Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Legalization Unpermitted Signage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Landmarks legalizes most signage at 405 W. 13th but orders canopy flags removed
Summary
The Landmarks Preservation Commission granted after-the-fact approval for transom and hanging signs at 405 West 13th Street and permitted a translucent canopy replacement but directed removal of flagpoles and required hanging signs be reduced to meet size rules.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to legalize previously installed signage at 405 West 13th Street in the Gansevoort Market Historic District — approving hanging bracket signs, transom lettering and a replacement translucent canopy — but ordered the flagpoles and banners mounted on the canopy be removed.
The action matters because the work was completed without LPC permits and included multiple noncompliant elements: transom letters applied directly to glazing rather than the transom surface, hanging bracket signs that exceed the 36-inch maximum, and flagpoles projecting above the marquee. The commission approved most elements contingent on reducing hanging signs to meet staff rules and removing the canopy-mounted flags.
Cynthia Ng, the architect of record, described the work as a retail fit-out that inherited a mix of conditions and explained the transom letters were installed on acrylic backing to adhere to glass; the bracket signs measure 40 inches long by 14 inches tall (4 inches over the 36-inch standard). She also proposed replacing corrugated metal decking on the canopy with a translucent polycarbonate material to admit more light beneath the marquee.
Village Preservation and the Historic Districts Council both urged removal of the flagpoles. “The flagpoles attached to the marquee are atypical and detract from this historic feature,” testified Chloe Gregoire for Village Preservation. Kaylee Johnson of the Historic Districts Council said the canopy and the transom and hanging signs were appropriate but objected to the banners. John Graham of the Victorian Society supported legalizing the hanging and transom signs and the canopy alteration but said the flagpoles “tilted too close to Disneyland” and recommended denial of the flags.
Commissioners agreed the transom and hanging signs and the polycarbonate canopy were acceptable with conditions but that the flagpoles should be removed. The commission also asked staff to monitor the chosen canopy material for long-term weathering and to use drawn elevations to confirm sign shapes and sizes. The motion passed 6–0.
