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Landmarks
162 5th Avenue, application for a Certificate of Appropriateness
WHEREAS, 162 Fifth Avenue is an 11 story store and loft building located at northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and West 21st Street, in the Ladies Mile Historic District, designed by Buchman & Fox and built for Hudson Realty in 1903; and
WHEREAS, The applicant is the Flatiron Institute, a non-for-profit organization affiliated with the Simons Foundation, that is planning to lease office space under a 35 year lease; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to make changes to the outside of the building, create a new entrance on the West 21st Street side façade, and install machine work on the roof to operate an enhanced elevator system; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to remove louvered vents in windows on the south face and replace with matching windows; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to remove louvered windows on the north face and replace with matching two-over-two windows; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to install new matching two-over-two windows on the north face; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to create a new entrance on West 21st street to replace an existing freight entrance cladding the walls with slate in an homage to chalk boards found in science labs; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to construct a new elevator machine room and two cooling towers on the roof; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to construct an extended boiler flue on the roof; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to replace two existing windows on the east façade with matching fire rated windows; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to remove louvers and replace with matching fire rated windows on the west façade; and
WHEREAS, The applicant proposes to remove an existing large metal canopy supported by iron rods on the new West 21st Street entrance to be replaced by two modern bronze canopies; and
WHEREAS, Although Community Board Five finds the proposed windows reconfiguration appropriate and the rooftop additions minimally visible, the proposed canopies are too modern, out of character for the building and inappropriate; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the application by the Flatiron Institute at 162 Fifth Avenue for a certificate of appropriateness to make changes to the outside of the building, create a new entrance on the West 21st Street side façade, and install machine work on the roof to operate an enhanced elevator system UNLESS the design of the canopies is reworked to be more contextual to the existing canopy as well as the whole building.