Landmarks Commission Rejects Second Cinema Site Plan

By on November 5, 2013 3:13 pm in Architecture, Brooklyn Heights, Government, Landmark Preservation, News, Real Estate

Although Brooklyn Heights Cinema owner Kenn Lowy spoke in favor of the proposal, The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Landmarks Preservation Commission has now rejected a second plan for a structure to replace the present Cinema building at 70 Henry Street that would have several floors of apartments and space for the Cinema on the ground floor. Landlord Tom Caruana’s first proposed design for the site was rejected by the LPC just under a year ago. The second design (rendering above) was submitted to the LPC earlier this year, but the Commission took no action on it in October. In explaining the decision not to approve the new design, the Brooklyn Paper story quotes Historic Districts Council member Esther Williams as saying it is not in character with the neighborhood, looking “more like a new TriBeCa or SoHo loft than a Brooklyn Heights building.” The story concludes by noting that no proposed design that does not largely preserve the existing building at the street level is likely to receive LPC approval.

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  • factchecker

    who is esther williams? no such person at landmarks commission. please fact check or clarify.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com/ Claude Scales

    My error. She is a Historic Districts Council member, not an LPC Commissioner. I’m correcting the post accordingly. Mea maxima culpa.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    LPC = Bored people who want to keep things boring. That stretch of Henry street is ugly and has no significant historical value, almost anything would be an improvement.

  • Janet Upadhye
  • GHB

    Also, a damn fine swimmer!