A milestone of sorts to note about the condo conversion of the Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 E. Sixth St.: the penthouse addition has (mostly) arrived.
At the time when the condo plans were first made available, some neighbors and preservationists were concerned about the size and scope of the new level. In March 2013, architect Joseph Pell Lombardi reportedly told CB3's Landmarks Subcommittee that the addition would not be visible from the street — per guidelines set forth by the Lower East Side/East Village Historic District.
To prove this, he installed a mock-up with orange cones showing where the penthouse would be setback from the rest of the building. We checked it out...and while the cones were not visible from the sidewalk, you could spot them a few steps in on the Village View property across the street, which is not in the Historic District.
The Landmarks Preservation reportedly approved the plans in April 2013, though they did ask the applicant to address the visibility of the rooftop addition by either setting it back further, reducing the scale, using a darker color, or choosing a different cladding material, per the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
We took the top three photos here from Village View yesterday morning ... showing the penthouse ...
We returned later in the day… the penthouse is noticeable from the south side of the street as well…
… though not from out front…
Of course, the penthouse at this stage is particularly noticeable with its yellow DensGlass® Sheathing. Be curious to see what the final product looks like.
As previously cut-n-pasted: The landmarked building between Avenue A and First Avenue was reportedly in disrepair and the congregation's population had dwindled. Synagogue leaders signed a 99-year lease with East River Partners worth some $1.2 million. The synagogue will retain space on the ground floor for their use.
The developers previously told the Daily News that sales for the three units will start this fall.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Plan to add condos to historic East Sixth Street synagogue back on
Play spot the potential penthouse atop the East Village synagogue
A final look inside the Anshei Meseritz synagogue on East Sixth Street
Stained-glass windows removed ahead of condo conversion at Congregation Mezritch Synagogue
5 comments:
Is the Holy of Holies still inside? They'd better not touch it!
William Wegman used to have his studio in that building in the 1980s.
Sad.
I live across from the former law school now drama school dorm that was illegally built several stories higher than it was supposed to be, so I am a bitter kitten. And distrustful.
Penthouse.
People throw that term around a bit too often. That is a top-floor addition. A true penthouse has 5 views, North, East, South, West and up (meaning outdoor space).
Given the height of the buildings on either side, the occupants won't have East or West views.
A few well place potted trees will hide this extension nicely and look good behind that classical facade. I'm pleased this building remains.
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