The Landmarks Preservation Commission issued a warning to the owners of West Village restaurant One If By Land, Two If By Sea after it came to their attention that a landmarked plaster archway was removed without approval.
In a July 2 letter, Landmarks chair Meenaskshi Srinivasan wrote, “All work on this premises must stop immediately!”
The building’s archway was mentioned in the commission’s 1969 report designating the Greenwich Village Historic District. The building at 17 Barrow Street dates back to 1834, DNAinfo reported.
Restaurant manager Tony Elezovic said the archway had to be removed for safety reasons after it partially collapsed, and that the owners hadn’t responded to Landmarks’ demands immediately because they felt that the original columns behind the archway were an improvement.
The owners have 20 days from the issuance of the warning letter to submit an application to make changes, or they could be fined up to $5,000. [DNAinfo] — Tess Hofmann