Buildings with distinctive decorative terra cotta landmarked. On April 18, 2006, Landmarks approved 2 Park Avenue and the Stewart & Company Building, at 404 Fifth Avenue, as City landmarks. 2 Park Avenue, designed by Ely Jacques Kahn and built between 1926-28, is a significant example of Art Deco architecture. One of the first Americans to adopt the emergent European Art Deco style, Kahn’s work is characterized by interweaving forms and geometric masses. In 2 Park, … <Read More>
Owner, Council Member clash on designation of SI bungalow
Owner claims house not unique and had been altered. On April 18, 2006, Landmarks held a hearing on the proposed designation of the Mark W. Allen house in Staten Island. The house exemplifies craftsman-style architecture, an indigenous American style that originated in California and became popular throughout the United States following World War I. The Allen house, one of very few craftsman bungalows built in Staten Island, is typified by its overhanging eaves, asymmetrical roof … <Read More>
BSA legalizes newly constructed oversized home
Owner claims to be unaware that contractor built home larger than permit authorized. Yitzchok Shindler applied to Buildings for a permit to enlarge the first, second and third floors of his home at 1231 East 21st Street at Avenue K in Brooklyn. Buildings received complaints about the construction and, upon inspection, found that Shindler had demolished most of the home and built beyond the permit’s scope. His home was now over 1,600 sq.ft. larger than … <Read More>
Residential/retail approved for Sixth Ave. and Canal
BSA reduces project size by almost 7,000 sq.ft. SoHo Island, LLC applied to BSA for a use variance to construct a nine-story, 73,645- square-foot residential and retail building on Sixth Avenue between Canal and Grand Streets in SoHo. The 11,300-square-foot development site consists of three merged lots zoned for manufacturing. Currently, the site contains the Moondance Diner, a paved parking lot and a two-story building with a garage and a photography shop, all of … <Read More>
Hotel approved for splitzoned lot
BSA okays hotel only after reduction of 18,000 sq.ft. After four proposals and five public hearings, BSA approved development of a 48-foot tall, four-story transient hotel in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. The site of the hotel, at 806/814 Coney Island Avenue, is comprised of five contiguous lots totaling 32,153 sq.ft., split by commercial (C8-2) and residential (R5) districts and currently contains a one-story garage. The owner required a variance to permit the hotel’s proposed size in … <Read More>
Owner withdraws variance application
Owner sought variance to construct catering facility and 89-room hotel. Tikvah Realty LLC, owner of Le Marquise Caterers, a catering facility located at 815 Kings Highway in Homecrest, Brooklyn, applied to BSA for a variance to construct a new catering facility with 89 hotel rooms, ground floor retail, and 394 below-grade accessory parking spaces. The project exceeded the limits on floor area and failed to provide sufficient parking. The proposal called for the catering facility … <Read More>