Community board rejects UES resi project as “grotesque”

Community Board 8 rejected A. Ruth & Sons’ plans to add two stories to a landmarked Upper East Side rental building, calling the proposed design “grotesque.”

Local residents reviewed the owner’s application to add two stories and a glass railing to 50 East 96th Street, DNAinfo reported. The six-story building, known as “Woodward Hall,” was built in 1905 and is located in the Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic District.

Along with some facade repairs, the owner plans to add 5,900 square feet to the top of the six-story, 36,000-square-foot building. The community board rejected the plans last week, with member Marco Tamayo calling the design “grotesque and absurd.”

“In short, this enlargement would bring this building to its architectural decline,” he said.

The project’s architect, William Q. Brothers, is working on updating the plans. A hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission has not yet been scheduled. [DNAinfo] — Kathryn Brenzel