Landmarks panel backs removal of lower cornice at 19 West 12th, urges masonry plan and darker finish for replacement

Manhattan Community Board 2's Landmarks meeting on Sept. 1, 2025 reviewed an application for 19 West 12th Street to remove a deteriorated lower cornice and replace the surviving upper cornice with a fiberglass (GFRC) assembly.

The applicant, Ron Eng, architect of record, said the property dates to 1845 and that the two existing wood cornices are "fairly deteriorated." He and David Crandall, project manager at Form Active, proposed removing the lower cornice and installing a GFRC replacement for the upper cornice. Andrew Barber identified himself as the expediter on the project.

The committee framed the issue as a preservation and visual-context question. "We were encouraged to propose that we remove the lower cornice altogether," Eng said, describing prior staff-level reviews and historical photographs that…