Rendering of development at 298-308 Lafayette Street, view from Houston Street toward the west. Image Credit: CookFox Architects.

Commissioners embrace plan by CookFox Architects that would replace gas station, garage, bar and billboard. On April 9, 2013, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness for the construction of a new, seven-story building at 298-308 Lafayette Street. The three lots face the Puck Building and are at the corner of Lafayette and Houston Streets in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension. The plan calls for the demolition of three existing structures that currently occupy the site. This includes the demolition of the Puck Fair bar, Houston Car Care, a BP gas station, and a billboard. The new building will be used for office and retail space.

Developer Marcello Porcelli, President of LargaVista Companies, said the plan utilizes the site for “a higher and better use” than its current occupants. Porcelli said “we were extremely selective in choosing the right steward for this design process,” and that sustainability was a “guiding principle” of the project.

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Rendering of proposed rooftop addition

Owner of five-story West Broadway building proposed adding set-back two-story rooftop addition. On September 4, 2012, Landmarks considered a proposal by Green 333 Corp. to build a two-story rooftop addition on a five-story building at 422 West Broadway in the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District Extension. The building’s 1870s Italianate-style facade was restored in 2005.

At Landmarks’ public hearing, Stephanie Francis from John Furth Peachy Architect, presented the proposal. According to Francis, the design of the set-back addition had been based on other additions within the district. The proposed sixth floor would be set back eleven-feet-six-inches, and the seventh floor would be set back 19 feet. Bulkheads for an elevator and stairs on top of the seventh floor would be set back further. Francis explained that the roof of the seventh floor would be sloped in order to reduce its visual impact. The entire addition would be built 20 feet from the rear facade. While the addition would be minimally visible from directly across the street, the entire north side of the addition would be visible from over the neighboring three-story building. The visible north side wall would be clad in brick. (read more…)

Extension encompasses 135 properties bordering the east and west sides of the original historic district. On May 11, 2010, Landmarks voted to designate the SoHo-Cast Iron District Extension. The extension includes 135 properties and consists of two subsections bordering the eastern and western sides of the original 1973 SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District. The eastern subsection includes portions of Crosby and Centre Streets between Houston and Canal Streets, and the western subsection includes buildings on the west side of West Broadway.

The area is characterized by store and loft buildings that were built after the Civil War and helped transform the residential neighborhood to an active commercial zone in the late nineteenth century. Architectural styles displayed in the district include Second Empire, Renaissance Revival, and Italianate. (read more…)

Proposed extension of SoHo-Cast Iron district.

Proposed extension includes two subsections consisting of 135 properties. Landmarks heard extensive testimony on a proposal to extend the SoHo- Cast Iron Historic District to include 135 properties in two subsections bordering the east and west sides of the existing district. The western subsection includes buildings on West Broadway’s western side between Houston and Grand Streets. The eastern subsection is larger and includes portions of Crosby, Lafayette, and Centre Streets between Houston and Canal Streets.

The proposed extension includes cast-iron and masonry commercial buildings from the post- Civil War era that are similar in period and style to buildings within the historic district’s current boundaries. The extension also features architecture in the Italianate, Second Empire, and Romanesque Revival styles. Mary Beth Betts, Landmarks’ research director, said Landmarks had received several expansion proposals from community groups and individuals, and noted that the submitted proposal represented the results of a staff-conducted survey. (read more…)