Garage demolition, new residential loft building approved

Morris Adjmi design wins praise from Commissioners. On September 9, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on three applications for certificates of appropriateness with respect to adjacent properties at 414-422 Greenwich Street and 401-411 Washington Street in the Tribeca North Historic District. The applications propose the demolition of a 1956 garage, the construction of a new six-story building with a penthouse, and a penthouse addition to an existing 1906 loft building adjacent to the garage.

Architectural historian … <Read More>


Queens car rental agency wins zoning change

Council approves Commission modification demapping two street portions but not a third. On September 24, 2008, the City Council approved GTJ Co., Inc.’s plan, as modified by the City Planning Commission, to rezone its property from C4-2 and R3-2 to C4-1, and demap portions of abutting mapped streets.

GTJ owns Lot 34 of Block 1082 and the entirety of Block 1083, where it operates a Budget Rent-a- Car business. The property is roughly bounded by … <Read More>


Appropriateness disputed despite praise of design

LPC rejects plans for 172 Duane. Photo: Jesse Denno.

Four-story addition opposite Duane Park sent back to drawing board. On June 10, 2008, Landmarks heard testimony on the construction of a four-story addition and penthouse to 172 Duane Street, a two-story building within the Tribeca West Historic District. Built in 1871 as a store-and-loft building, the owners extensively renovated it in 1991 prior to the historic district’s designation. The widely-praised renovation, overseen by architect … <Read More>


St.Vincent’s presents revised proposal

Hospital claims hardship if prohibited from demolishing Seventh Avenue building. On June 3, 2008, Saint Vincent’s Hospital and Rudin Development returned to Landmarks with a revised plan for its controversial hospital expansion and residential development proposed for the Greenwich Village Historic District. Landmarks denied the initial plan, which included the demolition of nine buildings within the historic district and construction of two large towers – a 265-foot residential tower and a 329-foot hospital tower – … <Read More>


New Mixed-Use Bldg. in SoHo-Cast Iron HD Approved

Arpad Baksa-designed, six-story building to be located within corridor between historic Broome and Wooster Streets. On May 7, 2008, the City Planning Commission approved Rocksprings Management Company’s proposal to build a six-story, 12,498-square-foot residential building, with ground-floor retail, at 52 Wooster Street.

Currently, a ten-space parking lot occupies the site, which is located in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District on the corner of Broome and Wooster Streets. Surrounding the site are five- and six-story … <Read More>


Kenneth K. Fisher Shares His Insights on Term Limits, Land Use Law, and Government

Kenneth K. Fisher was born into a political family. The son of Harold Fisher, the former Chairman of the MTA, Fisher “didn’t grow up playing golf or tennis” but rather “handing out flyers” at every election for as long as he can remember. In fact, his earliest memories consist of “campaigning for Hugh Carey and John F. Kennedy.”

After attaining his law degree from Syracuse University, Fisher joined the New York State Energy Research and … <Read More>