Renovation would retain only facade and sidewalls. On May 19, 2009, Landmarks heard testimony on a plan to convert two Georgian-style rowhouses, located at 43 and 45 West 86th Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District, into a religious preschool. The rowhouses, built in 1895 and 1896, were designed by architect John H. Duncan, designer of Grant’s Tomb in Riverside Park.

Architect Charles Platt, of the firm Platt Byard Dovell White, presented the plan for the new Chabad Early Learning Center. After detailing the extensive restoration planned for the facades, Platt explained that the development included the full demolition of the interior, including the party wall separating the two rowhouses. The new rear facade, proposed as glass and masonry, would feature a multicolored glass stripe on a bay. A one-story addition with a rooftop play terrace would replace an existing rear yard extension. In addition, the design included a rooftop addition and mechanical equipment bulkhead, visible from across West 86th Street, and a new subcellar that would allow additional area without increasing the height. Along the exterior facades, the new building required handicapped-accessible entryways, necessitating the removal of the existing stoops and a new design for the entrance level. Platt noted that the structure would be much smaller than permitted as-of-right under the area’s R10A zoning. (read more…)