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Landmarks

September 2013, Landmarks Committee

109-113 West 57th Street, Steinway Hall, application for: (a) Exterior alterations to the existing landmark building and (b) Interior alterations to create a new entrance to the landmark Steinway & Sons Reception Room.

At the scheduled monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, September 12, 2013, the Board passed the following resolution by a vote of 36 in favor; 3 opposed; 1 abstaining:

WHEREAS, An application has been submitted to LPC which requests permission to perform exterior alterations to the designated Landmark known as "Steinway Hall" at 109-113 West 57^th Street, a 16 story Neo-Classical style building, commissioned by the renowned piano manufacturers Steinway & Sons, constructed by Thompson-Starrett Co. in 1924-25 to the design of architects Warren & Wetmore, designated as individual Landmark on November 13, 2001; and

WHEREAS, The application also requests permission to perform interior alterations to the designated Landmark known as "Steinway & Sons Reception Room" , the double-height octagonal rotunda which is visible from West 57^th Street, widely considered to be one of New York City's most impressive Neo-Renaissance style interiors, which was designated as an Interior landmark on September 10, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Steinway Hall is L-shaped in plan, comprised of four elements:

• The West 57^th Street façade, 63 feet of frontage, clad in Indiana Limestone with a polished pink granite water table, rising 12 stories before setting back with a 4 story tower, which is capped by a set-back penthouse story. The eastern wall of this façade is also visible and is clad in Indiana Limestone above the fifth story, and in brick below.
• The West 58^th Street façade, 100 feet of frontage, tan brick, Indiana Limestone and terracotta, with setbacks above the ninth and twelfth stories.
• The Inner Courtyard at the building's central core. As stated in the designation report, this is capped by a "campanile-like mechanical/tank tower with a steep pyramidal roof and large lantern."
• A rear yard low rise building, which is window-less and clad in structural brick. This had been used as storage space. This element became part of the public view subsequent to designation due to demolition of the adjacent building, which formerly housed the Ritz Thrift Shop; and

WHEREAS, Steinway Hall has been subject to nine decades of harsh freeze-thaw conditions inherent to the climate of the Northeast, as well as acid rain which had periodically been typical in New York City, and like most stone and masonry structures this requires some maintenance and restorative work; and

WHEREAS, JDS Development Group, Steinway Hall's current owners are proposing to perform the following list of restorative work and alterations to the existing building:

• To clean the masonry cladding and architectural elements, and to repoint the stone and brick within the West 57^th Street and West 58^th Street facades.
• To remove existing brick at the eastern wall of the West 57^th Street façade and to replace this with Indiana Limestone cladding and cornice to match the southern façade wall
• To create new window openings on the fourth story at the eastern wall and to install windows matching those at the fifth story and above.
• To perform a restoration of the copper roof capping the penthouse story.
• To remove two existing metal roll-down doors at the West 58^th Street loading docks, and to replace these with solid wood garage doors, matching the panel detailing of the doors at "109 West 57^th Street".
• To remove one metal pedestrian door at the West 58^th Street loading docks, and to replace this with a dold wood door, matching the panel detailing of the doors at "109 West 57^th Street".
• To restore one existing pedestrian door at the West 58^th Street loading docks.
• To remove the existing brick recess in the mechanical/tank tower arches, and to replace these with glass windows.
• To perform a restoration of the copper roof capping the mechanical/tank tower.
• To remove the rear yard low rise storage building; and

WHEREAS, The applicant also proposes to penetrate through the eastern wall in order to create a new plate glass paneled entrance into Steinway & Sons Reception Room rotunda, thus removing a portion of an existing plaster interior wall; and

WHEREAS, The design of the proposed new plate glass paneled entrance is based largely upon the details of the glass paneled window at the western wall of the rotunda; and

WHEREAS, The proposed new eastern entrance into the rotunda is to follow the profile of existing pilasters, architrave and archway, and the existing roundel will be mounted inside the new glass paneling; and

WHEREAS, The proposed new eastern entrance would connect Steinway & Sons Reception Room's rotunda to the proposed new building at the adjacent site; and

WHEREAS, The proposed new building would have approximately 43'-0" of West 57^th Street frontage adjacent to Steinway Hall; and

WHEREAS, As of right, one could develop a building on the adjacent site which would rise twelve stories above West 57^th Street before requiring a setback, the proposed new building would have a glass façade rising only six stories to approximately 85'-0", in which an atrium space would be enclosed; and

WHEREAS, There would be a 57'-0"deep setback above the atrium space in which a Summer Garden is proposed to be placed, and from which the proposed new tower would rise; and

WHEREAS, The proposed new tower would have a glass façade, with numerous feathered set backs on the southern wall and a façade of glass, glazed terracotta and bronze on the other walls, which will rise to approximately 1,300 feet; and

WHEREAS, The proposed restorative work on the exterior of Steinway Hall is substantial, the proposed changes at West 58^th Street would serve as embellishment, and the proposed changes at the mechanical/tank tower appear to be minimal; and

WHEREAS, Since, historically, this was outside of public view, removal of the rear yard two story low rise building would not have a negative impact upon the views of Landmark Steinway Hall; and

WHEREAS, The proposed modification which might have the most impact is the creation of a new eastern entrance to Steinway & Sons Reception Room rotunda, this would take cues from existing architectural elements, namely the glass paneled window at the western wall of the rotunda, and this new entrance will be harmonious with the Landmark interior; and

WHEREAS, The proposed new atrium and tower's glass materiality and massing would not obscure the style, materials, setbacks and massing of Steinway Hall, whose picturesque towers and decorative elements make it a monumental presence along West 57^th Street; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application to perform exterior alterations to Steinway Hall, 109-113 West 57^th Street, to perform interior alterations to create a new entrance to Steinway & Sons Reception Room.