Landmark permit issued for 12 EAST 63RD STREET, MANHATTAN in UPPER EAST SIDE
Landmark building permit details
| Location | 12 EAST 63RD STREET, MANHATTAN |
|---|---|
| Issue date | December 31, 2007 |
| (?) COFA | COFA 08-5766 |
Certificates of Appropriateness (COFAs) are issued by the landmarks commission when it approves such things as building construction, demolition and visible additions to historic property. The certificates require a public hearing and the entire process can take several months. |
|
| Docket | 07-6808 |
| Historic district | Upper East Side |
| Landmark name | N/A |
| Expiration date | December 5, 2012 |
| Text | Pursuant to Section 25-307 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, at the Public Meeting of December 5, 2006, following the Public Hearings and Public Meetings of January 24, 2006, and October 17, 2006, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed work at the subject premises, as put forth in your application completed on December 29, 2005, as you were informed in a Status Update Letter dated February 14, 2007. This approval expires on December 5, 2012. The work, as approved, consists of alterations at the north-facing street façade, the roof, and the rear façade, with the work at the street façade to include the demolition of the existing modern white brick-clad façade and the construction of a new street façade, with a sunken areaway and service stairs set behind a low areaway wall, with limestone cladding at the ground floor façade and at the projecting bay, and limestone detailing, red brick cladding flanking the bay at the upper floors; a pair of iron and glass doors at the main entrance, single-pane windows set behind iron grilles at the ground floor, single-pane windows with transoms at the second, third, and fourth floors, and one-over-one double-hung windows on the fifth floor, and a tri-partite cornice, with all windows, ironwork and the cornice painted a dark gray. At the roof, the approved work includes the demolition of the existing one-story roof-top addition, set below the level of the roof at the front of the building, the construction of a new structural slab, raising the entire roof flush with the existing northern-most roof, and the construction of a new one-story roof-top addition, clad in glass panels, set behind the new parapet and not visible from the street. The work at the rear façade includes excavation of the rear yard and the construction of a glass structure in the rear yard, enclosing the two historic bay windows still in place at the rear façade, all as shown in a block plan, photographs of the existing conditions of the building and the adjacent buildings on East 63rd Street, and drawings including existing and proposed street-scapes on the south side of East 63rd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues; a photo-montage of the proposed street facade; elevation drawings; sections showing the front bay and the rooftop addition set on the existing mass of the building; an annotated front elevation drawing; elevation and section details; and proposed floor plans, all stamped "Received December 5, 2006", and drawings 2 through 11, all dated October 13, 2006, all prepared by William B. Gleckman, Architect, and Peter A. Sweeny Architect, all presented at the Public Hearings and Public Meetings. As originally presented in December, 2005, the proposal included a recessed entrance, set under the projecting bay and enclosed by ironwork grilles; brick cladding above the ground floor; arched windows at the second and third floors, iron balconettes at all the window openings on the second, third, fourth, and fifth floors, a projecting terrace above the fifth floor, and a two story roof-top addition, as shown in drawings 1 through 6, 8, 9, and 10, all dated October 12, 2005, drawing 10, dated January 3, 2006, two photo-montages, showing the building from the east and west looking along East 63rd Street, photographs of a mock-up constructed on site, and photographs of the existing conditions on the front and rear facades, all prepared by William B. Gleckman, and an historic photograph of the street from Commission files. As presented in October, 2006, the application included a recessed entrance porch with stone columns, and a two-story roof-top addition, as shown in a block plan, photographs of the existing conditions of the building and the adjacent buildings on East 63rd Street, and drawings including existing and proposed street-scapes on the south side of East 63rd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues; a photo-montage of the proposed street facade; elevation drawings; sections showing the recessed entrance and the front bay supported by the free-standing columns, a section through the windows of the bay, and a section at the top of the bay, and proposed floor plans, all stamped "Received December 5, 2006", and drawings 1 through 10, all dated October 6, 2006, all prepared by William B. Gleckman, Architect, and Peter A. Sweeny Architect. In reviewing this proposal, the Commission noted that the Upper East Side Historic District Designation Report describes this building as a rowhouse originally built in 1872 and altered in 1957. The Commission also noted that the rear façade is not visible from any public way. With regard to this proposal, the Commission found that the proposed work will not cause the removal of any significant architectural or historic features of this district; that the fenestration pattern, the pair of iron and glass doors at the main entrance, the iron window grilles, the Classical Revival detailing of the stonework, and the simple projecting cornice will provide a level of detailing and articulation found on many Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival style rowhouses between Fifth and Madison Avenue that were altered in the early 20th century in this historic district; that the brick and stone cladding of the main facade will be harmonious with the materials found on other houses in the streetscape; that the rounded bay will recall the historic bays still in place at the rear facade of the building, and the similar bays found on Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival style rowhouses on this and adjacent blocks; that the single-pane windows behind iron grilles on the ground floor, the single-pane windows and transoms in the three-story bay, and the one-over-one double-hung windows on the top floor, all recall typical fenestration found on rowhouses close to Fifth Avenue which were remodeled in the early twentieth century; that removing the 1957 extension on the top floor of the front facade and setting the front wall and cornice back to align with the facades of the adjacent houses will reinforce the street wall; that the low stone areaway wall will be consistent with areaways on this street in terms of height, material and placement; that the proposed rear yard addition will be modest in size, will fill in the space adjacent to the existing rear yard addition that already extends to the rear lot line, and will not overwhelm the building or significantly diminish the open character of this heavily developed block, which features larger buildings and other rear yard additions adjacent to this building that extend to the rear lot lines; that concealing the two existing wood bay windows within the proposed rear yard addition, rather than removing them, will preserve these significant features; and that the proposed rooftop addition will not be visible from the street and will not cause damage to any significant features of the building. Based on these findings, the Commission determined the proposed work to be appropriate to the building, and voted to approve it. However, in voting to grant this approval, the Commission made its determination subject to the following conditions; 1. that the applicant prepare drawings showing a revised parapet at the front facade and submit them to staff for review and approval; 2. That the proposed rooftop addition by revised from the two-story addition presented at the Public Hearings and Public Meetings to a one-story addition, to reduce the mass of the addition; PAGE 2 Issued: 12/31/07 DOCKET: 07-6808 3. And that two sets of signed and sealed Department of Building construction drawings showing the revised cornice and one-story rooftop addition be submitted to the Commission for review. Status Update Letter 07-5993 noted that staff received drawings showing the requested revised cornice scheme. On October 24, 2007, the staff of the Commission received the requested construction drawings, 2 through 9, all dated October 22, 2007, and FRAM 1 through 6, all dated October 19, 2007, all prepared by William B. Gleckman, Architect, and S101 and S200, showing foundation details, both dated January 22, 2007, prepared by Stratford Engineering, LLC, all submitted by William B. Gleckman, Architect. Staff has reviewed these materials and finds that the changes requested by the Commission have been incorporated into the proposal; and that the proposal approved by the Commissioners has been maintained in the filing drawings. Based on this and the above findings, these drawings have been marked approved with a perforated seal, and Certificate of Appropriateness 08-5766 is being issued. The approved work is limited to that described above. Please submit shop drawings of the proposed limestone cladding to the staff of the Commission for review and approval prior to ordering stone or starting the stone installtion. Please contact the Commission to arrange for an inspection of the roof upon the completion of the demolition of the existing structure, and prior to constructing the approved one-story addition. This permit is issued on the basis of the building and site conditions described in the application and disclosed during the review process. By accepting this permit, the applicant agrees to notify the Commission if the actual building or site conditions vary or if original or historic building fabric is discovered. The Commission reserves the right to amend or revoke this permit, upon written notice to the applicant, in the event that the actual building or site conditions are materially different from those described in the application or disclosed during the review process. All approved drawings are marked approved by the Commission with a perforated seal indicating the date of approval. The work is limited to what is contained in the perforated documents. Other work or amendments to this filing must be reviewed and approved separately. The applicant is hereby put on notice that performing or maintaining any work not explicitly authorized by this permit may make the applicant liable for criminal and/or civil penalties, including imprisonment and fines. This letter constitutes the permit; a copy must be prominently displayed at the site while work is in progress. Please direct inquiries to John Graham. Robert B. Tierney Chair PLEASE NOTE: PERFORATED DRAWINGS AND A COPY OF THIS PERMIT HAVE BEEN SENT TO: William B. Gleckman, Architect cc: William B. Gleckman, Architect PAGE 3 Issued: 12/31/07 DOCKET: 07-6808 |
Added to EveryBlock on February 1, 2008.