Results tagged “thelandmarkspreservationcommission”

A landmark Tottenville home that caused a bitter fight between its owner and neighbors has entered a new stage of its existence: foreclosure proceedings. The Staten Island Advance reports John Grossi, who bought the 1869 Bedell House in hopes of razing it to build townhouses, is happy to let the bank have the building, "I won't put another dime into the property."

Later today, the city will discuss whether the I.M. Pei-designed Silver Towers should be landmarked. The Observer reported that NYU announced its support today, a reversal from an earlier position over three years ago.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a woman fell from a building at 35th St. and 5th Ave. in Manhattan, a body part was found on 20th Rd. and 18th St. in Queens, and a pedestrian was fatally struck at 50th St. and 6th Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Architects may lose the 408 foot spire that tops off the Freedom Tower because giant antennas may be technologically obsolete. An alliance of broadcasters are considering moving to a different technology and therefore not pay rent to a downtown mega-building.
• The FBI warned Al Sharpton that an inmate at an upstate prison may attempt to harm him via the mail. The inmate has sent several letters already containing a harmless powder, but the Feds want people at his office to err on the side of caution when handling packages and letters.
• The Landmarks Preservation Commission determined that the renovated Guggenheim Museum would remain grey, rather than reverting to the original color of the building selected by Frank Lloyd Wright.
• When striking writers from The Late Show with David Letterman aren't picketing they keep busy blogging.
• The painting that was rescued from the trash by a vigilant dumpster diver with an eye for art was sold at auction for more than $1 million.
• The new biodegradable to-go boxes used by NYU's dining services break down when exposed to heat and moisture. Unfortunately, that means food served hot and moist causes the boxes to leak almost immediately.
• Queens civic leaders want to preserve the Sunnyside Arch. The city's Municipal Arts Commission says that the arch should be redesigned and made more kitschy.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday to landmark eight new sites in four of the city's boroughs - the Bronx loses out. City Room details the new landmarks, which include the Lord & Taylor building, the white brick Manhattan House, two homes on Grand St., the Standard Varnish Works Factory building (its owner thinks the designation is bad for business) and the Greek-Revival style Fillette Tyler Mansion in Staten Island and the Voelker-Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden in Queens. There's a more detailed account of LPC's hearing on Monday here. East Village institutions like Webster Hall and the brick and terra-cotta 11th St. bathhouse, among others, are proposed for designation. The Sun's Eliot Brown has more.

This week, reports the Downtown Express, the Landmarks Preservation Commission recommended that architects incorporate elements of the Battery Maritime Building's original architecture into a proposed plan to renovate and expand the ferry terminal. The Dermot Company seeks to develop a glass boutique hotel (complete with roof lounge) and specialty foods marketplace above the Beaux Arts ferry terminal.

These days people tend to complain about Webster Hall more than they praise it. The drinks are expensive (even a water will set you back 4 bucks), the shows are too early and the nightclubs below the venue's main room are hopping with the B&T crowd. On the other hand, the stage has hosted some great bands, and the lighting always looks nice...so it may just be time to pay some respect to the place as it gets one step closer to being Landmarked.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a modern design for a townhouse to be built at 34 East 62nd Street. The lot, just east of Madison Avenue, has been empty ever since Dr. Nicholas Bartha blew up his home, which seemed like an effort to keep his ex-wife from taking the home as part of their acrimonious divorce settlement.

The planned makeover of Washington Square Park inched closer to reality yesterday following a decision by the state appeals court. The new ruling lifts an injunction imposed last summer in response to allegations that the Parks Department had not sufficiently disclosed its renovation plans to Community Board 2, The Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the Art Commission.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday stalled Aby Rosen and Norman Foster’s proposed glass tower above the 1949 Parke-Bernet building at 980 Madison Avenue. While the commission didn’t formally reject the plan, it did not approve the addition or support a zoning waiver, two requirements for the project to proceed. All but one commissioner said during the public meeting at the Surrogate’s Court building that they could not support the building because of its scale, massing, materials and location.

+ The Landmarks Preservation Commission has been doing its job, but what about the buildings and districts behind the numbers? Meanwhile, 980 Madison developer Aby Rosen says Tom Wolfe “should stick to writing books.”

-- Streetsblog has some coverage of the Houston Street cyclists rally yesterday: "Everybody who lives in this community knows Houston Street is a highway to hell. It's the death street."

It's skateboarders versus the neighborhood as Soho residents and city agencies are eyeing the Greene Street skate shop, Etnies, for its rooftop skate ramp in a historical district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission said, "We received an application from the company, but it was never completed. So the ramp was never approved." Ha - that's totally feeding into the stereotype of irresponsible skaters! Residents have also complained about the noise from the ramp; the Post says that the ramp was "built without protective fencing or construction permits", too! Wow, that is pretty underground. But best of all is Etnies' statement:

"As skateboarders, we are used to this kind of resistance - but it doesn't hold us back! The mini-ramp will continue to be a great investment for etnies in the event the city forces us to remove it. We will donate it directly to New York skateboarders and transport it over to our friends at KCDC [skateboard shop] in Brooklyn who will keep their neighbors awake."

While dog might be man's best friend, it's clear what the importance of a cat who can catch mice is, as the search for Molly, the mouser at British specialty foods store Myers of Keswick who is trapped in a wall, continues to draw interest. Peter Myers, the store's owner, told the NY Times, "She's a mouser, and we want to get her back to work as soon as possible," and speculated to CNN that Molly was laughing at the hubbub. Oh, and mice have returned to the store, given Molly's 2 week absence. The Landmarks Preservation Commission, sensing that the fate of a kitty cat could be more important than being the mean agency that killed a curious cat to keep the historic building up, is allowing rescue workers to remove a wall, saying they could "do whatever is necessary to rescue the cat." Which means drilling holes in the wall. Another option is to dig a hole through the floor of the store. But in the meantime, Animal Care and Control has been doing all sorts of things to try to draw Molly out, from bringing in kittens to mewl and hopefully spark Molly's maternal instinct (let's hope Molly is, in fact, a girl cat) and even bringing in a cat therapist, who used whale and sea gull sounds; ACC asked the therapist to stop, thinking that actually Molly was getting more stressed out. Well, having swarms of people trying to get her out would stress her out, regardless. We suggest the ACC attach some food packs to the backs of some hamsters and set them loose in the wall so Molly can get her energy back up. And Gothamist has a sneaking suspicion the papers will hope for an Easter miracle.