Proposed addition approved almost three years after initial proposal. On October 13, 2009, Landmarks voted to approve Aby Rosen and RFR Holdings LLC’s proposal to build a four-story addition to the former Parke- Bernet Galleries building at 980 Madison Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side Historic District. The application had changed dramatically since January 2007 when Landmarks rejected architect Norman Foster’s proposal calling for a 26- story tower on top of the existing five-story building. 4 CityLand 9 (Feb. 15, 2007). The original plan drew significant comment from local residents and prominent citizens, including artist Jeff Koons, who spoke in support, and author Tom Wolfe, who opposed the project.

Foster and Partners architect Brandon Haw presented the revised design, which proposed a three-story addition plus a penthouse. Haw said that the addition’s “appropriateness to the Upper East Side” was a guiding principle in the revised proposal. The addition will be flush with the existing building’s cornice, but will feature an indentation that separates it from the original structure. Haw explained that a light-colored aluminum scrim will cover the addition’s facade, which will setback two feet. The scrim will create a varying amount of transparency of the layered facade depending on the viewer’s perspective. The design includes curved corners that Haw described as “a moderne, streamlined architectural motif.” Other aspects of the project include restoring the original building’s facade and removing its non-historic roof and rear additions. (read more…)