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Landmarks
929/931/933 Broadway, between 21st and 22nd Streets, application to completely restore three landmark facades previously approved, and construct new industrial/office building in the rear with partial visibility from the street
WHEREAS, this application is for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the construction of a new industrial/office building in the rear, with partial visibility from the street at 929/931/933 Broadway, in the Ladies’ Mile Historic District; and
WHEREAS, The three Italianate dwellings, constructed in 1846, (architect unknown), each three-stories high, 18 to 20 feet-wide, are located in the middle of the block; and
WHEREAS, The buildings have a modern glass and metal storefront on the first floor, and above the first floor the façade is made of brick; and
WHEREAS, The buildings are showing rows of three, continuous, show-windows framed in wood, the row at the second story is topped by a row of wooden recessed panels, and a detailed and modillion metal cornice surmounts the whole; and
WHEREAS, The buildings were converted to commercial use between 1869 and 1890; and
WHEREAS, The applicant is Bear USA, a garments company that manufactures t-shirts; and
WHEREAS, The buildings will become the headquarters of the company and will host a light manufacturing assembly line of garments which will bare the label “Made in NY”, creating fifteen jobs; and
WHEREAS, The complete restoration of the existing landmark facades also includes removal of the blue paint from brick and building details, demolition of the existing non-historic storefronts, selection of new materials to match the existing for all new storefront construction, repair of any damaged landmark bricks, complete repainting of the existing brickwork, repair and replacement of all existing architectural work to match the existing historic detail work, installation of new thermal insulated glass and wood frame windows for the second and third floors, to match the existing window and frame details, and installation of new storefronts to integrate with the existing landmark façade restoration; and
WHEREAS, This complete restoration has already been approved; and
WHEREAS, The applicant is proposing the construction of a new “stepped-back” building profile on the fourth floor and the fourth floor mezzanine; and
WHEREAS, This new addition, made of grey-painted, anodized aluminum will be set back 27 feet, 6 inches, and will slope from 22 feet 6 inches to 7 feet 2 inches; and
WHEREAS, The new addition will not be visible from the sidewalk directly across the street, but will be visible from other points of Broadway and the adjacent streets; and
WHEREAS, At the Board’s request, a markup was installed, and shows that the new construction will be partially visible from Broadway at the corner of 22nd Street, and almost entirely visible from 22nd Street; therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That Manhattan Community Board Five recommends denial of the Certificate of Appropriateness for the complete renovation of three landmark facades previously approved and the construction of a new industrial/office building in the rear with partial visibility from the street.
The above resolution failed with a vote of 12 in favor, 16 opposed, 1 abstention.