Conversions of rowhouses criticized

Commissioners concerned that proposal would destroy too many original structures. On July 21, 2009, Landmarks met for a second time to discuss Chabad of the West Side’s proposal to convert into a religious preschool two rowhouses located at 43 and 45 West 86th Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District. The rowhouses were built in the 1890s and designed by architect John Duncan.

A hearing on May 19 revealed sharp divisions between … <Read More>


Conversion of rowhouses to preschool proposed

Renovation would retain only facade and sidewalls. On May 19, 2009, Landmarks heard testimony on a plan to convert two Georgian-style rowhouses, located at 43 and 45 West 86th Street in the Upper West Side/Central Park West Historic District, into a religious preschool. The rowhouses, built in 1895 and 1896, were designed by architect John H. Duncan, designer of Grant’s Tomb in Riverside Park.

Architect Charles Platt, of the firm Platt Byard Dovell White, presented … <Read More>