Tribeca hotel faces landmark challenges

A plan to build a luxury hotel at 87 Chambers Street in Tribeca has hit yet another roadblock, this time from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, though building owners say they can address the problems, according to the Wall Street Journal. The property had been occupied by a historic but dilapidated building that owners had first tried to convert into a hotel, but those plans were stopped after the structure partially collapsed in 2009. Since then, the owners have been preparing to build a new hotel on the site. However, since it’s located in Tribeca’s South Historic District, the hotel’s design needs approval from Landmarks. At a public hearing yesterday, the commission raised several objections, saying that it appeared too horizontal and stocky and didn’t fit the character of the neighborhood. The hotel’s backers say that they can make the requested changes to obtain approval. “The building that was there previously was a special building,” said David West, a partner at Goldstein Hill & West Architects LLP, which is designing the hotel. The plan calls for an eight-story hotel with 85 to 95 rooms, with a design meant to produce a modern building that also pays homage to the history of the site. “It’s not meant to be an eye-popping, jarring building, but it’s not meant as a background building, either,” West said. Those plans, however, will be changed to satisfy the Landmarks Commission. [WSJ]