Cement coating applied without permits will damage masonry. Without permits, the owner of 315 President Street in the Carroll Gardens Historic District applied an orange, heavy cement-based waterproof coating to the exterior of his 1876 neo-Grec masonry rowhouse believing that it would protect the building, and also altered the windows. Following warning letters from Landmarks, the owner applied to legalize the waterproofing treatment and windows.

Denying both alterations, Landmarks advised the owner that if the acrylic waterproofing treatment remained it would cause serious damage to the brownstone masonry by preventing moisture from escaping. Due to the impermeable nature of the sealant, the masonry would crack during each post-winter thawing and eventually crumble when water became trapped between the sealant and the masonry. Landmarks also found that its orange color conflicted with other brownstones. The waterproof coating, which is specifically designed for permanency, will have to be chiseled off and the brownstone facade reconstructed. Landmarks, commenting to CityLand, noted that it is unfortunate that permits were not sought prior to the sealant’s application because the owner was misled to believe that the coating would protect the historic building. (read more…)

St. Luke’s to construct one-story addition. Landmarks approved renovation plans for St. Luke’s School located at 675 Greenwich Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village Historic District. The St. Luke’s School buildings consist of a gymnasium, constructed in 1926 and designed by Renwick, Aspinwall and Guard, and a school building constructed in 1952. St. Luke’s sought to demolish part of the third floor of the gymnasium at the southern end of the building and construct a visible, one-story rooftop addition set back from the existing parapet wall. The proposal included removal of the top 2 ft. of the existing brick parapet wall at the western portion of the south facade and a 4 ft. increase in the height of the gymnasium parapet on the west facade with brick matching the color, size and texture of the existing wall. St. Luke’s proposed additional aesthetic renovations, including window and entranceway alterations and light fixture installations.

Landmarks approved the proposal, finding that because the addition would be only incidentally visible from the street when viewing the church and other historic buildings, the changes would not adversely affect the historic district. Landmarks also found that the additional aesthetic renovations would not detract from the building or the district. (read more…)

Landmarks designates northeastern Queens suburb a historic district. On December 14, 2004, Landmarks designated the Douglaston Hill Historic District in Queens, a residential park-like community developed between 1890 and 1930, to preserve the special historical and aesthetic values of early twentieth-century architectural styles within the area. The new district consists of 31 freestanding, wooden, single-family homes of Queen Anne, Colonial and Tudor Revival style. Douglaston Hill became one of the first commuter suburbs that marked Queens’ transformation away from small farms and colonial villages. It was also the home of many prominent New Yorkers, including the O’Leary, Stuart and Hamilton families.

At the August 3, 2004 public hearing, Council Member Tony Avella and other public officials spoke in favor of designating the district to preserve styles which are becoming increasingly rare due to over-development or inappropriate alterations throughout Queens. Landmarks noted that the newly created historic district protects the turn-of-century picturesque architectural styles of the rapidly disappearing era of suburban development. (read more…)

DeBeers sought to install its signature colors on landmarked storefront. The DeBeers retail store, located on the ground floor of the St. Regis Hotel, an individual landmark at 699-703 Fifth Avenue at 55th Street, sought to modify a March 2003 approval for new storefront infill. The modifications included replacing the arched windows’ translucent glass with opaque aubergine glass, covering the masonry with opaque aubergine glass, installing white lettering on the aubergine awning, and replacing pin-mounted lettering with metal adhesive lettering. Landmarks denied the application, finding that covering the masonry above the display windows and replacing the arched windows would destroy the pattern of solid and glass. Landmarks also found that the proposed signage would be excessive and the cumulative effect of the changes would draw undue attention. (read more…)

Landmarks approved the proposal, finding that the access changes were well integrated into the building’s design, thus eliminating any discernable impact on the perception of the building from the street. The geometric paving, due to its simple repetitive pattern, would be in the spirit of the original plaza design. Landmarks, noting that the kiosk’s footprint aligns with the pattern of the plaza paving and that the water feature, when off, blends with the material of the steps, found these features complementary to the overall design.Brooklyn Public Library entrance will be enlarged and geometric paving added to plaza. Landmarks approved substantial renovation of the Central Building of the Brooklyn Public Library at 2 Eastern Parkway and Grand Army Plaza. The 1935 Central Building, a Modern Classical structure designed by Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally and built in 1935, was designated in 1997 as an individual landmark. The Library sought a Binding Report to redesign the entrance of the Central Building in order to enlarge the plaza, add an access ramp and alter the entrance steps. Aesthetic changes, such as adding kiosks, a water feature and a geometric- patterned series of paving stones in the library’s plaza, were also proposed. (read more…)