A Manhattan townhouse owner is being forced to do something few, if any, New York homeowners have ever done before: tear down a top-floor addition to a building to comply with city landmark regulations.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission has ordered the removal of an additional floor at the townhouse at 12-14 West 68th Street, according to an article today by Craig Karmin at The Wall Street Journal.
The commission made its decision last month because it had not approved the addition even though it had been approved by the city's Department of Buildings.
The article indicated that "The building's owner has begun taking steps to remove the entire floor, according to a commission official," adding that "Arthur Minerof, the building's owner, declined to comment."
The 19th-century Queen Anne-style building on 68th Street is located in an historic district.
"The previous owners of the townhouse received a permit from the Buildings Department to construct an addition on the roof in 2005, according to Polly Cleveland, one of the owners at the time. She and her husband added a sixth floor to create a new rental duplex apartment with the fifth floor. The addition has windows facing the street, a kitchen and dining area, and a terrace with a glass door. It was completed in 2007. Ms. Cleveland, an adjunct professor at Columbia University, says she knew she lived in a landmark district but assumed the requirements had been fulfilled when she received the Building Department permit. 'People have accused us of trying to sneak something by the commission,' she says, 'but we didn't know,'" the article continued. The photograph at the right was taken before the addition was made by Ms. Cleveland.
"Licensed professionals are required to notify the department about a building's landmark status when submitting construction plans. It appears that did not happen in this case," maintained Buildings Department spokesman Tony Sclafani, according to the article.
"The project's architect, Lester Evan Tour, declined to comment. But at a commission hearing last year, he blamed the Buildings Department, saying its database failed to list the townhouse as being a landmark building," the article continued, noting that "The violation followed a complaint from a nearby resident, who said the addition blocked his light" and that "Arlene Simon, president of the preservation group Landmark West!, demanded the new floor be demolished."
Ms. Cleveland's husband, Thomas Haines, bought the townhouse in 1965 for $140,000 and put it on the market in 2008 for $20 million, eventually accepting an offer from Mr. Minerof in early 2009 for $10.6 million including assumption of debt, the article said, adding that "The sellers agreed to refund Mr. Minerof $500,000 if his efforts to modify the new floor didn't win the landmark commission's approval."
The article said that in March, the commission said the plan didn't resolve the issues.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission has ordered the removal of an additional floor at the townhouse at 12-14 West 68th Street, according to an article today by Craig Karmin at The Wall Street Journal.
The commission made its decision last month because it had not approved the addition even though it had been approved by the city's Department of Buildings.
The article indicated that "The building's owner has begun taking steps to remove the entire floor, according to a commission official," adding that "Arthur Minerof, the building's owner, declined to comment."
The 19th-century Queen Anne-style building on 68th Street is located in an historic district.
"The previous owners of the townhouse received a permit from the Buildings Department to construct an addition on the roof in 2005, according to Polly Cleveland, one of the owners at the time. She and her husband added a sixth floor to create a new rental duplex apartment with the fifth floor. The addition has windows facing the street, a kitchen and dining area, and a terrace with a glass door. It was completed in 2007. Ms. Cleveland, an adjunct professor at Columbia University, says she knew she lived in a landmark district but assumed the requirements had been fulfilled when she received the Building Department permit. 'People have accused us of trying to sneak something by the commission,' she says, 'but we didn't know,'" the article continued. The photograph at the right was taken before the addition was made by Ms. Cleveland.
"Licensed professionals are required to notify the department about a building's landmark status when submitting construction plans. It appears that did not happen in this case," maintained Buildings Department spokesman Tony Sclafani, according to the article.
"The project's architect, Lester Evan Tour, declined to comment. But at a commission hearing last year, he blamed the Buildings Department, saying its database failed to list the townhouse as being a landmark building," the article continued, noting that "The violation followed a complaint from a nearby resident, who said the addition blocked his light" and that "Arlene Simon, president of the preservation group Landmark West!, demanded the new floor be demolished."
Ms. Cleveland's husband, Thomas Haines, bought the townhouse in 1965 for $140,000 and put it on the market in 2008 for $20 million, eventually accepting an offer from Mr. Minerof in early 2009 for $10.6 million including assumption of debt, the article said, adding that "The sellers agreed to refund Mr. Minerof $500,000 if his efforts to modify the new floor didn't win the landmark commission's approval."
The article said that in March, the commission said the plan didn't resolve the issues.
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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