Update on 980 Madison Avenue Proposal
Jan 20th, 2009
Many of our readers have been following Sir Norman Foster’s proposal for an addition above 980 Madison Avenue. In 2006, developer Aby Rosen and architect Sir Norman Foster appeared before the landmarks commission with a project for a 355′ cylindrical tower. After a great deal of outcry from Friends of the Upper East Side and other city preservation groups, the project was rejected by the landmarks preservation commission. As a result, the project team returned in 2007 with a vastly revised proposal that would have fully restored the existing 1948 former Parke-Bernet Galleries, adding a bronze colored five-story addition.
After numerous public hearings over the last two years, the LPC determined on January 13th that this second proposal, while “imaginative and “ingenious” was too overwhelming to the existing building and inappropriate to the character of the Upper East Side Historic District. At the hearing, the consensus among the commissioners was that a two-story rooftop addition would be the largest allowed. However, no vote was taken. It is not known whether or not the project team will return with a revised plan or if any restoration of the existing building will proceed.
