Gothamist: No Green Light (Yet?) for 980 Madison Ave.

BKYLN resident

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:07:31 -0500

Except that it's not. The entire master plan includes eminent domain, which means that they are taking up land where people currently live. There are actually buildings, few but some, that in the wake of the planning of AY, that tried to get landmarked, but were unsuccesful, which probably made it easier to approve the project in the end. But, had they been landmarked, that would have been very different...

S

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:03:51 -0500

"Now, how come when it comes to Brooklyn and the Atlantic Yards, which affects multiple neiborhoods, was it so easy for that to go up, but not this one building in one neighborhood?" I'd imagine one big difference is that the Foster tower is going on top of an existing ("historic") building, whereas AY is going on top of empty railyards.

BKYLN resident

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:44:40 -0500

This from ArtsJournal.com "The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission resoundingly rejected a proposal yesterday to build a 30-story glass tower designed by Norman Foster atop a 1949 building on Madison Avenue. The decision was a major victory for a coalition of Upper East Side residents who argued that the tower would rend the fabric of their historic neighborhood." Now, how come when it comes to Brooklyn and the Atlantic Yards, which affects multiple neiborhoods, was it so easy for that to go up, but not this one building in one neighborhood?

MT

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:41:08 -0500

It's a beautiful building. I hope it gets built somewhere.