Landmark permit issued for 12 WEST 28TH STREET, MANHATTAN in Ladies' Mile

Landmark building permit details

Location 12 WEST 28TH STREET, MANHATTAN
Issue date June 26, 2008
(?) COFA COFA 08-8612

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 08-7458
Historic district Ladies' Mile
Landmark name N/A
Expiration date June 26, 2014
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 May 6, 2008, following the Public Hearing of the same date, voted to
approve a proposal for work at the subject premises, as put forward in your application completed on April 3,
2008. This approval will expire May 6, 2014.

The proposed work, as approved, at 1107 Broadway, at the ground floor, the removal of the existing store infill
and the construction of new storefront infill, finished in a black color, featuring metal, aluminum and glass, and
featuring painted decorative steel panels and bulkheads, decorative glass transoms with muntins, and large
display windows; the installation of awnings at the ground, second and third floors; at the rooftop, the extension
of parapet walls, construction of a one-story mechanical room at the south elevation, extension of mechanical
room at the northern elevation, and the installation of mechanical equipment; and, at 12 West 28th Street, at the
base and second floors, the recladding of the bottom two floors with limestone with a fluted surround; and at the
rooftop, the installation of mechanical equipment. This proposal was shown in drawings dated June 4, 2008,
prepared by Paul D. Taylor, R.A., submitted as components to this application and presented at the Public
Hearing. The proposal, as originally presented, called for awnings at the ground and third floors and called for
prism glass at the transoms at the ground floor infill, as shown in drawings A0.1, A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5,
A1.6, and A1.7, prepared by Paul D. Taylor, R.A., dated May 6, 2008.

In reviewing this proposal, the Commission notes that the designation report describes 1170 Broadway as a
Beaux Arts-style store and office building constructed in 1902-03, and designed by Schickel & Ditmars and 12
West 28th Street as a neo-Classical style store and office building constructed in 1916-7 and designed by Samuel
Edson Gage; and that in terms of its style, scale, materials and details, these building contribute to the special
architectural and historic character for which the Madison Square North Historic District was designated.
With regards to this proposal, the Commission found that the replacement of the storefronts will not cause the
removal of any significant historic fabric; that the design of the storefronts will recall, in a contemporary manner,
the historic storefronts, including multi-light transoms, large display windows, and decorative metal bulkheads;
that the proposed work will establish a rhythm of piers and storefront openings that recalls the historic
storefronts; that the black finished aluminum and steel storefronts will be in keeping with historic storefronts
found on buildings of this age, style, and type; that the proposed awnings will recall historic awnings in terms of
their shape, size, slope and material; that the proposed signage will be proportional to the sign band, awnings, and
display windows, and therefore will not call undue attention to itself; that as the façade of 12 West 28th Street has
been highly altered over time, in relation to the various uses of the building, modifying the base of the building
will be in keeping with this history of change and will not cause the removal of significant original fabric; that the
proposed limestone cladding for the altered two-story base of 12 West 28th Street will match the historic marble
from the 20th century alteration; that raising of the side and rear parapets of the building, and the construction of
the proposed mechanical equipment, will not result in the removal of any significant building features; that the
proposed mechanical room and cooling towers will be largely obscured by the raised parapets, and will only be
minimally visible from a public thoroughfare, over the secondary and rear facades; that increasing the height of
the side and rear parapets to align with the existing cheek-wall behind the cornice, matching the material and
finish of the secondary facades, will not significantly alter the massing or character of the building; that the
one-store mechanical room will be well-scaled to this large corner building. Based on these findings, the
Commission determined the proposed work to be appropriate to the building and the historic district, and voted to
approve this application.

However, in voting to grant this approval, the Commission stipulated that a set of unmounted copies of the
presentation drawings and two final signed and sealed copies of the Department of Buildings filing drawings for
the approved work be submitted to the staff of the Commission for review and approval.

Subsequently, on June 4, 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Commission received final drawings A0.0, A0.1,
B1.1, B2.1, B2.2, A1.1, A1.01, A1.2 - 12, A1.13, A1.15, A2.01, A2.1, A2.2 through A2.5, A2.6 - 12, A2.13,
A2.14, A6.1 through A6.4, A7.01, A8.03, A8.4, A8.5, A8.6, A8.1, A9.01, as prepared by Paul D. Taylor, R.A.,
and S001, S101 through S106, as prepared by Michael Guilfoyle, P.E. Based on this and the above findings, the
drawings are marked approved with a perforated seal, and Certificate of Appropriateness 09-0956 is being issued.

This permit is contingent upon the Commission's review and approval of samples of paint finishes, masonry and
pointing, metal work and/or cladding for the store infill and cupola, color for cementitious parging, Please contact
Joselito H. Corpus to schedule a site visit once samples are available for review. This permit is also contingent
upon the understanding that the work will be performed when the temperature remains a constant 45 degrees
Fahrenheit or above for a 72 hour period from the commencement of work.

PLEASE NOTE: 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.

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
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Issued: 6/26/08
DOCKET: 08-7458
displayed at the site while work is in progress. Please direct inquiries to Joselito Corpus.




Robert B. Tierney
Chair

PLEASE NOTE: PERFORATED DRAWINGS AND A COPY OF THIS PERMIT HAVE BEEN SENT TO:
William Higgins, Higgins, Quasebarth & Partners LLC




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Issued: 6/26/08
DOCKET: 08-7458

Added to EveryBlock on July 29, 2008.

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