Proposed Village hotel could replace 200-year-old building 

A federal-style building said to date back to the 1790s, which would make it one of the Village’s oldest buildings, could be demolished by a developer who plans to replace it with a 16-story hotel. Village residents say the building, located on West 13th Street, is mostly hidden from the street, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission is not interested in saving it. The Keystone Group’s plans for the hotel were rejected by the Department of Buildings, and the developer has not yet acquired air rights from the neighboring 13th St. Repertory Theater. Theater co-owner Edith O’Hara says she won’t sell the air rights, but co-owner Stephen Lowentheil is challenging O’Hara in court to win the right to sell them for $2.1 million.