Commission approves setback rooftop addition at 20th & Broadway with restudy of roof form

The Landmarks Preservation Commission granted approval May 6 for a setback rooftop addition at a 19th-century commercial building near Twentieth Street and Broadway in the Ladies' Mile Historic District, subject to a restudy of the addition's form to minimize visual attention.

Architects told the commission the building historically had five stories but was sliced down in the 1930s and later altered; the proposed addition is designed to be set back so it is not visible from directly across the street and to use a pitched roof and stucco cladding intended to be discreet in the frontage. "We're proposing a white stucco in alignment with the facade below, and also proposing a new bronze, standing seam rooftop," architect Sarah Carpenter said in the presentation.

Commissioners accepted that the rooftop would be visible only from limited vantage points and that the addition's materials and cladding are consistent with utilitarian rooftop structures found throughout the district. Several commissioners, however, urged the applicant to revise the roof orientation: the addition's sloped roof plane is set at an angle different from the front facade and, some commissioners said, draws the eye. Commissioner Ginsburg asked the applicant to explore pulling the addition back or altering its geometry so it better aligns with the building's facade; Commissioner Goldblum suggested making the roofline parallel to the front facade or studying extending the street wall as alternatives.

The commission found the proposal would not obscure clues to the building's historic massing and recommended approval with modifications to restudy form and finishes to reduce visibility and improve integration in the roofscape. Manhattan Community Board 5 recommended approval.