Madison Capital’s Soho triangle project sparks nabe’s ire

Soho residents are furious over Madison Capital and design firm Perkins Eastman’s plans for a six-story office and retail building planned for the corner of Broadway and East Houston Street.

The proposed glass brick building is to include three stories of retail topped by an additional three levels of office space, as The Real Deal reported. But the design, locals say, is better suited to Midtown than 19 East Houston Street.

“This thing is going to be lit 24/7,” Pete Davies, A Longtime Broadway resident and member of the 80-person neighborhood association the Broadway Residents Coalition, which opposes the plan, told DNAinfo. “It’s going to be a glowing glass box.”

But Navid Maqami, a principal at Perkins Eastman, argued that the new design catches “the spirit” of the bustling intersection.

“We wanted to not be mimicking the existing buildings too much,” he told DNAinfo. “We’re interested in creating a gateway to Soho, in a sense.”

For those in opposition, all is not lost: the Landmarks Preservation Commission will have veto power over the building’s design thanks to its location in a historic district. A public hearing will be held at the LPC on Sept. 10.

Madison Capital, which purchased the 6,190-square-foot lot from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in July for $25.82 million, is to take possession of the space in August of next year. [DNAinfo] — Julie Strickland