LPC Hearing Scheduled for 9-Story NoHo Hotel Tomorrow; Preservationists Rallying the Troops
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That nine-story NoHo hotel proposed for 27 East Fourth Street is back on the real estate radar after a year of almost complete radio silence. Last we checked in, the Landmarks Preservation Commission had again denied architect Ed Carroll’s proposal for the parcel, land that currently hosts the one-level brick garage constructed by Herman Kron in 1946. The city panel is slated to hear the case for a third time tomorrow afternoon. Will three times be the proverbial charm?
During proceedings last March, the developers wheeled out a presentation illustrating the steps toward safe building practices that wouldn’t compromise the Merchant’s House next door. The commissioners decided that additional testimony from third-party experts would be needed. On the design front, the panel reserved further objections, and even hurled various insults about the shortcomings of the plans (same height as its neighbor, a cornice that “wimps out,” and windows that resemble a “1960s office building”).
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Original design for 9-story hotel at 27 East 4th St.
Tomorrow’s hearing, scheduled for 2pm, will not be open for public testimony. However, neighborhood preservationists are nevertheless urging folks to show face before the board.
27 East Fourth Street, a property just off the Bowery, abuts the landmarked Merchant’s House. It’s current function is a garage for food cart vendors to lock up their goods. Advocates are worried about Caroll’s plans, which carry the very real possibility of damaging the already fragile 1832 architecture.
It’s also worth noting that Ed Carroll carries with him a criminal past. As previously reported, he served federal time for obstructing justice and “misleading a grand jury in 2002 during a federal corruption case against a business associate involved in elevator contracts for the M.T.A. headquarters.” He spent five months in the slammer, in addition to two years of supervised release and five months of home confinement.
If you plan on attending, the hearing is at the Municipal Building, 1 Centre Street, 9th floor public hearing room.
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Circa 1930s/Photo: Bowery Alliance of Neighbors
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