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Landmarks
30 W. 24th Street (bet. 5th Ave & Ave of the Americas), application for proposed new storefront
At the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, October 09, 2014, the following resolution passed with a vote of: 36 in favor; 0 opposed; 2 abstained.
WHEREAS, 30-32 West 24th Street, located between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Ladies Mile Historic District is a twelve-story neo-Gothic store-and-loft building, designed by Browne & Almiroty, and constructed by and for the owner, Marmac Construction Company in 1910-11; and
WHEREAS, According to the designation report, the south side of West 24th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue is dominated by store and loft buildings which share certain characteristics including façade designs based on neo-Renaissance styles; and
WHEREAS, The designation report also states that "examples of original storefront configurations or elements survive at" 30-32 West 24th Street and that "its first-story metal storefront (partly intact) has a recent central entrance flanked by large windows on plain metal bulkheads and pivoting sash transom windows"; and
WHEREAS, An application has been received seeking permission to remove and replace the existing storefront, light sconces, and service entry doors and transom panel, and to install new non-visible LED lighting at the second floor sills, lower and upper cornices; and
WHEREAS, The existing light sconces, which are utilitarian and non-historic, would be replaced with custom crafted blown-glass sconces befitting the building's neo-Gothic style; and
WHEREAS, The existing service entry, which is composed of plain, utilitarian metal doors and transom panel, would be replaced with wood-framed glass doors and transom windows that would mimic the configuration of building entrance doors and transom windows; and
WHEREAS, The existing storefront doors, windows and bulkheads would be removed and replaced with a metal framed window system, which would provide the option to have a contemporary, open-air style storefront; and
WHEREAS, The proposed modifications to the sills and cornice LED lighting scheme, new light sconces and service entrance are enhancements that are sympathetic to the building's historic neo-Gothic style; however, the proposed reconfiguration of the storefront windows and bulkheads would involve removal of historic building fabric; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the application to remove and replace the existing storefront at 30-32 West 24th Street, as we strongly believe that every effort should be made to retain and maintain surviving historic storefront configurations and elements in the Ladies Mile Historic District.