[EVG photo from August]
Plans to demolish 827-831 Broadway for a 14-floor office building are on hold for now as the City has decided to begin the formal process of considering them for landmark designation.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission moved yesterday to calendar the pair of cast-iron buildings built in 1866 here between 12th Street and 13th Street. "That means the commission will ultimately hold a public hearing on the buildings’ designation and subsequently vote on it (one way or the other) within one year from now," as Curbed reported.
As previously reported, Quality Capital and Caerus Group bought the parcel between 12th Street and 13th Street last summer for $60 million. The deal reportedly included 30,000 square feet of air rights.
In the late 1950s, Willem de Kooning had a studio in No. 827, one piece of the history of these buildings uncovered by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), who has campaigned the past 18 months to preserve these buidlings.
GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman co-authored an op-ed at the Times in early August, providing more history of the addresses and making the case for why they should be landmarked.
The buildings were designed by Griffith Thomas, called “the most fashionable architect of his generation” by the American Institute of Architects.
You can read more about the buildings and the next steps in the landmarking process at the GVSHP website here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: 14-story building planned for 827 Broadway
An appeal to landmark these buildings on Broadway
I am pretty sure that one of these buildings was the home / painting studio of Paul Jenkins during the 1970s. There must be some way to recover the names of artists and writers who lived in these buildings.
ReplyDeleteThe census bureau, old telephone books, etc. Plenty of ways to find out who lived where and when.
ReplyDeleteThese are two absolutely stunning buildings. To destroy them would be an affront to our neighborhood and to the entire field of architecture.
Hopefully the Landmarks Commission will have a moment of sanity and save these marvelous buildings unlike what they have allowed to happen on E. 11th street between 3rd and 4th Avenues. Who are these people anyway????????
The LPC will landmark this so they don't look like they greenlight every demolition of a building up for landmark status. These buildings are merely their cover while they take seven-figure cash bribes under the table to not landmark what developers want to tear down.
ReplyDeleteBesides who the artists who worked and may have lived here these buildings are not only beautiful but must be saved to prevent others along Broadway all the way through to Canal Street from being demolished for no other reason for developer greed. The air rights this developer Is purchased should be transferable to another location and although I am not super optimistic in regards to landmarks preservation commiission actually saving these buildings considering who we have as mayor we must fight this or expect to see luxury glass condos invade out neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteGreat news. FIGHT BACK!
ReplyDeleteThank you, GVSHP, for holding LPC's feet to the fire!
ReplyDeleteI would like to see these buildings stay.
ReplyDeletePaul Jenkins, Willem and Elaine de Kooning,
ReplyDeleteRay Parker, Jules Olitski, Larry and Paula Poons* all have been residents of these buildings. *still reside there.