Approval included changes in response to Commissioners’ comments. On October 16, 2007, Landmarks voted to issue a certificate of appropriateness to allow construction of a five-story townhouse at 34 East 62nd Street, located between Madison and Park Avenues in the Upper East Side Historic District. The approved building will replace an 1882 townhouse that was destroyed in 2006 by a gas explosion in an apparent suicide. It will feature a limestone exterior with a combination of opaque and clear curtain-wall windows.

When Landmarks previously considered the building’s design, neighbors and preservationists criticized its stark contrast to other buildings on the block, fifth-floor balcony’s large overhang, and recessed entrance. Landmarks closed the hearing without a vote but asked the architect to amend his designs, particularly with respect to the recessed entrance. 4 CityLand 142 (Oct. 15, 2007). (read more…)

Local residents oppose proposed design. On September 18, 2007, Landmarks held a public hearing on the controversial proposal from developer Janna Bulluck to construct a modern five-story townhouse at 34 East 62nd Street in the Upper East Side Historic District to replace the 1882 townhouse destroyed by a gas explosion in 2006.

Located between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, the original brownstone once served as headquarters for “The Room,” an upper-class club that later served as a center for intelligence and espionage during the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. (read more…)