Evan Bindelglass reports for Curbed: Landmarks Approves Extell’s Restoration of 734 Broadway
Second time’s the charm?
That was the case Tuesday morning for Extell’s plans to restore 734 Broadway, which dates to 1872. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the plans, which were created by preservation experts Beyer Blinder and Belle. What they want to do, in short, is install a two-story penthouse on the roof of the five-story building, remove the fire escape from the front of the building, repaint the back of the building, and demolish a shed behind the building. Late last year, the plans were presented to Community Board 2, which voted to approve the proposal with some modification. Then Extell went before the Landmarks Preservation Commission a few weeks later and the commission said no.
That leads us to Tuesday morning, when Extell returned to the LPC with an updated proposal.
Perhaps the most notable change is that the top floor of the penthouse addition is now pushed farther back from the front of the building. The LPC agreed that removal of the fire escape is fine since it was not original to the building and that because the shed was changed so much over the years, there was no need to keep it.
With the penthouse being pretty hard to see from anywhere that doesn’t look down at the building, the LPC approved the proposal unanimously. Also approved unanimously was the application for the LPC to recommend the City Planning Commission approve use of the building for retail on the ground floor and residential units on the floors above.