Landmark permit issued for 443 GREENWICH STREET, MANHATTAN in TRIBECA NORTH
Landmark building permit details
| Location | 443 GREENWICH STREET, MANHATTAN |
|---|---|
| Issue date | July 30, 2007 |
| COFA | COFA 08-1126 |
| Docket | 07-9152 |
| Historic district | Tribeca North |
| Landmark name | N/A |
| Expiration date | May 15, 2013 |
| Text | ISSUED TO: Shahab Karmely 443 Greenwich LLC c/o Kar Properties 232 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Pursuant to Section 25-307 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, at the Public Meeting of May 15, 2007, following the Public Hearing and Public Meeting of April 24, 2007, voted to grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed work at the subject premises, as put forward in your application completed March 29, 2007, and as you were informed in Status Update Letter 07-8464 (LPC 07-5068), issued May 22, 2007. The proposed work, as approved, consists of demolishing existing rooftop bulkheads and a courtyard mechanical room; constructing metal and glass rooftop additions, bulkheads and courtyard stair towers; installing rooftop HVAC equipment, acoustical screens, fencing and railings; removing rooftop water towers, a loading platform at the Debrosses Street facade, fire escapes at the courtyard and alley facades, and selective window fire shutters at the first floor and basement levels of the courtyard facades and the new stair towers; replacing ground floor infill at selective bays with new wood and cast iron infill; enlarging selective ground floor bays by lowering sills and creating at-grade entrances; removing entrance steps; installing one sidewalk canopy at the Greenwich Street facade, light fixtures throughout the street facades and metal and glass vault covers at the Debrosses Street and Vestry Street sidewalks; modifying existing masonry openings, creating new masonry openings, installing doors and louvers, and enlarging a platform at the eastern service alley facade; enlarging existing masonry openings and creating new masonry openings at the courtyard facades; replacing windows at the courtyard facades, fencing at the service alley, and paving at the courtyard, passageways and service alley; and installing a canopy and fencing at the courtyard. The proposal, as initially presented, included the removal of fire shutters at the upper floors of the courtyard and eastern alley facades; the lowering of masonry sills and installation of balconies at the courtyard facades; the installation of single pane windows at the alley and courtyard facades; the installation of canopies at the Debrosses and Vestry Street facades; the installation of taller rooftop bulkheads, near the Greenwich Street facade; and the installation of rooftop acoustical screens that were both taller and closer to the eastern facade of the building. The work was shown on presentation boards, labeled L-000, A-002 (site map), A-002 (site map enlargement), A-002a, A-002b, A-002c, A-002d, A-002e, A-002f, L-006, L-100, L-101, L-102, L-103, L-104, L-105, L-106, L-401, L-402, L-403, L-404, L-405, L-406, L-407, L-408, L-502B, L-503A, L-511, L-512, L-513, L-515, L-518, L-519, L-520, L-521, A-600, A-621, A-622, E-623, E-624, E-625, and E-626, dated revised April 13, 2007; A-003, A-004, A-005, A-007, A-008, A-010, A-011, A-012, A-013, A-301, A-302, A-303, A-304, A-305, A-306, A-501A, A-501B, A-505, A-506, A-507, A-508, A-509, and A-510, dated revised March 8, 2007; L-502A, L-503B, A-504, A-516, A-522, A-523, A-601, A-602, A-603, A-604, A-605, A-606, A-607, HP-01, HP-02, HP-03, HP-04, HP-05, and HP-06, dated revised March 28, 2007; L-000, L-105, L-106, L-401, L-402, L-403, L-404, L-405, L-406, L-407, L-408, L-511A, L-518, and A-600, dated revised May 8, 2007; A-601, A-602, A-603, A-604, A-605, A-606, and A-607, dated revised March 28, 2007 and (presented) by staff of the Commission May 15, 2007, and consisting of drawings, photographs, and photo montages, all prepared by Costas Kondylis & Partners, LLP, and presented at the Public Hearing and Public Meetings. In reviewing this proposal, the Commission noted that the Tribeca North Historic District Designation Report describes 441-453 Greenwich Street (aka 34-48 Vestry Street, 9-17 Desbrosses Street) as a Romanesque Revival style warehouse, designed by Charles C. Haight and built in 1883-1884; and that the building's style, scale, materials and details are among the features that contribute to the special architectural and historic character of the Tribeca North Historic District. The Commission also noted that Warning Letters 06-0008 and 06-0009 were issued July 11 2005 for the "installation of awnings at Vestry and Greenwich Street facades without permit(s)" and the "installation of windows at Vestry and Greenwich Street facades without permit(s)" respectively and advanced to Notices of Violation on September 16, 2005. With regard to this proposal, the Commission found that the presence of one-story rooftop additions will not significantly alter the overall scale of the building; that the building historically featured rooftop accretions, including bulkheads and water towers, visible from public thoroughfares, therefore the presence of rooftop structures will be in keeping with the character of the building; that the simple design and details and dark colored finish of the proposed additions and bulkheads will be in keeping with the utilitarian character of the existing rooftop structures, thereby helping to integrate these structure into the existing roofscape and not drawing attention away from the significant features of the building and streetscapes; that the four existing water towers are not a significant feature of the building's design, therefore, the removal of two of the water towers will not detract from the building; that although the building features a variety of historic first floor infill configuration, the proposed infill will replicate selective historic infill types and establish a more consistent ground floor configuration, thereby helping to unify the building while remaining in keeping with the Romanesque Revival style of the building; that removing the steps and lowering the entrance sills will facilitate access to the building, without significantly altering the character and scale of the first floor; that although no evidence has been found that metal and glass vault covers and canopies historically existed at this building, the presence of metal and glass vault covers at the Vestry and Desbrosses Street sidewalks and one canopy on Greenwich Street is in keeping with the industrial character of this building and will harmonize with the larger masonry warehouse buildings within the Tribeca North Historic District, which historically featured these elements; that the scale, materials, design and finishes of the vault covers and canopy will be well related the building and streetscapes; that the proposed light fixtures will be small in scale, simple in design and discreet in placement; that the removal of the existing masonry infill panels at the Greenwich Street facade, the concrete loading dock at the Desbrosses Street sidewalk, and the gates at the service alley will not eliminate any original or later significant historic fabric; that the proposed gates at the alley will be simple in design and typical in placement, material, scale and finish for gates at service alleys of buildings of this type, style and age; that the enlarged loading dock at the service alley will remain well scaled to the façade and alley; that the modification and replacement of masonry openings at the eastern facade will regularize the pattern of masonry openings and maintain the scale of the historic masonry openings at this secondary facade; that the louvers at the eastern facade will be installed within existing masonry openings, flush-mounted and finished to match the fenestration pattern; that the existing fire escapes at the eastern alley and courtyard facades do not have architectural merit in themselves and are not an integral part of a significant facade or streetscape composition, therefore their removal will not eliminate a significant feature; that the removal of the one-story mechanical room from the courtyard will restore the perceptible volume of the courtyard at grade level without removing any significant historic features; that the courtyard stair towers will be well scaled to the courtyard and constructed with only a limited removal of historic masonry, and will feature primarily clear glass cladding and simple detailing, thereby serving as PAGE 2 Issued: 7/30/07 DOCKET: 07-9152 unobtrusive elements and not obscuring the overall volume of the courtyard; that the limited removal and relocation of historic shutters from masonry openings at the first floor and basement levels of the courtyard facades and from the openings to be concealed by the new courtyard stair towers, in conjunction with the replacement of missing shutters throughout the courtyard and alley facades, will not reduce the overall number of shutters or detract from the character of the building and will preserve these significant features; that the limited enlargement of the masonry openings at the ground floor level of the courtyard facades will be in keeping with the scale of masonry openings at buildings of this type, style and age; that the replacement of the existing courtyard windows will not eliminate any special windows; that the proposed glass pavers, fencing, and canopy at the courtyard will not eliminate or conceal any significant features; and that the Belgian block pavers at the courtyard and driveways will be in keeping with traditional paving throughout the historic district. Based on these findings, the Commission determined the work to be appropriate to the building and the historic district and voted to approve the application. However, in voting to approve this proposal, the Commission required that the enlargement of the masonry openings at the upper floors of the courtyard facades and the installation of glass guard rails at the courtyard facades and canopies at the Vestry Street and Debrossess Street facades be eliminated; that smaller HVAC installations, as an alternative for the 18' high equipment at the eastern section of the roof, be investigated; and that based on this investigation, the HVAC equipment and related acoustical screens be reduced in scale if possible. Subsequently, on May 24, 2007; May 29, 2007; and July 5, 2007, the Commission received written specifications and drawings L-101, L-102, L-103, L-104, L-105, L-106, L-401, L-402, L-403, L-404, L-405, L-406, L-407 and L-408, dated revised May 8, 2007 and received May 24, 2007; and drawing 102&3 and dated revised May 8, 2007 and prepared by Costas, Kondylis and Partners, LLP. Additionally, staff received written specifications, dated May 23, 2007 and provided by Steven J. DiFloria, PE, documenting that alternatives to the rooftop HVAC equipment installations have been investigated and that an alternative smaller HVAC installation has not been found. Accordingly, staff reviewed these materials and noted that they include additional work, consisting of changing the single pair of gates at each of the alley entrances to a pair of center gates with two smaller side gates at each of the alley entrances. With regard to this work, staff found that the configuration and scale of the proposed gates will be harmonious with the scale and organization of the building and in keeping with service alley entrances at buildings of this type, style and age. Additionally, staff found that the design approved by the Commission has been maintained and the changes required by the Commission have been included. Based on these and the above findings, Certificate of Appropriateness 08-1126 is being issued. PLEASE NOTE: This permit is being issued for work subject to the review and approval of the Department of City Planning for a modification of the use, pursuant to Section 74-711; and that this approval is contingent upon the approval of two sets of final filing drawings and any related specifications and material samples, prior to the commencement of construction. No work may begin until the final drawings have been marked approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Once the final drawings have been received and approved, they will be marked as approved with a perforated seal. Please also note that, as the approved work consists of subsurface work, the applicant is required to strictly adhere to the Department of Buildings TPPN 10/88 governing in-ground construction adjacent to historic buildings. It is the applicant's obligation at the time of applying for their permit to inform the Department of Buildings that the TPPN applies. Additionally, this permit is issued contingent upon the correction of drafting errors relating to the inconsistent placement of windows at the eastern alley facade, as shown on elevations and plans; and the Commission's review and approval of a revised elevation drawing of the proposed alley gates. Notices of Violation 06-0008 and 06-0009 remain in force and are not addressed by this permit. Failure to resolve these Notices of Violation, in compliance with Certificate of No Effect 08-1127 (LPC 08-0017), issued July 30, 2007, may result in the issuance of additional Notices of Violation originating from the Environmental Control Board in accordance with Title 63 of the Rules of the City of New York, Section 7-02 (c). Second PAGE 3 Issued: 7/30/07 DOCKET: 07-9152 Notices of Violation would require a court appearance and a civil fine may be imposed. 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 Bernadette Artus. Robert B. Tierney Chair PLEASE NOTE: PERFORATED DRAWINGS AND A COPY OF THIS PERMIT HAVE BEEN SENT TO: Jay A. Segal, Greenberg Traurig, LLP cc: Caroline Kane Levy, Deputy Director of Preservation/LPC; Diane Simonson, Compliance Officer/LPC; David West, Costas Kondylis and Partners LLP; Meloney McMurray, Greenberg Traurig PAGE 4 Issued: 7/30/07 DOCKET: 07-9152 |
Added to EveryBlock on January 16, 2008.