Redesign will feature a glass cube in the center of the plaza and a more accessible public space. On June 23, 2005, the City Council approved a text amendment to the Special Midtown District allowing renovations to the General Motors building plaza, located at 767 Fifth Avenue between East 59th and East 58th Streets. The text amendment was necessary to alter the street wall and retail continuity requirements, which require that larger developments be built at the street wall.
The most prominent feature in the plaza’s redesign will be the construction of a 32-foot transparent glass cube in the center of the plaza fronting Fifth Avenue. The cube will contain an elevator and a glass stairway and will serve as an entryway to a 25,000-square-foot underground retail space. Other renovations to the Fifth Avenue frontage include regrading the plaza to lower its overall height, and adding two reflecting pools, tables and chairs, trees and planters, and a wide stone ledge around its perimeter for added seating. Renovations will also take place on the Madison Avenue side of the building, which will lose its open area when the retail space is extended out to the property line. (more…)
Renowned fashion designer sought to increase light and space of studio. Designer Diane von Furstenberg sought alterations to her existing retail studio located at 440-442 West 14th Street in the Gansevoort Market Historic District. Developed in 1887, the building is an example of neo-Grec and Queen Anne style French flats, which contribute to the special architectural and historic character of the district.
Von Furstenberg and architect Daniel Wood of the Work Architecture Company proposed to alter the front facade by installing a new glazed storefront, a metal and corrugated glass wraparound canopy and new single-paned windows. Also proposed were a metal-clad rear yard addition, an asymmetrical rooftop addition and a laminated stone and glass skylight, to facilitate more natural light in the studio. (more…)
DCP Director Dan Garodnick, Council Members Crystal Hudson and Chi Ossé, and Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue join together to announce the details for renovations to St. Andrew’s Playground, which is part of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan. Image Credit: NYC Planning.
On September 7, 2023, the New York City Mayor’s Office and New York City Department of City Planning released plans for new affordable senior homes and a revamp of St. Andrew’s Playground in Central Brooklyn. The departments’ objective was to further their ‘Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan’ by building in a zone of Brooklyn that has been stifled by restrictive zoning regulations. (more…)
Image credit: NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.
On September 8, 2023, the Parks Department was joined by elected officials, community members, and menswear Les Deux to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the newly renovated basketball courts in Washington Market Park in Tribeca. The park is located on Chambers Street between West Street and Greenwich Street. (more…)
Image Credit: NYCHA.
Earlier this summer, the New York City Housing Authority announced its plan to completely rebuild the Fulton and Elliot-Chelsea Houses. Essence Development and Related Companies, the resident-selected partner team that will develop the new buildings. (more…)
