The battle over the future of the New York Historical Society on Central Park West heated up last night as Community Board 7 voted 40 to 2 to recommend that the Landmarks Preservation Commission deny an application for a certificate of appropriateness for facade changes to its building that would provide improved disabled access, emergency egress, improved interior circulation, new elevators and new mechanical equipment.

The vote did not come as a surprise as the board's Parks and Preservation Committee of Community Board 7 had voted 6 to 1 February 8 for a similar resolution.

The society's application only involves changes to exterior of the existing building, but the board's resolution made references to a mixed-use tower that the society is considering on its site that is not part of the application that will come shortly before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, expressing concerns that approval of the facade changes "will be used to bootstrap arguments that the Phase 2 design is appropriate use."

While the co-chairs of the committee, Lenore Norman and Klari Neuwelt, maintained that the vote was only about the society's proposed facade changes that they found inappropriate such as the "use of bronze and glass, rather than masonry, for the walls and railings of the new ramps on each of the affected facades," the resolution adopted by the board made reference to plans by the society for "a mixed-use museum/residential building on its site fronting 76th Street."

A New York Times article by Glenn Collins November 1, 2006 reported that the society had invited 8 developers to make proposals for the erection of a mixed-use building that could be 23 stories and 280 feet high on a vacant lot it owns at 7-13 West 76th Street behind its building that fills the Central Park West blockfront between 76th and 77th Streets. The new tower would provide about 75,000 square feet of space for the society beneath 18 floors of condominium apartments and part of the tower would be cantilevered over the society's existing building, whose original center section was designed in neo-classical style in 1904 by York & Sawyer and expanded with wings at the north and south in 1937 by Walker & Gillette.

Under plans prepared for the society by Paul Spencer Byard of the architectural firm of Platt, Byard, Dovell & White, the narrow Central Park West entrance would be widened with its bronze doors probably moved perpendicularly to the sides and a broadened staircase would extend 15 inches further onto the sidewalk to permit long flanking ramps for disabled access and the somewhat steeper staircase would permit a major redesign of the society's first floor coupled with a redesign of its 77th Street entrance where a caf¿ with a Keith Haring-designed ceiling would be installed overlooking the gardens of the American Museum of Natural History across 77th Street.

Existing torch¿res at the entrance would be removed, but saved, and tall kiosk stanchions would be installed for announcements on either side of the entrance.

Some committee members had argued that the society should have provided examples of the materials it planned to use for the facade alterations and Mr. Byard brought them with him to last night's meeting but Ms. Neuwelt said it was too late.

The resolution described the proposed facade changes as "unnecessary overkill...apparently motivated at least in part by the inappropriate decision to 'modernize' the facade rather than to make minimally intrusive changes."

Dr. Louise Mirrer, the society's president, told the meeting that the committee and board were holding the society "hostage" by making "approval of necessary changes for the safety of users and the long-term protection of the building...contingent upon discussing plans for a completely separate project - with no immediate timetable."