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Landmarks
20 West 40th Street, application seeking a letter of support from LPC to DCP, pursuant to ZR 74-711.
At the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, March 13, 2014, the following resolution passed with a vote of : 32 in favor, 5 opposed, 1 abstained, and 1 present not entitled to vote.
WHEREAS, An application had been submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission application seeking a letter of support from LPC to DCP, pursuant to ZR 74-711 to construct a new building at 20 West 40th Street; and
WHEREAS, Pursuant to Section 74-711 of the Zoning Resolution, any new building at this site is contingent upon a report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission stating that the new building relates harmoniously with the landmark Knox Building and other landmarked buildings in the immediate vicinity; and
WHEREAS, The Knox Building at 452 Fifth Avenue is a 10-story Beaux Arts style office building with ground level retail space, commissioned by Colonel Edward M. Knox for The Knox Hat Company, constructed in 1901-02 to the designs of the notable architect John H. Duncan in 1902;
WHEREAS, On September 23, 1980, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Knox Building at 452 Fifth Avenue as an individual landmark, and subsequently this was annexed to the 400'-0" tall, 29-story Modern style Republic National Bank building at 442-450 Fifth Avenue, which was constructed in 1981-84 to the designs of Eli Attia Architects; and
WHEREAS, On November 9, 2006, Community Board Five recommended the approval of an application by a previous owner which requested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission issue a letter of support to the City Planning Commission relating to an application for a Modification of Use and Bulk pursuant to Section 74-711 of the Zoning Resolution, and for permission to:
1. Transfer of 17,264 square feet of available floor area from the M1-6 Zoning District to the C5-3 Zoning District,
2. Modify the setback requirements,
3. Modify the requirement to provide less than the amount of pedestrian circulation space required for lots greater than 20,000 square feet, and
4. Modify the requirement to permit the building along West 40th Street to provide less than the required minimum street wall (within 10 feet of the street line) equal to 80% of the frontage up to a height of 85 feet; and
WHEREAS, On November 9, 2006, Community Board Five recommended the approval of an application seeking permission to execute preservation, restoration and continuing maintenance plan for the Knox Building, pursuant to Section 74-711 of the Zoning Resolution, which should include:
1. Restoration of the ground floor storefronts, a canopy over the Fifth Avenue entrance, the stone water table at the base of building, and ornamental railings at the 7th Floor,
2. Replacement of windows resembling the original and the original sign band; and
WHEREAS, such improvements have been successfully executed under the supervision of the LPC, and
WHEREAS, On April 17, 2007, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the previous owner's applications for seeking Modification of Use and Bulk and the Certificate of Appropriateness of the proposed preservation, restoration and continuing maintenance plan for the Knox Building; and
WHEREAS, On January 17, 2008, Community Board Five recommended the approval of ULURP Application C 080042 ZSM, to grant a Special Permit pursuant to 74-711 of the Zoning Resolution; and
WHEREAS, ULURP Application C 080042 ZSM indicated that the proposed 32-story building will be 357 feet tall, 186,940 square foot, and will house a hotel with 150 rooms, a 52 unit residential condominium and a parking garage with 30 spaces; and
WHEREAS, ULURP Application C080042ZSM requested bulk modifications to make the building more harmonious with the neighborhood, and
WHEREAS, On March 26, 2008, a Special Permit was granted to the previous owner by the City Planning Commission to facilitate the construction of a 357 foot high, 32-story, 186,940 square foot building, with modifications to height and setback, split lot provisions, and pedestrian circulation space; and
WHEREAS, In June 2010, the project site changed ownership, and
WHEREAS, On November 10, 2011, Community Board Five approved the renewal of the Special Permit granted by the City Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, The current owner has commissioned for the renowned London-based architect Sir David Alan Chipperfield to design an new building at 20 West 40th Street; and
WHEREAS, The proposed building would have a tripartite articulation, with a five-story base, a tower topped by a double-height crown; and
WHEREAS, The proposed building has been designed with a masonry façade which would be executed in a pale gray or creamy white colored composite stone, in a polished finish for the front facades and in a textured finish for the side facades, and this custom made composite masonry would be crafted in a North American factory; and
WHEREAS, The proposed building's northern and southern façade walls would feature deeper and wider window surrounds, the eastern and western façade walls would feature more shallow and narrower window surrounds; and
WHEREAS, Per the Special Permit granted by the City Planning Commission, the proposed building would be 357 feet in height and would be flush with the street wall, and this will continue the "saw tooth pattern" of the existing buildings on West 40th Street; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five has been assured that continuing maintenance program has been established that will result in preservation of the Knox Building at 452 Fifth Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Although CB5 would prefer that any new building at 20 West 40th Street feature a masonry façade that incorporate more ornate architectural elements similar to those of the Knox building, as well as American Radiator Building and the Bryant Park Studios, CB5 believes that the proposed building's sophisticated level of design does rise to the high caliber of its neighbors and would relate harmoniously with these landmarks; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission requesting a letter of support pursuant to ZR 74-711 for a new building at 20 West 40th Street.