Rooftop add-on frenzy spreads among UWS buildings

An add-on frenzy is seizing the Upper West Side, with three buildings joining the Apthorp’s bid to put apartments on their roofs.

The seven-story Evelyn, at 101 West 78th Street on the corner of Columbus Avenue, wants two more stories. The landmarked building, constructed in 1886, had the city’s nod to build a two-story addition in the 1890s, according to notes from an LPC meeting cited by West Side Rag.

The proposed addition would be “glad in zinc,” with a brick bulkhead lifting the structure another story; glass railings would surround accessible rooftop areas.

One Evelyn resident, though, vehemently opposes the addition, according to Councilwoman Gale Brewer and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. The resident stated the building would be “desecrated,” they said.

The Forum condominium, at 54 West 74th Street, is also jockeying to go skyward. The owners of the 1903 building strung up orange netting to give the LPC a glimpse of the visual impact of the addition. A meeting was scheduled to discuss the addition with the LPC, but it was postponed.

A couple of blocks down, the Chatsworth is also angling for new rooftop digs, as previously reported. The building sold last year for $150 million to HFZ Capital, and the additions are proposed as part of wider building renovations.

Opponents of the plan are already up in arms, citing concerns about dust and pollution construction could create. [West Side Rag] — Julie Strickland