PRESERVATION UPDATE
On Monday, February 13, the Landmarks Committee of New York City Community Board 8 unanimously passed the following resolution regarding the proposed changes to Paul Rudolph’s legendary Halston Residence:
101 East 63rd Street (Upper East Side Historic District) Steve Blatz, Architect. Valerie Campbell, Kramer Levin. A stable and residence originally constructed in 1881 but altered in 1966-68 by Paul Rudolph as a single-family home. Application is to alter an existing entrance recess.
WHEREAS 101 East 63rd Street was originally constructed in 1881 as a stable-residence;
WHEREAS in 1966-1968, the property was significantly altered by Paul Rudolph, the famed modernist architect and a former dean of the Yale School of Architecture;
WHEREAS 101 East 63rd Street is referenced in the 4th edition of the AIA Guide to New York City as follows: “A somber brown steel and dark glass grid gives an understated face to a dramatic set of domestic spaces within.”
WHEREAS the existing garage door is set back 3 1/2’ from the property line;
WHEREAS the entrance door is set back an additional 4’ (7 1/2’ from property line) with a canopy over it; the applicant feels that the entrance door attracts vagrants and refuse;
WHEREAS the applicant proposes pulling the entrance door forward 2’; the 3 existing down lights at the entrance would disappear; there would be a recessed slot above the door to provide lighting for the new entrance;
WHEREAS the most important aspect of 101 East 63rd Street is the way the building steps back from the lot line to the entrance;
WHEREAS the three down lights provide character and a lighting scheme for the space at the front entrance;
WHEREAS the not-always-friendly nature of Paul Rudolph’s work must be respected; the house is one of only three that Paul Rudolph designed in Manhattan;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this application is DISAPPROVED as presented.
VOTE: 7 In Favor (Baron, Birnbaum, Camp, Cohn, Helpern, Parshall, Tamayo) ; One Public Member In Favor (Selway)
At Wednesday night’s Full Board Meeting, Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture President Kelvin Dickinson spoke during the opening public session and thanked the members of the Landmarks Committee for the unanimous decision and requested the full board do the same. He noted that three of the committee’s members are architects, all of whom supported the resolution to reject the proposed changes to the landmark façade.
Following little discussion except for acknowledgement that the project would likely ‘get noticed in the press’ the members of the Full Board voted to pass the resolution with a few members abstaining.
What Happens Next
The proposal will now go before the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission on February 28, 2023 for a ‘certificate of appropriateness’
You can download a copy of the LPC calendar showing it as item #13 on the agenda here.
The project number is LPC-23-07040 and the public is encouraged to attend and speak out against this proposal.
SAVE THE DATE!
Here’s how to attend the public hearing so you can voice your opposition to this proposal:
WHEN
On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 9:30 AM
WHERE
The public hearing room at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor, Borough of Manhattan, and the meeting will also be live-streamed and open to public participation by teleconference.
The final order and estimated times for each application will be posted on the Landmarks Preservation Commission website the Friday before the hearing. Please note that the order and estimated times are subject to change. An overflow room is located outside of the primary doors of the public hearing room.
What if I can’t go in person?
Virtual attendance by the public is encouraged given the continuing presence of COVID and the desire to facilitate social distancing. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the hearing or attend the meeting should contact the Landmarks Commission no later than five (5) business days before the hearing or meeting. Members of the public not attending in person can observe the meeting on LPC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/nyclpc and may testify on particular matters by joining the meeting using either the Zoom app or by calling in from any phone. Specific instructions on how to observe and testify, including the meeting ID and password, and the call-in number, will be posted on the agency’s website, under the “Hearings” tab https://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/hearings/hearings.page, on the Monday before the public hearing.
