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Landmarks
The Marble Collegiate Church Application for 1 West 29th Street Exterior Restoration.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, September 14, 2023, the following resolution passed with a vote of 38 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, The Marble Collegiate Church, founded in 1628, is one of the oldest Protestant congregations continuously in operation in North America (Applicant); and
WHEREAS, The Applicant's current church building, completed in 1854, was designed by Samuel A.
Warner in Romanesque Revival style with Gothic trim (Building); and
WHEREAS, The Applicant, originally named the Fifth Avenue Church, was renamed in 1906 given the Building's facade is covered in Tuckahoe Marble; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant's influence reached national levels and became known as "America's
Hometown Church" under the ministry of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the noted author of The Power of Positive Thinking who served as senior minister from 1932-1984; and
WHEREAS, The Building was designated an individual NYC Landmark in 1967, one of the earliest designations by LPC; and
WHEREAS, The demolition of an adjacent property to the Applicant where a plaza is planned to be built has exposed the west elevation of the Building; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant is proposing to install cladding on the Building's exposed red brick west elevation, now exposed after the demolition of the Bancroft Building; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant is proposing to restore/install the small return and other elements of the south elevation of the Building terminating behind an existing downspout; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant stated that modifications are required at the south elevation to address waterproofing issue with the west wall ; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant is proposing to restore/install the tower above the southwest staircase and other elements along the Building's west elevation as well as a partial roof replacement; and
WHEREAS, After extensive research, the Applicant has determined that marble from the Tuckahoe
Marble quarry is no longer available, as the quarry has been depleted; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant has reviewed available marbles and limestones to find a suitable alternate for Tuckahoe Marble; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant is proposing that Lueders Limestone be used as an alternative to Tuckahoe Marble for the aforementioned installations/restorations; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant's proposal to install limestone cladding on the Building's exposed red brick west elevation is appropriate; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant's proposal to remove and replace marble with limestone on elements of the south elevation of the Building is inappropriate for aesthetic and historical reasons; and
WHEREAS, The committee finds a proposal to only replace existing marble with a different marble of similar kind (color, shape, size, profile, texture etc) or with reused marble from original building would be appropriate; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial unless the Applicant, Marble Collegiate Church, modifies the proposal to retain and replace the existing Tuckahoe Marble after completing alterations or replace it with marble of a similar kind.