The Landmarks Preservation Commission has followed Community Board 8’s lead in rejecting a proposed expansion of the former French Consulate building at 1143 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.Brussels-based businessman Jean Claude Marian had sought to add six stories the historic seven-story apartment building, which was long used to house French diplomats.
The plans, prepared by Financial District-based Li/Saltzman Architects, would also have added a rear garden, updated windows and made the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Community Board 8 rejected the proposal by a vote of 29 to 14 at a meeting last month, but that decision was non-binding.
Marian bought the 16,000-square-foot property last November, paying $36.4 million. [NY YIMBY] – Ariel Stulberg