Showing posts with label Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue. Show all posts

Monday, October 30, 2017

Reader report: Driver crashes into Town & Village Synagogue on 14th Street



There are reports this afternoon that an elderly woman lost control of her car and crashed into the gates outside the Town & Village Synagogue on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

According to a witness, the driver exited from the parking garage on the north side of 14th Street ... and drove straight into the synagogue across the street. There weren't any reports of pedestrian injuries.



No word just yet on injuries to the driver.

Thanks to James & Karla Murray for the photos and KT for the report.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Reactions to the landmarking of Town & Village Synagogue on East 14th Street


[Image via Manhattan Sideways]

Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted to give the Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. landmark status.

The LPC excluded from the landmark designation a rear structure here between First Avenue and Second Avenue that had originally been considered as part of the landmark designation.

Here's reaction to the decision... first from Marianna Mott Newirth, president of the Town & Village Synagogue:

Town & Village Synagogue is a community and a building.

We are an active, egalitarian Conservative Jewish congregation serving Lower Manhattan with pride. We recognize the LPC’s designation of our building and honor the work that has been done by both the Bloomberg and the DiBlasio administrations to carefully review and deliberate on our status. Their decision is a testament to our building’s rich immigrant ​history in NYC.
​​
​Our commitment remains: to serve the 400 families who are the core of T&V and to support the greater community of which we are a part. We look to the men and women who championed Landmark designation to continue their loving support of Town & Village Synagogue. May we work together to strengthen this building so that it will be a beacon of spirituality, a center of Jewish learning and a jewel on 14th Street for current and future generations of New Yorkers.

She went on to tell us that that the building was taken off the market early this year. "We are not selling. We are not moving."

And here's a comment via Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation:

"It's wonderful that after nearly half a century, this venerable piece of our city and our neighborhood’s history will finally receive the recognition and protection it deserves and which we fought so hard for.

"We are disappointed that the Landmarks Preservation Commission excluded [the rear structure] from the designation and believe that their doing so was unnecessary. The Commission could have landmarked the entire site and still allowed construction in the rear, but with designation of the entire site they would have ensured that any new construction did not detract from the valuable historic character of this 150 year old religious edifice."

DNAinfo has coverage of the landmarking here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

[Updated] Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue faces landmark designation today

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

[Updated] Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue faces landmark designation today


[EVG file photo]

The Tifereth Israel Town & Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. is scheduled for a vote before The Landmarks Preservation Commission on proposed landmark designation today at 9:45 a.m.

Here's background via a press advisory sent out yesterday by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP)...

The synagogue was first built in 1866 as the First German Baptist Church; in 1926 it became the Ukrainian Autocephalic Church of St. Volodymyr; and in 1962 it became the Town & Village Synagogue, reflecting the successive waves of immigration and ethnic change that have swept over the East Village.

Shortly after New York's landmarks law was adopted in 1965, Tifereth Israel was formally heard and considered for landmark designation, but never received a vote. However, it did remain officially "calendared" by the LPC, or formally under consideration for landmark designation, making it perhaps the longest time any building in New York has remained in "landmarks limbo."

At today's meeting (which the public can attend but at which it cannot speak), the LPC could vote to landmark the historic structure, vote not to landmark, vote to landmark part of the structure (a rear section of the synagogue was built somewhat later, which some have proposed excluding from landmark designation), or could defer again on voting.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing about the designation this past March 25.

During that hearing, synagogue members downplayed the importance of the building's architecture, as The East Villager reported.

"Synagogue members stressed that landmarking would raise costs just as a plan is underway to modify the structure to better serve community needs through a daycare center, disabled access and L.G.B.T.Q. services," according to The East Villager.

Updated 1:53 p.m.

The LPC voted to landmark the synagouge, with landmark designation taking immediate effect.

At today's vote, the Commission excluded from the landmark designation a rear structure which had originally been considered as part of the landmark designation. GVSHP and fellow preservation and East Village groups had called for landmark designation of the entire building, including the rear structure.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

Monday, June 23, 2014

Sidewalk bridge arrives outside the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue on East 14th Street


[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

Workers arrived Friday to erect a sidewalk bridge outside the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

That's usually not a noteworthy event. However, as you may recall, the synagogue hit the market last fall for possible development.

This prompted all sorts of speculation, such as the space would be developed into condos. (Preservationists have also pushed to have the city landmark the structure.)

So back to the sidewalk bridge. Is this is sign of condo things to come?


[Photo by EVG reader Pinch]

According to permits on file with the city (in the DOB's ALL-CAP style):

STRUCTURAL REPAIRS IN THE (CELLAR) BASEMENT AND ATTIC TO INCLUDE JOIST SURING, ROOF JOIST AND THE CONCRETE RAT SLAB, ECT, AS SHOWN ON PLANS FILED HEREWITH. NO CHANGE IN USE, EGRESS, OR OCCUPANCY.

Estimated costs of the renovations: $$282,000.



Meanwhile, the listing for the synagogue is no longer on the Massey Knakal site. The asking price had been $13,950,000.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation

Thursday, April 17, 2014

[Updated] Speculating about future development at the Town and Village Synagogue



As we reported last Oct. 1, the Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue on East 14th Street is for sale for possible development.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing about a potential landmark designation here at 334 E. 14th St. this past March 25. (The LPC will accept public comments until 30 days from this date.)

Preservationists and some local residents want to see the 150-year-old building designated by the city as a protected landmark.

For their part, synagogue members downplayed the importance of the building’s architect during the hearing, as The East Villager reported.

"Synagogue members stressed that landmarking would raise costs just as a plan is underway to modify the structure to better serve community needs through a daycare center, disabled access and L.G.B.T.Q. services," according to The East Villager.

Meanwhile, there's speculation among some neighbors about what might be in the works here. According to one neighbor, the Claremont Group will be developing the neighboring building at 332 E. 14th St., which currently houses Metro Bicycles in the retail space. (Public records list the buyer as an LLC with an address that matches the Brusco Group, an afflilate of Westside Management Corp.)

The neighbor's theory is that the new owners of No. 332 will secure the air rights to the synagogue … or, if the back of the synagogue space is not landmarked, the space can be sold to create some kind of L-shaped residential building.



As evidence of what is possible here, the neighbor points to the battle in Chelsea, where local politicians, preservationists and residents have been protesting a proposed 11-story glass tower that cantilevers over the French Evangelical Church on West 16th Street. "The church's air rights were sold to Einhorn Development Group several months ago in an effort to garner funds to refurbish the ailing 1835 house of worship," per Curbed.


[Rendering of West 16th Street via Curbed]

As the neighbor wrote to the LPC, "Please grant landmark designation to BOTH the front and back buildings of the Town & Village Synagogue, in order to avoid desecration of a religious structure similar to what was done to St. Ann's Church on East 12th Street by NYU's awkward attempt to preserve literally 'a piece of it' in front of a 26-story tower."



Updated 1:56 p.m.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation clarified some facts about what’s possible on the site:

As of now, it’s not known whether the synagogue will be landmarked OR what the new owner of the bicycle shop is planning. We do know, however, that the height of any new development on this stretch of East 14th Street will be capped by the present C1-6A zoning rules. Because of this area’s contextual zoning, the height limit is 80 feet, or roughly eight stories, with a street wall maximum of 65 feet, regardless of whether one purchases “air rights” from the synagogue. These limits would make such a purchase almost certainly pointless.

If the main building of the synagogue were landmarked, but its heretofore-unknown “back building” were not, an L-shaped building conceivably could be built around it — up to 80 feet.

There are a number of differences between this situation and that of the French Evangelical Church on West 16th Street, or of the NYU development behind the old St. Ann’s Church on East 12th Street. One is that neither of those churches were designated New York City Landmarks. The other is that the zoning for those sites allowed much larger development than can take place here. If Town & Village were to be landmarked, an adjacent building would not be allowed to cantilever over the synagogue without the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s review and approval.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use

[Updated] East 14th Street synagogue up for sale considered for landmark designation

Friday, March 21, 2014

48 years later, East 14th Street synagogue to be considered for landmark designation


[Photo by Karen Loew via GVSHP]

The Tifereth Israel Town and Village Synagogue at 334 E. 14th St. is on the market for nearly $14 million, as we first noted last October.

Upon hearing of the potential sale, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and a coalition of East Village, preservation, and Jewish history groups reached out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) urging them to consider the building for landmark designation.

According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the building has an amazing history, having served as first a German Baptist Church, then a Ukranian Autocephalic Orthodox Church, and then a Conservative Synagogue for the last 50 years. Interestingly enough, the building was calendared by the LPC and considered for landmark designation in 1966, but they never acted upon it.

Now in response to the group's request, the LPC will hold a hearing on the potential landmark designation … scheduled now on Tuesday morning. (The LPC tabled the hearing back in October.)

Here's more about the building and the hearing from concerned neighbors …

As the building is currently for sale and new plans are being considered that could alter this historic structure forever or replace it, we think it is important that the Commission make a decision on its landmark-worthiness. Landmark designation would not prevent the current congregation from growing or even altering or adding to the building. But it would ensure that the key exterior historic elements and the connection to the building’s century and a half history remain.

The Landmark Preservation Committee hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at 9:30 am at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor.

If you are not able to testify, but want to show your support, please submit a sample letter of support created by the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation. Find the sample letter here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] East 14th St. synagogue on the market for conversion to residential, commercial use