Soho owners seek temporary diamond-plate covering for failing vault lights; committee weighs historic-permit restrictions and reversibility
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Summary
Owners of 54 Green Street asked to cover deteriorated sidewalk vault (bullet) glass with diamond plate to stop basement flooding; the Landmarks attorney referred the case to commissioners because a prior restrictive special permit requires restoration of historic elements, and the committee emphasized reversibility and documentation if it approves covering.
Architects for 54 Green Street described repeated water infiltration through deteriorated vault ("bullet") glass that is flooding the basement and rusting equipment, and they asked the Landmarks Committee for permission to cover the panels with diamond plate as an emergency and economical fix.
Presenters said the work would usually be handled at staff level, but the property is subject to a restrictive declaration linked to a 2007/2012 special permit that, according to the presenters and the Landmarks attorney, may require restoring bullet-glass vault lights rather than covering them. Presenter Natalie Medina showed photos and a video of basement flooding and said that the frames are cracked and panels are not commercially available in a practical way; another architect on the record said a previous comprehensive replacement bid had been roughly "$2,000,000." A resident-owner who spoke from the building described repeated repair attempts and urged relief.
Committee discussion focused on legal constraints and long-term precedent. Several commissioners said they were sympathetic to the emergency need but worried about setting a district-wide precedent for permanently replacing historic vault lights with diamond plate. One committee member argued approval might be acceptable on a nonprecedential basis if the commission and the community board emphasize "reversibility" and require that the diamond plate cover be removable so the original panels could be restored if a feasible restoration option later becomes available. Another member asked staff to confirm whether the building’s special-permit restrictive language would legally prohibit diamond plate.
The committee moved the matter to the business session with instructions to craft resolution language that documents the emergency condition, requests confirmation from LPC on the special-permit restriction, and, if approval is recommended, requires reversibility and documentation showing the diamond plate is limited to covering (not altering) the original glass and frames.