intrude into the open
space of the garden core. However, the fenestration and details
are severely lacking. This addition has a very commercial, "white
brick" building look that would be more well-suited to Lenox
Hill Hospital than this lovely building on one of the Upper West
Side's most beautiful streets. We recommend that the fa?ade treatment
and fenestration of this addition be rethought to better compliment
this handsome building.
LPC Determination: Approved w/mods
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