AB Architects proposes penthouse, full-height rear extension and basement excavation at 94 Bank Street; committee raises visibility and neighbor-impact concerns

AB Architects presented a package of exterior alterations for 94 Bank Street to the Community Board 2 Manhattan Landmarks Committee. The proposal as presented by Alexander Blakely and Soca Fernandez includes restoring the front façade, a rooftop penthouse set back from the front, a horizontal and vertical rear extension that would modify the building's footprint into the block's "donut," and excavation and underpinning at the cellar level to expand and regrade an elevated rear terrace.

The applicants said the front façade would be restored to its historic Greek Revival character with new 6-over-6-style divided-light windows (the team said aluminum-clad wood was discussed but that painted wood was acceptable if preferred). The penthouse would be clad in natural zinc, and a separate screened enclosure of weathered cedar was proposed for rooftop mechanical equipment. Alexander Blakely of AB Architects described the rooftop approach as a combination of occupiable penthouse massing and a smaller mechanical screen, noting that the team built a mockup to study visibility.

Why it matters: the proposal includes a multi-story rear extension that, as presented, extends beyond the plane of adjacent rear facades by…