Rendering of restoration and additional stories at 29 Greene St., Manhattan. Image Credit: Gertler & Wente Architects.

Planned four-story addition will reconstruct the historic cast iron facade, add contemporary set-back penthouse. On August 13, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and approved a plan to add four stories to an existing building at 29 Greene Street, Manhattan in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The building, completed in 1878, originally stood at four stories, but a fire reduced it to its current height of two stories. The building will be used for office space with ground-floor retail use.

Architect Larry Wente, of Gertler & Wente, presented the proposal, which would add three stories at the plane of the existing facade, with a sixth story set back fifteen feet. The set back portion would be partially visible from some street vantages. Wente described the building’s current status as that of “a missing tooth on the block.”

In considering a plan for the site, architects determined that enough historic fabric and detail remained on the existing building to retain and restore the cast iron elements on the extant two stories, while replicating its facade on the upper addition. The design for the cornice was drawn from cast-iron buildings of the same time period in the neighborhood, and would likely be made of sheet metal. Three new doors would be installed on the ground floor, and a non–historic sidewalk vault would be removed, while piers and transoms would be restored. The penthouse story would be clad in cement panels, and the sidewalls and rear facade of the lowers stories would be faced in red brick. Wente said they had made the decision to set back the sixth floor because six stories at the street wall would not be a common archetype for a twenty-foot-wide lot.

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321 and 323 Canal Street, Manhattan. Image Credit: Google.

Applicants will retain brick from neglected Federal style row houses’ unstable facades on the verge of collapse. On May 21, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve an application for the demolition of two adjacent structures at 321 and 323 Canal Street in Manhattan’s SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The action was presented as necessary to prevent the imminent collapse of the vacant buildings. Landmarks’ Deputy Counsel John Weiss explained that the application was before Landmarks without a restoration plan because of the dangerous conditions at the site. The front and rear facades of both buildings would be dismantled, and the materials would be stored on site for later reconstruction.

Department of Buildings’ Executive Director of Forensic Engineering Timothy Lynch stated that both the front and rear facades were unstable, and that he recommended their immediate dismantling. Lynch testified that the lime-based mortar on the facades had disintegrated, and the bricks were now essentially resting on “pure sand.” He also said the facades had separated from the walls shared with adjoining buildings, and would be very difficult to stabilize without dismantling. He added that the walls were “unlikely to stay put in the foreseeable future.”

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Rendering of development at 298-308 Lafayette Street, view from Houston Street toward the west. Image Credit: CookFox Architects.

Commissioners embrace plan by CookFox Architects that would replace gas station, garage, bar and billboard. On April 9, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness for the construction of a new, seven-story building at 298-308 Lafayette Street. The three lots face the Puck Building and are at the corner of Lafayette and Houston Streets in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension. The plan calls for the demolition of three existing structures that currently occupy the site. This includes the demolition of the Puck Fair bar, Houston Car Care, a BP gas station, and a billboard. The new building will be used for office and retail space.

Developer Marcello Porcelli, President of LargaVista Companies, said the plan utilizes the site for “a higher and better use” than its current occupants. Porcelli said “we were extremely selective in choosing the right steward for this design process,” and that sustainability was a “guiding principle” of the project.

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Corner lot at 42 Crosby Street. Credit: Google.

Revised plan included a higher street wall, a reduced setback tower, and alterations to the facade design. On February 12, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a revised proposal for a new building on a corner lot at 42 Crosby Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. A parking lot and garage currently occupy the site. Landmarks initially considered a plan for the site on December 11, 2012.

The original proposal called for a new building rising to 71 feet at the street wall, matching the adjacent cornice lines, with an additional four-story tower set back from the front facades. The facade would be composed primarily of molded aluminum and projecting glass windows. Commissioners were split on the appropriateness of the massing, and some asked that design details be further refined. No vote was taken on the original proposal.

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Map of proposed Special Hudson Square district. Subdistrict B was eliminated from the proposal. Image Courtesy: DCP.

Trinity Church committed $5.6 million contribution for Dapolito Recreation Center renovations but open space issues remain at City Council. On January 23, 2013, the City Planning Commission approved Trinity Church’s application to create the Special Hudson Square District. The purpose of the Special District is to maintain commercial office space – mainly occupied by creative industries – that has made the Hudson Square neighborhood distinct while encouraging mixed-use development and a vibrant community. The proposal would retain the area’s M1-6 zoning, which permits only commercial, manufacturing and limited community facility uses, but would add and modify zoning regulations aimed to allow residential and increased community facility uses. The area is generally bounded by West Houston and Canal Streets, Avenue of the Americas, and Greenwich Street. Trinity Church owns approximately 39 percent of the lots within the 18-block proposed Special District. (See CityLand’s past coverage here).

The area’s M1-6 zoning currently does not provide building height limits and setbacks, which has led to out-of-character development in more recent years. The Special District would establish height limits of 185 feet on narrow streets and 320 feet on wide streets as well as setback regulations. The maximum floor area ratio would be 10.0 for non-residential uses and 9.0 for residential uses, with a possibility of 12.0 for participation in the City’s Inclusionary Housing Program. The proposal expects approximately 3,000 new residential units will be added to the Special District as a result of the rezoning.

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