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…)

Alterations installed without prior approval. Two owners of separate buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District, 373 Sixth Avenue and 218-224 West 4th Street, sought to legalize work done without Landmarks’ approval. At 373 Sixth Avenue, the owner had installed an internally illuminated projecting sign, flag poles, a new storefront door, and painted the ground floor white. The owner of 218-224 West 4th Street had installed four banners on the West 4th Street and Christopher Street facades. Both owners had received warning letters, and 373 Sixth Avenue had also received a Notice of Violation.

Landmarks declined to legalize the work at both addresses, finding that the 373 Sixth Avenue flagpoles had damaged the 1875 building’s architecture; the signage was excessive; and the modern door was not in keeping with the character of the building. (read more…)

80-room luxury and extended stay hotel approved for vacant site. On August 19, 2003, Downtown Hotels LLC, with principals Robert DeNiro, Ira Drukier and Richard Born, obtained a permit to build a six-story brick and terra cotta luxury hotel on a vacant lot at 377-383 Greenwich Street at the corner of North Moore within the Tribeca West Historic District. The six-story building, with a small penthouse setback from the street, received strong support from Landmarks and Community Board 1 due to its scale and high-quality glazed terra cotta and brick facade.

Finding construction costs prohibitive, Downtown Hotels sought to amend the approved design in September 2004 to add two additional stories and eliminate the terra cotta. Landmarks denied the revision, finding the eight-story height “dominating” and the new material of significantly poorer quality than that originally proposed. (read more…)

Vinyl wall advertisement installed without approval. In response to a June 2, 2004 warning letter, the owner of 600 Broadway, an 1883 loft building located in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, sought to legalize the installation of a Steve Madden vinyl wall advertisement installed on the buildings’ north wall without Landmarks’ approval. Landmarks issued permits to 600 Broadway in the past for wall advertisements including a 47’ x 55’ sign at the east end of the north wall.

Landmarks denied the permit, finding the sign was not in keeping with other wall signs in the district. Noting the size and color palette, it found that the advertisement would overwhelm the scale of the building and the streetscape. Landmarks felt that the juxtaposition of the new sign with the previously approved DKNY painted wall sign, still in place, would detract from the historic district. (read more…)

New two-story house okayed for vacant lot. Geoffroi Flournoy, of BRP Development Corp., sought Landmarks approval to build a twostory, red-brick building at 302 Waverly Avenue, a vacant lot in the Clinton Hill Historic District, Brooklyn. Following three public hearings in 2001 through 2003, the new building was approved based on the design’s replication of other two-story carriage houses within the district.

In approving, Landmarks noted that the design’s proposed cornice, red brick and large wooden garage door related to the existing carriage houses on Waverly Avenue and were in keeping with the historic district. Further, the new building would only be slightly visible from Clinton Avenue, which contains several notable mansions once owned by the Pratt family. (read more…)