COFA for 60 Hudson Street, Manhattan, Docket 046281
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THE NEW YORK CITY LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION 1 CENTRE STREET 9TH FLOOR NORTH NEW YORK NY 10007 TEL: 212 669-7700 FAX: 212 669-7780 PERMIT CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS ISSUE DATE: EXPIRATION DATE: DOCKET #: COFA #: 02/08/2006 04-6281 COFA 06-5630 ADDRESS BOROUGH: BLOCK/LOT: 60 HUDSON STREET INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK WESTERN UNION BUILDING MANHATTAN 144/40 Display This Permit While Work Is In Progress ISSUED TO: Shaun Mooney Hudson Telegraph Associates c/o GVA Williams 60 Hudson Street New York, NY 10013 Pursuant to Section 25-307 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, at the Public Meeting of December 13, 2005, following the Public Meeting of June 21, 2005, and the Public Hearing and Public Meeting of May 25, 2004, voted to grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed work at the subject premises, as put forth in your application completed April 22, 2004. The proposed work, as approved, consists of establishing a building-wide master plan governing the future installation of HVAC louvers within existing storefront framing and window sash, excluding certain windows; the installation of mechanical equipment at building setbacks; the installation of telecommunications equipment within a rooftop transmission tower; and the installation of shadow boxes behind the storefronts on West Broadway and Hudson Street, as shown in drawings, photographs and photo montages, labeled LM.5, LM.6 and LM.14, received at the Commission May 2004, LM.1 through LM.4, LM.9 through LM.12, and LM.16 through LM.25, received at the Commission June 2005, LM.7A, LM.8A, LM.15, LM.26, LM.33, A.1 through A.8, and "Typical Diagram For Each of 3 Faces," received at the Commission December 2005, prepared by George Boyle, Architect, submitted as components of the application and presented at the Public Hearing and Public Meetings. As originally presented to the Commission, the proposal featured window louver installations in an undefined pattern, dark shades behind windows without louvers, and the use of an overlay grid on the louvers, as shown in drawings labeled LM.7, LM.8, and LM.15, received at the Commission May 2004. In reviewing the proposal, the Commission noted that the designation report for 60 Hudson Street, the Western Union Building, describes it as an Art Deco style communications building built in 1928-30, and designed by Ralph Walker; and that the style, scale, materials and details of the buildings are among the features that contributes to the special architectural and historic character of this Individual Landmark. The Commission further noted that Certificate of Appropriateness 98-0166 was issued July 11, 1997 for a master plan for window and storefront louvers; that Miscellaneous/Amendment 01-5018 was issued March 5, 2001 to allow for the installation of generator muffler pipes in the upper right corner of approved window louvers; that the light "smoke gray" color previously approved for the window louvers will continue to be used in the new master plan; and that the shadow boxes will be installed in the Hudson Street storefronts upon a change in tenancy. With regard to this proposal, the Commission found that the chevron design of the storefront louvers will be compatible with the building's Art Deco ornamentation; that the proposed color of the storefront louver will be harmonious with the brick facade; that the patterns proposed for new window louver installations relate well to and complement the design of each facade; that confining louvers to certain portions of the facades will ensure that such installations occur in an orderly manner; that the installation of the louvers will enable the building, originally designed for the communications industry, to continue to function in its historic capacity; that installing the new window louvers behind the historic windows will maintain historic fabric; that lengthening four existing window openings on the Thomas Street façade at the ground floor, will be consistent with the size of the majority of the ground floor windows on that façade; that the amount of historic building fabric that will be removed will be minimal and will not detract from the special architectural character of the landmark; that the new ground floor Thomas Street windows, as well as any other new windows in which new louvers will be installed, will match the material, configuration, details, operation and finish of the historic windows; that the use of illuminated shadow boxes at the West Broadway storefront windows will enliven the building's base, and will give them a three-dimensionality that will recall the presence of storefronts; that the plan for the location and size of equipment at the building's setbacks will create a more controlled and orderly approach to the installation of the equipment, limiting the sizes of future units; that painting the equipment on the setback to match the different color of the brick at different levels of the facades will allow it to blend in better with the facades, calling less attention to it; that the design of the proposed transmission tower will better relate to the verticality of the building's design than the existing rooftop equipment which it will replace; that installing telecommunications equipment within the tower, rather than on its exterior, will allow for the orderly expansion of equipment while maintaining the external appearance of the tower; and that the proposed new Master Plan deals with the building in a comprehensive manner that will allow for necessary equipment installations without compromising the integrity of the landmark. Based on these findings, the Commission determined the work to be appropriate to the landmark and voted to approve it. The Commission authorized the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness upon receipt, review and approval of copies of the final drawings for the approved work. Subsequently, the staff of the Commission received drawings A.1 through A.7, dated January 12, 2006, and LPC.1, dated January 31, 2006, prepared by George Boyle, Architect, and an e-mail from the office of George Boyle, Architect, dated February 2, 2006 indicating that the storefront louvers will be painted to match Benjamin Moore "Hodley Red" #HC-65. The Commission reviewed these materials and found that the proposal approved by the Commission has been maintained. Based on this and the above findings, the drawings have been marked approved by the LPC with a perforated seal and Certificate of Appropriateness 06-5630 is being issued. This master plan sets a standard for the future installation of storefront and window louvers, mechanical equipment at setbacks, the installation of telecommunications equipment within a rooftop transmission tower, and the installation of shadow boxes behind the West Broadway and Hudson Street storefronts, and specifically identifies drawings which describe the approved master plan in detail. If the owner wishes to move forward with a portion of the work covered by the master plan, a completed application form must be filed with the Commission indicating the specific location(s) of the proposed work and showing that the work will conform to the approved master plan drawings and other documents on file with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The staff of the Preservation Department will review the application to ascertain that all proposed work is covered by the master plan, and will then send the owner an Authorization to Proceed. The Authorization to Proceed will be sent prior to the commencement of the work and will be contingent on adherence to the approved master plan. Please note that this master plan supersedes the master plan approved under Certificate of Appropriateness 98-0166; and that Misecellaneous/Amendment 01-5018 applies to the new master plan. This permit is issued on the basis of the building and site conditions described in the application and disclosed PAGE 2 Issued: 2/8/06 DOCKET: 04-6281 during the review process. By accepting this permit, the applicant agrees to notify the Commission if the actual building or site conditions vary or if original or historic building fabric is discovered. The Commission reserves the right to amend or revoke this permit, upon written notice to the applicant, in the event that the actual building or site conditions are materially different from those described in the application or disclosed during the review process. All approved drawings are marked approved by the Commission with a perforated seal indicating the date of approval. The work is limited to what is contained in the perforated documents. Other work or amendments to this filing must be reviewed and approved separately. The applicant is hereby put on notice that performing or maintaining any work not explicitly authorized by this permit may make the applicant liable for criminal and/or civil penalties, including imprisonment and fines. This letter constitutes the permit; a copy must be prominently displayed at the site while work is in progress. Please direct inquiries to Lisa Schaeffer. Robert B. Tierney Chair PLEASE NOTE: PERFORATED DRAWINGS AND A COPY OF THIS PERMIT HAVE BEEN SENT TO: George Boyle, Architect cc: G. Boyle, Arch. PAGE 3 Issued: 2/8/06 DOCKET: 04-6281.