Anna Wintour Battles Light-Blocking Building

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is simply not pleased with a developer's plan to build a condo in her Greenwich Village neighborhood. She put pen to paper (official Vogue letterhead, to be exact) and wrote a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, calling the project "a totally out-of-scale, inappropriate eight-story building" and an "unwelcome intrusion." According to the NY Post she wrote the letter in February 2009, but just last week sent an appeal to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Her actions, as well as those of other outspoken area residents, have allegedly yielded results. The Department of Buildings told the developer they "intended to revoke its approval of the project if its objections were not addressed. Among the objections are that the new building would be too tall." The developer plans to fight the decision, however.

What is it that Wintour finds so unattractive about the proposed plan, which includes a jazz club, an art gallery and six apartments? The building would be on Bleecker Street and block the MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens, a private outdoor space accessible to residents of 22 townhouses — including Wintour's. Aha! Though, we never really pictured Wintour as an outdoorsy type.

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By Jen Carlson in News on January 25, 2010 12:56 PM

Comments [rss]

cucarachita

Yeah, well, nobody likes her. Whose fault is that? And it's not just because she's rich. Ever met her? She's very unlikable.

NannyState

I don't see how a little thing like a building could keep that terrier from burying her bones in the gardens.

duckumu

i love how this post is framed as "anna wintour being an unreasonable bitch" just because she is anna wintour and has money. predictably the comments here have turned in favor of the developer for no rational reason. there are plenty of people living in historic districts in the city who have little money and wouldn't appreciate an out-of-scale building in their neighborhood.

Tim

Duckumu,

I could not agree with you more. As a resident of the neighborhood, I stand against this. I live a block away and am not rich, by any stretch of the imagination. I voted against Quinn because of her hands off attitude toward rancid development (Trump building on Spring, West Village mess, NYU annexation, etc).

I really do not care about her (Wintour's) wealth and business talents but if they help to do the right thing, I am more than happy for it and appreciate anything she, as a community leader, can bring to the table.

kellas

I've seen her go into her townhouse there. Was shocked she lived so closed to the raucous that is Bleeker St. I'm assuming like all ghouls, she leaves to wander the streets on Halloween.

robingee

Ah shut up ya old bag of wrinkles.

tigger2970

I thought vampires were afraid of sunlight?

dr zippy

Why is she writing on Vogue letterhead if the problem concerns her house and not the Vogue office? Does Conde Nast know that she is misusing their brand in this manner?

books

af if there was any doubt the buildings department acts in the interest of the rich only.

look at the 12, 15 and 30 story monstroties blotting the sky in Brooklyn. a million poor people don't equate to 1 rich p*ick. This is America?