i dont see how they can stop it -- so aggravating i had to vent with people who would understand.

 

bah! and ef frank stella!  :shoot:

 

 

 

Landmark Plea for Artist's 13th Street Studio

 

Wednesday, July 19, 2006, by Joey

 

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The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's Andrew Berman sure is a busy guy. You'd think he'd be overloaded by the sticking it to Donald Trump thing, but that's not the only fight he's got going right now. Nope, Berman is rallying the troops in the form of a letter campaign to Landmarks boss Bob Tierney, trying to prevent the demolition of the 1903 Beaux Arts beauty at 126-28 East 13th Street, which artist Frank Stella recently sold to developers for $10 million (according to blogger Felix Salmon). You can see the building in its current state up top, as well as the seven-story condo building proposed for the site. The Stella connection isn't the only excuse for the hopeful landmarking, of course. According to Berman's letter:

 

This wonderful 1903 structure designed by Jardine Kent and Jardine was originally built as an auction mart for horses and carriages, where according to the New York Times "the Belmonts and the Vanderbilts and other families transacted their horse affairs." Later it was converted to a machine shop, and during World War II women were taught "assembly and inspection work, the reading of blueprints, and various mechanical aspects needed in defense industries."

Berman also says "there is little time to save this building," so we should see a result in this battle fairly soon.

 

· 128 E 13th Street [Kutnicki Bernstein Architects]

· GV Society for HP [gvshp.org]

 

Reader Comments (3 extant)

 

1.

Correction:

 

Andrew Berman said "there is little time to STEAL this building" from it's new owners.

 

By iceberg at July 19, 2006 10:07 AM2.

 

My God!! this new design is so, so ugly!!

How awful if this beautiful Beaux Arts building were to be turned into this ugly-duckling. Perhaps, one day NY will deeply regret the demolition of the past for the sake of trendy condos which will soon be as prized as the squat condo block buildings of the 1960s that look like a dime a dozen!!

 

By ugocondo at July 19, 2006 10:11 AM3.

 

Frank Stella hardly needed this money, and as an artist should have known better. He is to blame. Or maybe it is because his art always sucked, and now we know his values, or lack thereof.

 

By Anonymous at July 19, 2006 10:32 AM

 

 

 

whoa ugly

 

why cant there be something built above this building or some kind of reuse addition to it? 

You're living in the past, that's why! But seriously, yeah, very generic condo building. Maybe it was cheaper to knock it over and build on top of it. Too bad though.

You know, buildings get old, and in Manhattan I understand that the demand for housing requires that small buildings get demolished and taller ones are built but that building is too bland. NYC is suppose to set the standard in innovation is it not? I wouldn't call it ugly, I mean..I'd live in a building like that but in Manhattan I'd expect something more innovative.

maybe all is not lost here?  :|

 

 

Volume 76, Number 17 | September 13 - 19, 2006

 

 

This E. 13th St. building was a horse show room before later becoming artist Frank Stella’s studio.

 

Preservationists ride to defense of Stella studio

 

By Albert Amateau

 

 

Preservation advocates, East Village neighbors and elected officials last week urged the Landmarks Preservation Commission to grant landmark protection to a former horse showroom on E. 13th St. that last served as a studio for the artist Frank Stella.

 

 

Landmarks held a Sept. 7 hearing on the former Van Tassell & Kearney horse auction mart at 126-128 E. 13th St. at the behest of preservation activists because the property was recently acquired by a development group that proposes to replace the 1904 building with a seven-story apartment house.

 

 

Robert Tierney, L.P.C. chairperson, announced, however, that the owners have agreed to hold off on demolition until the commission has a chance to consider the building.

 

 

Jay Segal, attorney representing the owners, said at the hearing that they contracted to buy the four-story building last year at market rate and spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars to plan using all the floor-area ratio available.” The purchase price was about $12 million.

 

 

Segal said the owners and their architects would consult with the commission’s staff to see if the current building could be saved as part of a future development. Segal said later that the owners would give the L.P.C. at least 20 days notice before applying for a demolition permit.

 

 

A parade of preservation groups, including the Landmarks Conservancy, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Municipal Art Society, Society for the Architecture of the City, Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America and the Union Square Community Coalition, spoke up for landmark designation of the building, where the Vanderbilts, Belmonts and Whitneys came to buy polo ponies and racehorses.

 

 

Although other barns still exist in the city, the Van Tassell & Kearney building designed by the architects Jardine, Kent and Jardine, is the only one that remains that was built to show horses for sale.

 

 

After the horse era, the building became a machine shop, and during World War II served as a center for training women for work in factories. Frank Stella acquired the building in 1978 and used it as a painting studio until 2005.

 

 

“How many structures in New York can conjure up images of Vanderbilts purchasing polo ponies, Frank Stella creating masterpieces of 20th-century art and Rosie the Riveter fighting the war on the home front?” said Andrew Berman, G.V.S.H.P. director.

 

 

Elected officials, including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and City Councilmember Rose Mendez, also urged landmarks designation for the building.

 

 

i forgot about this, but saw some followup today:

 

 

 

Stella Stable Gets New Tenant, Stay of Execution

 

Tuesday, April 17, 2007, by Joey

 

 

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As two Frank Stella exhibits open up at the Met, an update now on his former stomping grounds. You'll recall that Stella sold 126-128 East 13th Street to developers, who planned a seven-story condo building for the site. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation stepped in with an effort to save the 1903 stable, which is where rich Manhattan families handled their "horse affairs." The GVSfHP is still waiting for a landmark ruling, but leader Andrew Berman just sent out this update:

 

GVSHP has just learned two important and encouraging pieces of information. The City has extended it's "standstill agreement" with the owner until July, ensuring the building's continuing preservation. And we have been informed that the Peridance Center has signed a "long-term lease" for use of the building as a dance studio, which would indicate the owner may be arriving at a plan for permanent re-use of the building. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and advocate for the building to be landmarked and permanently preserved.

You would think Berman would have some concerns about the dancers' feet pounding the century-old stable floor, but apparently he's cool with it.

 

 

· Landmark Plea for Artist's 13th Street Studio [Curbed]

 

 

 

Posted in Manhattan: East Village, Real Estate Miscellany

 

Reader Comments (2 extant)

 

 

1.

Stella now occupies 200,000 SF in Greenpoint which he purchased last year. M Zoned on the water.

 

By Jonz at April 17, 2007 9:05 AM2.

maybe they could build over it.

 

By Oldmark at April 17, 2007 9:50 AM

 

They could atleast preserve the facade, there is a demand for space, but would it hurt to save the facade, and use it as the street level facade so it fits in much better?