The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved Edward J. Minskoff Equities’ plans Tuesday to build two townhouses and seven apartments in the West Village, after the architects presented a revised design.
British architect David Chipperfield and Ward Dennis of Higgins Quasebarth & Partners are designing the 31,000-square-foot project at 11-19 Jane Street. Dennis said the new designs have a “much stronger residential feeling,” New York YIMBY reported. The proposal was previously rejected by the commission four times.
The overall height of the building will remain 85 feet, according to the website. However, the townhouses windows have been given more masonry, there will be more cast stone from the base present in the upper facade. Nine Juliet balconies will be installed on the second floor, rather than a single balcony. Some of the windows that were previously sliders have been replaced with casement windows.
LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the team had responded well to the commissioners’ concerns. However, not everyone is happy with the new design.
“It still looks like a chain motel, it’s still too large, and it still sticks out like a sore thumb. The changes made by the architect since January are the proverbial rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, in a statement to YIMBY.
Edward Minskoff filed plans for the site with the city last year. He paid $26 million for the garage in 2014. The developer also owns 51 Astor Place, an office building in the East Village.
[NY YIMBY] — Miriam Hall