Despite residents’ and preservationists’ objections, exterior redesigns for partially-built Great Jones Street hotel approved. On March 16, 2009, Landmarks approved Louis Greco and SDS Great Jones LLC’s application to alter the proposed exterior of a planned thirteen-story hotel at 25 Great Jones Street in the NoHo Historic District. In January 2008, Buildings granted permits for the hotel prior to the historic district’s designation in May 2008. The partially-built structure currently occupies the property. Because of the valid permit, Landmarks had no oversight over the building’s height and massing, but the developer needed Landmarks approval for the proposed revisions to the hotel’s exterior.
At a January 19 hearing, architect Henry Smith-Miller presented the design proposal for the hotel’s skin, entrances, and courtyards. Smith-Miller explained that a stainless steel scrim with botanical etchings would cover the hotel’s glass facades. A 30-foot tall gate of asymmetrical metal slats would be built at the sidewalk edge of the hotel’s Bond Street frontage, and a courtyard fronting Great Jones Street would be hidden behind a planted bamboo stand. Residents and preservationists testifying at the hearing largely opposed the project. Commissioners expressed support for the overall design, and asked the developer to return with revised plans. 7 CityLand 9 (Feb. 15, 2010). (read more…)