August 7, 2007

Statement of the Historic Districts Council before the Landmarks Preservation Commission
Certificate of Appropriateness Hearing

The Historic Districts Council is the advocate for New York City’s designated historic districts and neighborhoods meriting preservation. Its Public Review Committee monitors proposed changes within historic districts and changes to individual landmarks and has reviewed the following applications that were before the Commission.

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 074064
Queens, Block: 8084, Lot: 31
360 Manor Road - Douglaston Historic District
An English Cottage style house designed by M. Ayres and built in 1926. Application is to construct an addition and a garage.

HDC Testimony
HDC approves of the proposed garage – its style, size, and location on the lot are all appropriate for the Douglaston Historic District. While the addition to the home is nicely styled and detailed with 6-over-1 windows and half timbering, it is far too large. We recommend that the addition be scaled down to allow the very charming 1926 home to take the center stage that it deserves.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 078732
Manhattan, Block: , Lot: 52,51
11-13, 15 Leonard Street - TriBeCa West Historic District
An early 20th century commercial style industrial workshop designed by Edward Schneider and built in 1921; and an altered industrial workshop designed by Charles Goldman and built in 1924. Application is to demolish the existing buildings and to construct a new seven-story building.

HDC Testimony
This application brings up the issue of the non-contributing and no-style label given out in historic district designation reports. As time progresses from the date of designation and appreciation of different styles and periods in the city’s history develops, are such buildings doomed forever to be non-contributing? In the case of these two early 20th-century structures, their history is known, including their architects and date of construction. While small, they are both industrial workshops in an industrial neighborhood, a district known for its manufacturing history. That they should not be considered a full part of the district feels short sighted.

Having said that, HDC approves of the proposed building’s design. The structure is well articulated with a level of appropriate detail, massing and materials we would like to see in other new construction and alterations in historic districts. Unlike so many other proposed buildings, this one understands its surroundings. We only wish that it could be built somewhere else.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 077230
Manhattan, Block: 215, Lot: 15
57 Laight Street - TriBeCa North Historic District
A Renaissance Revival style store and loft building designed by Horgan & Slattery and built in 1892-1893. Application is to install entrance doors and storefront infill, and a canopy.

HDC Testimony
HDC is happy to support this application for new storefront infill and entrance doors. We compliment the applicants on both the appropriate design and the high-quality materials chosen to execute it. This is a lovely building deserving of the lovely storefront proposed.

LPC Determination: Approved

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 080118
Manhattan, Block: 1111, Lot: 1
West 100th Street - Scenic Landmark Historic District
A playground, originally constructed in 1936 and rebuilt c. 1972, within an English Romantic style public park designed in 1856 by Olmsted and Vaux. Application is to modify an existing playground, replace fencing and alter pathways.

HDC Testimony
HDC approves of much of this application to make the Adventure Playground at West 100th Street a more accessible and enjoyable playground. With its unique history and design we feel certain key elements should be preserved as far as possible. With this in mind, we offer a few recommendations to make the application more appropriate.

Firstly, we regret the loss of sand. While we quibble with the maintenance reasoning, we do understand the accessibility issue. We feel strongly though that as much sand as possible be retained. The Commission regularly stresses the importance of natural materials over synthetic ones in applications for building alterations. The same, if not stronger, standard should be applied to a landmarked landscape.

In addition, the shapes of the sand areas should reflect that of the playground. Rather than the rectangular spaces proposed, they should retain the organic form that defines the playground itself and many of its elements. Continuing on the theme of natural materials and organic design, we prefer the natural steel finish seen on existing railings and equipment throughout the play ground rather than the proposed powder coated gun metal finish.

Finally, HDC recommends that the playground’s two main features – the conical pyramid and the water area – be preserved. The pyramid’s curved entrance proposed to be removed is important for its aesthetic and practical purposes. It visually frames the tunnel entrance and provides convenient seating and should be retained. While the conical pyramid rises up, the similarly shaped water feature depresses creating a volcano and crater-like contrast fitting for the adventure theme. We would like to see this shape retained, rather than the more teardrop shape proposed, as well as its brick and red glaze tile materials.

HDC appreciates the work that has gone into this proposal and feels that with the changes recommended above it would create a playground that is enjoyable while maintaining important aspects of its original design.

LPC Determination: Approved w/mods

Hearing Date: 8/14/2007
LPC Docket Number: 078393
Manhattan, Block: 1493, Lot: 64
12 East 82nd Street - Metropolitan Museum Historic District
A rowhouse built in 1888-1889 by Edward Kilpatrick, and altered in the neo-Federal and neo-Georgian style in 1920 by Bradley Delehanty. Application is to construct a rear yard addition.

HDC Testimony
HDC opposes this application to construct a rear yard addition as it would completely alter the appearance of the rear façade and calls for the removal of historic fabric. The 1920 neo-Federal and neo-Georgian alteration by Bradley Delehanty gives the present façade special character that would be lost to the more generic stucco and glass of the proposed. We recommend that the plan be modified to incorporate the distinctive arched and bay windows.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 072722
Manhattan, Block: 136, Lot: 25
112-114 Chambers Street - TriBeCa South Historic District
An Italianate style store and loft building built in 1854, and an Italianate style store and loft building built in 1857. Application is to construct a rooftop addition

HDC Testimony
HDC feels this rooftop addition is far too large and visible to be deemed appropriate. Rooftop additions are a particular concern in this the TriBeCa Historic District and the source of much community attention. The application proposes a two-story addition, something regularly turned down by Commission. We recommend that a one-story, less visible alternative be designed.

As the applications to replace the storefronts and alter the rear facades were not included in the notice of Public Hearing, HDC did not review the plans and cannot comment.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 078046
Manhattan, Block: 591, Lot: 62
55 Grove Street - Greenwich Village Historic District
A three-story brick house built in 1839 Application is to alter the façade.

HDC Testimony

That 55 Grove Street needs work is not at question. The work the building deserves should respect the structure’s history and contributions to the historic district. Unfortunately such a plan is not seen here in this application.

The proposed, one large hole that takes away much of the masonry, is out of scale for this small building. The off-kilter, quirky masonry openings would be quite attractive and charming if the façade was cleaned up and basic repairs performed. Its smaller neighbors also show similar arrangements of masonry openings. It would be a shame if this were the first in a domino effect of regularization on this block.

The alterations proposed remove the sense of history from the two most important eras of this structure. The loss of the side door and original brown stone lintels wipes away the Greek-Revival residence era. The removal of the small windows from the mid-20th century removes the memory of a more secretive time in gay history when this vibrant cross-section of New Yorkers was forced to congregate behind closed doors and shut windows. HDC opposes this proposal that harms both 55 Grove Street’s aesthetic charm and visual reminders of its historic importance.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 078240
Manhattan, Block: 218, Lot: 11
428 Greenwich Street - TriBeCa North Historic District
A Romanesque Revival style store and loft building designed by Thomas R. Jackson and built in 1883-1884. Application is to install storefront infill.

HDC Testimony
From what could be gleaned from the two boards offered for public review, the proposed storefront infill is quite nice. There were far too many things missing from this application though for HDC to be able to recommend its approval. There were no historic photos, no material samples or descriptions, and no measurements provided. In addition, the plans presented show only the first and second floors, leaving out three more above. A full height plan should be included to judge the storefront’s relationship to the rest of the building. We urge that the Commission withhold judgment until a full application is presented.

LPC Determination: Approved

Hearing Date: 8/7/2007
LPC Docket Number: 078721
Manhattan, Block: 645, Lot: 39
402-404 West 13th Street - Gansevoort Market Historic District
Two buildings originally built circa 1846-1847, and altered and combined in 1950. Application is to demolish the existing building and construct a new five-story building.

HDC Testimony
HDC is against the demolition of this market building and the construction of a new five-story structure.

The building proposed for demolition was built as two row houses in 1846-1847. Like many other structures in the area, a century later they were combined and altered for use in the market. In this way it embodies the history of the district, its changes from a residential neighborhood to a commercial one. We disagree with the designation report's ruling of this structure as "no style". The title feels rather arbitrary when 426-430 at the end of the block is called "moderne". If not “moderne”, 402-404 West 13th Street should have been labeled "utilitarian”. Like other buildings in the district with this label, it was designed for a very specific purpose and reflects the history for which the district was designated.

The new building proposed is banal, with even less style than the “no style” building. Its primary design feature is its windows, which are too large, and slices of brick walls, which feel too fragile. The building seems unsure if it is a steel frame and terra cotta industrial warehouse or a brick market building with far too many windows. The building does not recall the “sense of place” so often referred to when discussing historic districts. Sadly, the proposed contributes little to the historic district other than more floor space.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

 

 

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