Penthouse design draws sharp committee concern at 104 Greenwich Avenue; area‑way and studio window changes otherwise supported

Architects for 104 Greenwich Avenue presented proposed work that included a rooftop penthouse and roof deck, modifications to a front studio window, and reopening a covered area way and cellar windows.

The applicant described a series of design changes intended to reduce street visibility of the penthouse: they reduced the overall assembly by roughly 3 inches, lowered the penthouse by 8 inches in drawings, reduced internal ceiling height to 8 feet and noted that the finished visible profile would be about 10–13 inches above the parapet in some sightlines. They also proposed extending adjacent chimneys and combining a short wall between flues to create a cleaner appearance. The architect said the penthouse would measure about "8 feet, 8 inches from the roof deck" at its highest point.

Several committee members and preservation advocates voiced strong objections to the penthouse treatment. One committee member said the result is “a sheer wall that looks like the side of an industrial building” and not like a house. Dana Taswinter of Village Preservation said the massing would stand out “in a very extreme way” and foreshadowed Village Preservation would scrutinize the proposal at LPC.

At the same meeting the applicants described reopening a front light well to match the neighboring sill height and restoring a historic studio window on the façade; the committee raised no sustained objection to those elements. During business session the committee recorded that its only objection was to the penthouse wall treatment and indicated it would not support the penthouse as presented; the other parts of the application were reported as acceptable subject to standard LPC review and staff verification of on-site visibility.

The transcript does not record any formal LPC action; the committee’s statements were advisory recommendations to LPC staff.