Posted Apr 15, 2011, 2:51 PM
|
 |
New Yorker for life
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 51,980
|
|
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/0...commission.php
Twisty MePa Tower Gets a Little Love From Landmarks Commission
The original plan (L.) and the revised design from Morris Adjmi Architects.
Thursday, April 14, 2011, by Pete Davies
Quote:
Last November, when developer Taconic Investment Partners first presented a plan for a torquing tower in steel and glass at the edge of the Gansevoort Market Historic District, members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission almost fell in love. They called architect Morris Adjmi's design for 837 Washington Street handsome and powerful. But ultimately the commissioners backed off, declaring it a bit too big and bold, and sent the development and design team away with the promise of a second date.
Now the time has come, so Adjmi (a popular choice these days) and Taconic returned to the Commission chambers this week to present a revised design. What they showed is 29 feet and two stories shorter than the original scheme, but it's still a twisting assemblage of stacked horizontal elements fronted in glass and wrapped in a steel exo-skeleton, all rising from the old 2-story moderne-influenced market building that's been on this corner since 1938.
Is it meaty enough?
The commissioners' responses to the truncated tower ranged from praise to...utter confusion. Some saw the design as a perfect example of our times and the neighborhood, expressing the marriage of high fashion to downtown edginess. Others found it too exuberant, overly glassy and simply too tall for its historic neighbors.
To woo the decision makers, the design team showed images of the jumble of buildings that sat on this corner at West 13th and Washington 80 years ago, nearly as tall as the vertical addition they want to build now. Some commissioners were won over, but not all. The two sides agreed to meet again. Will they finally see some action on the third date?
|
The old version (top left) and the new truncated plan.
See through from the High Line.
From the High Line at night (Morris Adjmi Architects).
__________________
NEW YORK is Back!
“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.
|