The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously yesterday to deny an application by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to erect a tear-drop-shaped food stand in front of its entrance on Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Streets.
The narrow stand had been designed by Andre Kikoski, the architect who designed the museum's two recently opened restaurants, The Wright on the ground floor, and Cafe 3 on the third floor.
The commissioners said that the proposed food stand underneath the museum's overhang was too intrusive and distracted by Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark, according to an article today at ny.curbed.com by Joey Arak.
"All of our standard appropriateness tests are not met here," said Chairman Bob Tierney, and Commissioner Joan Gerner said that the stand "takes away from the beautiful horizontal plane of the entryway."
A number of community groups also spoke out against the proposal, and Guggenheim officials did not say what they planned to do next, the article said, adding that "their intention was to compete with food cart vendors by offering a more attractive alternative befitting the iconic building."
"I'm sympathetic with the problem, but not at all sympathetic with the solutions," said Commissioner Frederick Bland, the article stated.
There are several food and art and sunglass and apparel vendors already on the block and one block north the Church of the Heavenly Rest has opened a delightful caf? with excellent almond croissants, oatmeal cookies and curried chicken salad.
In other developments, numerous community groups including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation sent a letter to commission chairman Robert Tierney stating their "unequivocal opposition" to a recently filed application by New York University for a 400-ft-tall tower in the Silver Towers complex south of Washington Square Park, and to the university's "alternative" on the adjacent supermarket site that is not landmarked. The letter stated that the university should instead consider the Financial District for this and other "oversized" development.
Andrew Berman, executive director of the society, said that it and other neighborhood groups will hold a rally and press conference to express their opposition to the planned tower Sunday, November 7 at 2 PM at the site of the planned tower. The next night, the landmarks committee of Community Board 2 will vote on the university's application at 6:30PM at a site to be announced.
The narrow stand had been designed by Andre Kikoski, the architect who designed the museum's two recently opened restaurants, The Wright on the ground floor, and Cafe 3 on the third floor.
The commissioners said that the proposed food stand underneath the museum's overhang was too intrusive and distracted by Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark, according to an article today at ny.curbed.com by Joey Arak.
"All of our standard appropriateness tests are not met here," said Chairman Bob Tierney, and Commissioner Joan Gerner said that the stand "takes away from the beautiful horizontal plane of the entryway."
A number of community groups also spoke out against the proposal, and Guggenheim officials did not say what they planned to do next, the article said, adding that "their intention was to compete with food cart vendors by offering a more attractive alternative befitting the iconic building."
"I'm sympathetic with the problem, but not at all sympathetic with the solutions," said Commissioner Frederick Bland, the article stated.
There are several food and art and sunglass and apparel vendors already on the block and one block north the Church of the Heavenly Rest has opened a delightful caf? with excellent almond croissants, oatmeal cookies and curried chicken salad.
In other developments, numerous community groups including the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation sent a letter to commission chairman Robert Tierney stating their "unequivocal opposition" to a recently filed application by New York University for a 400-ft-tall tower in the Silver Towers complex south of Washington Square Park, and to the university's "alternative" on the adjacent supermarket site that is not landmarked. The letter stated that the university should instead consider the Financial District for this and other "oversized" development.
Andrew Berman, executive director of the society, said that it and other neighborhood groups will hold a rally and press conference to express their opposition to the planned tower Sunday, November 7 at 2 PM at the site of the planned tower. The next night, the landmarks committee of Community Board 2 will vote on the university's application at 6:30PM at a site to be announced.
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.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
