The Landmarks Preservation Commission today approved unanimously the restoration of the Edward and Theresa O'Toole building on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets by the North Shore/LIJ hospital to permit Rudin Management to residentially redevelopment much of the former St. Vincent's Hospital properties across the avenue, according to an article today by Matt Chaban at observer.com.

The three-story building was originally designed as the National Maritime Union headquarters and the article said it was "more commonly known as the Overbite Building for its unusual facade that cantilevers both of its upper floors that have scalloped bottom edges.

St. Vincent's went bankrupt and wanted to tear the O'Toole Building down and replace it with a 21-story hospital facility with an elliptical tower and convert many of its buildings across the avenue to residential use by its development partner, Rudin Management.

"It's a felicitous conclusion," Commission Chair Robert Tierney said at today's hearing, the article said, adding that "The proposal will allow the building to be restored intact and function as a health care facility and not detract from the character of the district. I enthusiastically support this application."

The article said that the "plan calls for restoring the facade to its original appearance, after new tiles were added during later renovations. The plans also address one of the biggest complaints against the building, its uninviting Seventh Avenue side. This will be opened up to create a new entrance, and while it is not quite the vibrancy of a sidewalk cafe that Jane Jacobs relished, it is seen as an improvement from the hedges and glass brick that currently dominate the expanse."

Bill Rudin applauded the decision in a statement. "Today's vote is further recognition that the North Shore-LIJ Comprehensive Care Center is not only the best plan to bring health care back to the West Side, but the right one for the neighborhood," he said. "Along with our LPC-approved residential development, new open space and a public school, this plan preserves the heart and character of the West Village community," he said.

The hospital bought the O'Toole Building four years after the landmarks commission had included it within the Greenwich Village Historic District and in 1979 the City Planning Commission permitted the hospital to treat its properties on both sides of Seventh Avenue as a "large scale community facility development" so that it could pool all the air rights together to expand its complex.

The landmarks commission indicated in May, 2008 that the O'Toole Building, which was designed in 1964 with nautical motifs by Albert Ledner for the National Maritime Union, could not be demolished under a certificate of appropriateness because it contributed significantly to the historic district. The hospital then made a hardship application to demolish it based on principles in a case involving Sailors Snug Harbor properties in Staten Island. The landmarks commission subsequently voted six to four October 28, 2008 to approve the application.

In its "final determination" May 12, the commission stated that it had relied on the "hardship" standards of the Snug Harbor case that were "further elaborated by the Second Circuit" in a famous landmark controversy involved St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church on Park Avenue and 50th Street.