Rendering of proposed building at 74 Grand Street.

Original 19th-century cast-iron facade preserved and stored as part of prior demolition application. On March 19, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application by SoHo Equities to construct a new building at 74 Grand Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The currently vacant lot previously hosted an 1886 neo-Grec store-and-loft building, which was demolished in 2010 because it was structurally unsound. Landmarks granted a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition in 2009 after the owners agreed to disassemble the facade and store its cast-iron components securely, so that the retained elements would be incorporated into any future structure at the site.

Attorney Caroline Harris of Goldman Harris represented the applicants and explained that the historic structure was occupied by a co-op. After an adjoined property was excavated without proper underpinning, the Department of Buildings ordered the occupants to vacate the co-op, and then ordered the building’s demolition. She said the fabric salvaged from the original building was protected and stored in a New Jersey storage facility. The old facade would be reutilized on the new building, but it would be impossible to construct a replica of the original structure because the original structure was not in compliance with the Building Code. Harris said the proposal would integrate the historic material into the new building in a way that would “recognize that something happened.” She further claimed the design was “sensitive and thoughtful in integrating the history and the recent past” by putting a gap between the preserved facade and the rest of the new building. She added that “the design [was] consistent with surrounding buildings,” and was supported by numerous architects whose letters were submitted to Landmarks. The project will require waivers for ground floor commercial use and residential use on the upper stories, height and setback, as well as for additional floor area.

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Rendering of proposed nine-story building at 325 West Broadway. Image Courtesy: DDG.

New project would entail the demolition of two buildings, the restoration of a Wooster Street structure, and the construction of a new nine-story building. On March 12, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a proposal by developer DDG for a new development at 325 West Broadway, at the corner of Wooster Street, in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The application sought to amend a certificate of appropriateness issued in 2007 to a different developer. The project would retain the essential bulk and massing of the previous plan. However, the design of the new building, as well as additions to existing buildings at 23 and 25 Wooster Street, would change.

As in the previous plan, the two buildings facing Wooster Street would be restored. Two mid-20th-century buildings, a garage and a warehouse, would be demolished to make way for the new structure. The new building would be residential, with two ground-floor retail spaces. Sidewalls, partially visible from the street, would be clad in concrete panels. Kramer Levin attorney Valerie Campbell said that the project would retain waivers issued by the Department of City Planning to change the site’s use to residential with ground-floor retail, as well as for height and setback waivers.

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Rendering of 42 Crosby Street project, by Selldorf Architects. Image Courtesy: Historic Districts Council.

Landmark commissioners split on Annabelle Selldorf designs for a five-story building at the streetwall, with set-back four-story tower, faced in glass and aluminum. On December 11, 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Commission heard a proposal for the construction of a new structure at 42 Crosby Street, at the corner of Broome Street. The space, located in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, is currently occupied by a parking lot and garage, which would be demolished. The proposed building would be primarily residential, with ground-floor retail use.

According to Greenberg Traurig attorney Jay Segal, the project would require a special permit from the Department of City Planning because of a text amendment governing new development in the district, and because the lot’s M1-5B zoning does not permit the planned uses. In addition, a permit is needed for a reduction in the amount of accessory parking and for an exterior sun-control device. The building’s base would rise to 71 feet, with the additional four stories setback 20 feet from the facades. The set-back portion would be visible from many nearby vantages.

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Rendering of proposed rooftop addition

Owner of five-story West Broadway building proposed adding set-back two-story rooftop addition. On September 4, 2012, Landmarks considered a proposal by Green 333 Corp. to build a two-story rooftop addition on a five-story building at 422 West Broadway in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension. The building’s 1870s Italianate-style facade was restored in 2005.

At Landmarks’ public hearing, Stephanie Francis from John Furth Peachy Architect, presented the proposal. According to Francis, the design of the set-back addition had been based on other additions within the district. The proposed sixth floor would be set back eleven-feet-six-inches, and the seventh floor would be set back 19 feet. Bulkheads for an elevator and stairs on top of the seventh floor would be set back further. Francis explained that the roof of the seventh floor would be sloped in order to reduce its visual impact. The entire addition would be built 20 feet from the rear facade. While the addition would be minimally visible from directly across the street, the entire north side of the addition would be visible from over the neighboring three-story building. The visible north side wall would be clad in brick. (more…)

Proposed building at 146 Wooster Street. Image: Courtesy of LPC.

Seven-story plus penthouse building on Wooster Street would replace garage and parking lot. On May 3, 2011, Landmarks approved the design for a new seven-story building plus a penthouse at 146-150 Wooster Street in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The building would replace a one-story garage and a surface parking lot. The developer would need to obtain special permits from the City Planning Commission before developing the site, which is zoned for manufacturing.

The BKSK-designed building would utilize fiber-reinforced cast concrete, known as Ductal, and glass. The building’s outer facade would feature a grid of concrete piers of varying dimensions. The concrete piers would be set 28 inches in front of a continuous glass pane. BKSK’s Harry Kendall noted that many contemporary buildings the proportions of cast-iron. Kendall testified that the architectural team thought it would be interesting to “shift emphasis to the cast” rather than the iron.

The building’s projecting cornice would be built between the sixth and seventh stories in order to match the cornice heights of other buildings in the area. The penthouse would be set back 32 feet and would only be visible from limited vantage points. The developer intends to incorporate into the building’s concrete facade artwork created by the Portuguese painter Pedro Calapez. (more…)