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Landmarks
50 West 23rd Street, application for exterior renovation
WHEREAS, An application has been submitted to The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to remove and replace existing elements of the exterior façade of 50 West 23rd Street, located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, in the Ladies Mile Historic District; and
WHEREAS, The building known as 50 West 23rd Street is composed of two structures:
1. A eleven story through block building located at 48-54 West 23rd Street and 37-41 West 22nd Street, designed by Walter Monroe Cory of Cory & Cory Architects, and erected in 1954-56 for the Frank Shattuck Corporation, and
2. A thirteen story building located at 43-49 West 22nd Street, designed by Russell G. Cory of Cory & Cory Architects, and erected in 1925-26 for the Frank Shattuck Corporation; and
WHEREAS, The buildings which had originally been used as a bakery, candy factory, food processing plant, and offices, notably for Schrafft's, were constructed with crème colored cast concrete façades, predominantly Moderne in style, with some Art Deco elements; and
WHEREAS, At the present time, the existing conditions are resultant of a 1970s renovation, which added a stone base course, and steel canopies to the building at 48-54 West 23rd Street; and
WHEREAS, The proposed renovations would include removal and replacement of the existing façade cladding, three storefronts, lobby entry, and four canopies at the ground floor of 48-54 West 23rd Street; and
WHEREAS, The proposed new façade cladding would be dark grey, smooth finished Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete ("GFRC") panel, with sandblasted triangular patterned detailing; and
WHEREAS, The three proposed new storefronts would be almost entirely composed of glass, which would sit on top of a +/- 4" high stainless steel base; and
WHEREAS, The proposed new canopies would be composed of glass which has a white dot pattern scored by clear areas forming triangular patterned detailing; and
WHEREAS, The new canopies are proposed to be illuminated with LED fixtures; and
WHEREAS, Signage for the three retail tenants would be blade signs that are incorporated into the new canopies as well as signage applied to the interior of the storefront glass; and
WHEREAS, In addition to the proposed renovation of 48-54 West 23rd Street, at the entry to the 43-49 West 22nd Street building, the applicant proposes to install a new white dot patterned glass canopy; and
WHEREAS, Although the glass storefronts in many of the buildings in the Ladies Mile Historic District typically sit on top of a substantial base course, storefronts in many Moderne industrial building erected in the 1950s have minimal base courses, similar to the proposed +/- 4" high stainless steel base; and
WHEREAS, The proposed illuminated glass canopies with triangular patterned detailing seem somewhat contemporary in style, and a departure from the otherwise subtle detailing in the existing historic fabric of the building; and
WHEREAS, Although the usage of GFRC panels for the ground floor façade of this predominantly historic cast concrete structure may seem appropriate and distinguishing the base of a building from the upper portion through contrasting color can be seen throughout the Ladies Mile Historic District, we believe that the proposed façade's sandblasted triangular patterned detailing would be inharmonious with this landmark; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the application for permission to remove and replace the exterior façade of 50 West 23rd Street.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 31 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining.