LPC issues positive report for adaptive reuse of Governors Island school building with flood‑resilient entrances and enclosed mechanicals

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on March 4 issued a positive report, with conditions, for adaptive reuse and resiliency upgrades at Building 301 on Governors Island, a neo‑Georgian former school in the Governors Island Historic District. The project would convert the building to office use for climate‑resiliency tenants and add accessibility, flood‑resilient entrances, enclosed rooftop mechanicals and a raised generator enclosure.

Ayon Studio and the Trust for Governors Island presented a plan to cluster mechanical equipment in three rooftop enclosures on the north, east and west wings to avoid a scatter of equipment and to minimize visual clutter. The team also proposed removing a non‑original bulkhead, reinstating and raising granite stoops by roughly 7.5 inches so finished floor levels align, rebuilding granite landings, and installing galvanized‑steel grated ramps and stairs that allow floodwaters to pass through as part of a “wet‑floodproofing” strategy.

Angel Ayon, principal of Ayon Studio, said the design concentrated mechanicals in enclosures to make visibility consistent and to avoid many separate rooftop accretions; mockups showed the enclosures would be visible from Yankee Pier and adjacent approaches. The project includes a generator that must sit above the design flood elevation; the generator will be enclosed and elevated on a platform at the northwest façade. The team said the generator is for emergency use to keep building systems running during flood events and will not be used continuously.

Commissioners praised the adaptive reuse and accessibility improvements, and they requested further work with LPC staff on landscaping and materials. Commissioner Lutfi moved the recommendation for a positive report with modifications; Commissioner Master seconded. The motion included conditions to finalize a landscaping plan that reduces overall paving, resize and reposition an elliptical paved event area, develop railings and handrail details to harmonize with existing character, and explore alternate finishes or treatments for the front stair material so it relates better to the masonry while still allowing flood‑resilient permeability.

Public testimony included support for the reuse from MAGIC (the Metro Area Governors Island Coalition) and a request that noise attenuation be considered for the generator and mechanical enclosures; Manhattan Community Board 1 issued mixed comments and opposed the proposed galvanized perforated steps at the primary location due to maintenance concerns. The commission’s recommended adjustments require the applicant to work with LPC staff on final materials and the site landscaping plan before final approvals.