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Landmarks
Application by 900 Broadway to replace wooden windows on the 3rd – 10th floors with aluminum windows
WHEREAS, 900 Broadway, known as the Goelet Building, is an individually landmark building located on the southeast corner of Broadway and 20th Street within the Ladies Mile Historic District; and
WHEREAS, The building was originally a six-story mercantile structure designed by the renowned architecture firm of McKim Mead and White and constructed in 1886; and
WHEREAS, The building's original sixth floor was demolished in 1906 and replaced with a five-story addition designed by the firm of Maynicke & Franke to mostly mimic the existing floors; and
WHEREAS, During the 1906 renovation all of the building's window frames were painted black in a deviation from the original design; and
WHEREAS, The building now consists of ten stories with stone and terra cotta façades wrapping around the corner of 20th Street and Broadway, creating the appearance of a single façade with three bays on Broadway, three bays on the corner, and four bays on 20th Street; and
WHEREAS, Giant arches articulate the building's two-story base, with original, complex window arches with fixed as well as operable sections; and
WHEREAS, The building's original windows on the 3rd-10th floors were double-hung glass with painted wooden frames; and
WHEREAS, The rounded corner windows on the third – tenth floors of the building are considered "special windows" owing to their unique curved sash and glass structure and as such necessitate a hearing by the Landmark Preservation Commission for alteration; and
WHEREAS, Over time, these original windows, some of which have been incorrectly re-glazed, have deteriorated and become largely inoperative; and
WHEREAS, In 2002 the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the Applicant's Master Plan to re-develop the building's first two floors, including a proposal to replace the original wooden windows on the first two floors with equivalent aluminum units; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant-owner of 900 Broadway proposes to replace the existing wooden windows on the curved façade of the building's 3rd-10th floors with equivalent aluminum units in coordination with the 2002 Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, Replacement of the windows on the 3rd-10th floors was not considered in the original Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant has demonstrated that the existing condition of the windows on the 3rd-10th floors is unsafe and that the windows must be replaced; and
WHEREAS, The 2002 Master Plan proposes restoring the building's original color scheme as designed by McKim Mead and White; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant indicates that such a restoration requires the use of a particular automobile paint, which bonds significantly better to aluminum than to wood; and
WHEERAS, The Applicant seeks to unify the building with a consistent façade, requiring the use of non-original aluminum windows on the building's upper floors to match the Landmarks Preservation Commission-approved replacement windows of the first two floors according to the 2002 Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, Although Community Board Five always prefers the use of original materials in the restoration of Landmarked buildings, it recognizes the advantages of using aluminum for this particular project; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five appreciates the Applicant's desire to restore the building to its original appearance, therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the Application by 900 Broadway to replace deteriorating wooden windows on the 3rd – 10th floors with aluminum windows.