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.
Rendering of Rainbow Room renovation. Image Courtesy: Gabellini Sheppard.
Approved plans would retain and restore remaining original elements of interior landmark, while replacing the dance floor and altering the wall, floor, and ceiling surfaces. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve a renovation plan for the Rainbow Room on January 8, 2013. The interior landmark, on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Plaza, was designated by Landmarks on October 13, 2012 and approved by the City Council on December 18, 2012.
The Rainbow Room, which was first opened in 1934, was designed by the firm Associated Architects, under the supervision of architect Wallace K. Harrison and interior designer Elena Bachman-Schmidt. The historic nightclub and restaurant features double-height windows, opulent chandeliers and sconces, a circular dance floor, and a domed ceiling. The room underwent an extensive renovation in 1987, overseen by architect Hugh Hardy. The Rainbow Room has been closed since 2009. (more…)
Port Authority seeks proposals for restoration of former TWA terminal at JFK airport. Designed by architect Eero Saarinen, the building was TWA’s terminal from 1962 until 2001. The main building consists of four reinforced-concrete vaults separated by narrow skylights, and is flanked by two wing-shaped, single-story extensions. Two elevated oval tubes made of steel framing with a stucco finish connect the main structure to the flight wings.
In 1994, Landmarks designated the interior and exterior of the terminal building, the two connecting tubes, and one of the flight wings as an individual landmark. (more…)
The Loeb Boathouse. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
On February 16, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue announced the new selection of Legends Hospitality for the operator of the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park for a ten-year term. The Loeb Boathouse is located on the eastern shore of the 72nd Street Lake, with a dining room that opens up onto the lake, and also includes an indoor bar, snack bar, an events room, a public courtyard, and rowboat rentals. (more…)
