New York University filed an application with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday to seek approval to build a new tower for faculty housing and a hotel on the school's landmarked University Village property that contains three residential towers designed by I. M. Pei and a large sculpture of a women by Pablo Picasso.
The residential enclave, which is just to the north of Houston Street, was declared an official city landmark two years ago.
"What the Landmarks Preservation Commission will tell us ultimately is whether we move forward with this plan or the plan we think is less preferable, which would be to build a new building on the supermarket site on the northwest corner of the block," which could be built "as-of-right," John Beckman, vice president of public affairs for NYU, said in an article by Marine Cole in yesterday's edition of crains.com, adding "we think the logic of our planning process and our proposal would be clear to people."
"The approval process by the Landmarks Preservation Commission should take a few months, according to Mr. Beckman. The first step will be a vote by Manhattan Community Board 2, which has an advisory role in the matter. The Landmarks Preservation Commission will then conduct at least one hearing and make a final deciding vote," the article said.
Mr. Beckman said that NYU believes that "the plan submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission provides for clear light and air corridors that wouldn't be possible with the alternative design, and that it would create more green space," the article said.
In an article yesterday at observer.com, Matt Chaban noted that "After sweet talking locals for the past few years with the idea of moderate development, many of them view the tower as a slap in the face with the very olive branch they had extended to the university," adding that the proposed building would be the tallest in Greenwich Village and substantially taller than the existing Pei towers.
The new building has been designed by Grimshaw Architects and would contain faculty housing and a hotel.
The attractive new building stylistically attempts to be relate to the slim towers with vertical fenestration patterns of the Pei towers but Mr. Chaban wrote that the proposal, "which requires approval not only from Landmarks but also the City Planning Commission, is guaranteed to cause a heated showdown between the community and NYU, probably eclipsing the one over St. Vincent's expansion."
Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, sent the following comments in an e-mail to observer.com:
"The current zoning for the site does not allow NYU to build anything at this location. The proposal would ruin the Pei design, block views of the Picasso sculpture, introduce a hotel into an entirely residential area, and tower over everything around it (the three Silver Towers, the tallest buildings in the Village, are only about 300 feet tall, as opposed to the proposed 399 ft. tall tower)."
The residential enclave, which is just to the north of Houston Street, was declared an official city landmark two years ago.
"What the Landmarks Preservation Commission will tell us ultimately is whether we move forward with this plan or the plan we think is less preferable, which would be to build a new building on the supermarket site on the northwest corner of the block," which could be built "as-of-right," John Beckman, vice president of public affairs for NYU, said in an article by Marine Cole in yesterday's edition of crains.com, adding "we think the logic of our planning process and our proposal would be clear to people."
"The approval process by the Landmarks Preservation Commission should take a few months, according to Mr. Beckman. The first step will be a vote by Manhattan Community Board 2, which has an advisory role in the matter. The Landmarks Preservation Commission will then conduct at least one hearing and make a final deciding vote," the article said.
Mr. Beckman said that NYU believes that "the plan submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission provides for clear light and air corridors that wouldn't be possible with the alternative design, and that it would create more green space," the article said.
In an article yesterday at observer.com, Matt Chaban noted that "After sweet talking locals for the past few years with the idea of moderate development, many of them view the tower as a slap in the face with the very olive branch they had extended to the university," adding that the proposed building would be the tallest in Greenwich Village and substantially taller than the existing Pei towers.
The new building has been designed by Grimshaw Architects and would contain faculty housing and a hotel.
The attractive new building stylistically attempts to be relate to the slim towers with vertical fenestration patterns of the Pei towers but Mr. Chaban wrote that the proposal, "which requires approval not only from Landmarks but also the City Planning Commission, is guaranteed to cause a heated showdown between the community and NYU, probably eclipsing the one over St. Vincent's expansion."
Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, sent the following comments in an e-mail to observer.com:
"The current zoning for the site does not allow NYU to build anything at this location. The proposal would ruin the Pei design, block views of the Picasso sculpture, introduce a hotel into an entirely residential area, and tower over everything around it (the three Silver Towers, the tallest buildings in the Village, are only about 300 feet tall, as opposed to the proposed 399 ft. tall tower)."
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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