May 22, 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: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 077374
Manhattan, Block: 107, Lot: 28, 53-
254 Front Street - South Street Seaport Historic District
And 18 Dover Street. A one-story building and a vacant lot. Application is to amend the design of a previously approved eight-story building and to construct a second six-story building.

HDC Testimony
HDC generally approves of the construction of this six-story building. As we said of the neighboring eight-story building last year, its massing is appropriate and the building references the commercial character of the district in its material and basic design. We particularly like that while the two buildings are in fact one, they have been treated separately, avoiding the look of a singular, overly large structure. There are a few details though that we feel are in need of tweaking.

There appears to be discrepancies on the various boards in the bulkhead and transom heights. HDC feels the larger bulkhead seen in the perspective on board 7 and the slightly smaller transoms pictured in the rendered elevation on board 4 to be the most proportionate combination.

The squarish windows give the building a rather squat, plain, institutional look. More rectangular windows would help strengthen the vertical lines of the building and make the piers feel more like piers. The addition of sills and lintels would give the façade a more interesting appearance and would be more in keeping with the district.

LPC Determination: Approved

Hearing Date: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 074390
Manhattan, Block: 483, Lot: 17
524 Broadway - SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District
A store and loft building designed by Arthur H. Dowditch and built in 1903. Application is to construct a rooftop bulkhead.

HDC Testimony
HDC disapproves of this application to construct a rooftop bulkhead. The combination of its size, height and color makes it highly visible from almost every angle. The building has elevators now, and its bulkheads are not of this height or visibility. We urge the applicant to reduce the bulkhead as much as possible.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 077393
Manhattan, Block: 644, Lot: 56
1-3 9th Avenue - Gansevoort Market Historic District
Aka 49 & 51 Gansevoort Street, a Greek Revival style rowhouse built c.1849 and altered in 1887 and an altered one-story stable building built in 1887. Application is to alter the façade, demolish the one-story building and construct an addition.

HDC Testimony
HDC is opposed to this proposal. The building, on the most prominent, characteristic corner of this district, in its present condition is quite charming. It is disturbing to think that anyone would ever look at this building and think it needed to be changed. This attitude shows a total lack of understanding for the Gansevoort Market Historic District, as do the proposed changes. The glass and zinc façade is far too sleek for the area, polishing away any of its character. Although installed in 1998, the present storefront is much more in keeping with the district than that presented. We are also opposed to the demolition of the one-story stable building. Rather than demolishing it, an addition could be built on the back to achieve the same floor space as the proposed. The LPC Designation Report says these buildings "contribute to the historically-mixed architectural character and varied use…of the Gansevvort Market Historic District.” These contributions should be respected and this proposal turned down.

LPC Determination: Incomplete

Hearing Date: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 076282
Manhattan, Block: 1383, Lot: 1
870 Fifth Avenue - Upper East Side Historic District
A Modern style apartment house designed by William I. Hohauser and built in 1948-49. Application is to alter window openings.

HDC Testimony
Taken alone, the proposed alterations to this group of windows seems harmless, but HDC urges the commission to think of the precedent approval would set and the cumulative affect of similar projects. If permission is granted, what is stopping other apartments from changing their metal casement windows to large, aluminum picture windows? Expanses of picture windows and uneven fenestration would lead to a loss of characteristic verticality so important to the design of these upper floors. Approval of this proposal would set a bad precedent for both this structure and similar Modern style apartment houses.

LPC Determination: Approved

Hearing Date: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 075732
Manhattan, Block: 1196, Lot: 15
31 West 82nd Street - Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District
A Romanesque Revival style rowhouse with Northern Renaissance style elements designed by Edward Chester Smith built in 1886-1887. Application is to alter a window opening.

HDC Testimony
HDC does not object to a door being put in this window opening. The parapet wall however will probably require a railing (it does not appear to be 42", but there were no measurements presented to make sure), and we feel that such a railing should be part of this proposal. Also missing from the presentation was a drawing showing the design of the full door, an important part of the project. We ask that the commission hold this proposal until these two elements are addressed

LPC Determination: Approved

Hearing Date: 5/22/2007
LPC Docket Number: 076651
Manhattan, Block: 2134, Lot: 19
617 West 155th Street - Audubon Terrace Historic District
Two neo-Italian Renaissance buildings, one designed by Charles P. Huntington and built in 1907, and the other designed by William Mitchell Kendall and built in 1921. Application is to construct a connecting addition.

HDC Testimony
HDC is opposed to this proposal for a connecting addition between the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the former American Numismatic Society. The two buildings are already linked by a well-scaled, appropriately designed connection. The proposed is very tall (although it was difficult to tell exactly how tall as there were no measurements included on the drawings), and due to the layout of Audubon Terrace the addition would be very obvious from both the north and the south. The spacing and connections of complex’s buildings are part of a very unified, well thought out plan and should be preserved. We are also concerned about the cutting of new doors into the side facades and wonder why this was not part of the application.

LPC Determination: Approved

 

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