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Landmarks
5 West 16th Street application for the replacement of storefront infill and installation of a through-window HVAC unit
WHEREAS, 5 West 16th street is a bow fronted, four story brick building representative of the Greek Revival style with a basement and a cellar built in 1846 as a residence; and
WHEREAS, It was designated an individual landmark by LPC in June of 1986; and
WHEREAS, The building was one of a group of nine residences (only four of which remain) constructed under a restrictive agreement that governed the use and overall design of the buildings to ensure that this block of West 16th would develop as a fine residential street; and
WHEREAS, Each of this group of houses was built three stories above a raised basement with street frontage of thirty three feet four inches; each was built in brick with stone trim and designed with a swell (bow) front; and
WHEREAS, At the time of designation, the building was three bays wide with a swell incorporating the two western-most bays, a high stone stoop with wrought iron railings which leads to an entrance in the eastern bay of the parlor story with a stone frame topped by a lintel surrounding the recessed doorway which has double wooden doors flanked by wooden pilasters and side lights surmounted by glazed rectangular transom; and
WHEREAS, Non-original lights were attached to the reveal; and
WHEREAS, The building has received citations for violations for both the transom windows and storefront alterations with elements of the original early 20th century storefront having been stripped; and
WHEREAS, The current ventilation system requires that any modification accommodate ventilation at the transom level; and
WHEREAS, The owner seeks to satisfy curing of the violation with the replacement of storefront infill, the installation of a through-window HVAC unit and replacement of a window; and
WHEREAS, Plans include the removal of aluminum columns and treatments and the framing around the windows on the parlor floor; and
WHEREAS, Window framings with be replaced with exterior wood casement with metal behind and double pane glass; and
WHEREAS, Grillwork will be used to cover the ventilation area to bring a sense of symmetry back to the building; and
WHEREAS, New windows will have wooden trim and the pilaster will be recreated in metal, while the grill will mimic the spacing as closely as possible; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application by 5 West 16th Street for the replacement of storefront infill and the installation of a through-window HVAC unit.