Rendering of 327 Bleecker Street. Image Credit: FSI Architecture.

New corner building will use reclaimed brick from the demolished structure to the extent possible and appear largely as the demolished building did circa 1940. On September 13, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve the demolition of the building at 327 Bleecker Street in the Greenwich Village Historic District. The deteriorated and unstable building on the corner lot, which dates to the 1830s, will be replaced with a structure that would reflect how the existing building appeared in the early 20th century. The owners had initially intended to retain and alter the existing building, and received a certificate of appropriateness for planned work in 2012. (read more…)

John Weiss

John Weiss has served as deputy counsel for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission since 2001. Weiss leads Landmarks’ efforts to protect landmarked structures from demolition-by-neglect, and each of his cases reveals a fascinating tale of New York City real estate.

After earning his undergraduate degree in political science and public policy from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Weiss was torn between studying law or architecture. He took time off while at Hampshire to work with the Washington, D.C. Public Defender Service and then for the Belchertown Planning Board in Massachusetts. Weiss also spent a summer in New York City working for the Municipal Art Society. He returned to MAS after graduating, where he helped form the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts.

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74 Grand Street. Photo: CityLand.

Owner will store cast-iron facade after damaged building is demolished. On September 22, 2009, Landmarks approved SoHo Equities Inc.’s application to demolish a George DaCunha-designed five-story loft building at 74 Grand Street, in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. According to Landmarks Deputy Counsel John Weiss, for many decades 74 Grand Street’s five-story building leaned approximately 10 inches to the west. In 2004, as a result of excavation and construction work at the neighboring site at 72 Grand Street and heavy rains, 74 Grand Street shifted approximately 14 inches further. The City vacated the building and contractors installed emergency shoring and bracing. Despite these efforts, the building has continued to shift. Under the approved application, the owner will demolish the building and disassemble and store the damaged structure’s historic cast-iron facade for future reinstallation at the current site.

At the hearing, Tim Lynch, the Executive Director of Buildings’ Forensic Engineering unit, testified that 74 Grand Street, which sits atop an 18th century marsh, is “very unstable” and currently leaning 30 inches to the west. Lynch explained that 74 Grand Street’s condition has also caused the buildings at 76 and 78 Grand Street to shift, noting that 78 Grand Street has migrated five inches since 2005. (read more…)