http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/ny...l?ref=nyregion
Planned Tower Near MoMA Widely Criticized at Hearing
By COLIN MOYNIHAN
April 9, 2008
Neighbors, public officials and preservationists were among the people who spoke out on Tuesday night against a proposal to build a skyscraper in Midtown that, at 1,155 feet, would be about 100 feet taller than the Chrysler Building.
At a hearing held by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, some opponents said the height and composition of the building would prevent it from harmoniously fitting into its surroundings. Others said they feared that the tower would reduce the access to light and air in the neighborhood and contribute to street and sidewalk congestion.
The building, known as Tower Verre, was designed by the award-winning French architect Jean Nouvel. It would rise at 53 West 53rd Street and include gallery space for the Museum of Modern Art. Its construction would involve the transfer of air rights from St. Thomas Episcopal Church, on Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street, and the University Club, at 1 West 54th Street.
The project requires the approval of the landmarks commission because both the church, a French Gothic structure, and the club, designed by McKim, Mead & White, are landmarks.
A month ago, Community Board 5, which represents the area, voted to urge the commission to reject the transfer of air rights and block the construction of what the board called an “eccentric asymmetrical tower.”
The structure would be 75 stories high and resemble a narrow, partly transparent spire crisscrossed by metal girders with steep setbacks pitched at different angles. In addition to museum space, it would include apartments and a hotel.
Mr. Nouvel, who won the 2008 Pritzker Architecture Prize, told the commissioners that he had designed the building to complement its surroundings and to stand out as a dynamic work that would “create a kind of signal you can read in the skyline.”
But State Senator Liz Krueger, in a statement that was entered into the record, said the tower “would be grossly out of scale with the other buildings in the area” and would “overwhelm the area’s infrastructure and services.”
The proposal involves the transfer of about 275,000 square feet of air rights from St. Thomas Church and an additional 136,000 square feet from the University Club. Representatives from both said the sale of the air rights would finance the upkeep of their buildings.
About 100 people attended the hearing, held at the preservation commission’s downtown offices, and about 50 signed up to speak. By the time that half of them had spoken, the tally was leaning heavily against the project.
Michael Vann, an architecture student at Pratt Institute, called the tower “a celebration of ingenuity, imagination, creativity, originality and vision.”
But a few minutes later, Chris McNally, a construction manager who lives on West 54th Street, described it as “a sharp spire stabbed into the heart of the neighborhood.”
A spokeswoman for the landmarks commission, Lisi de Bourbon, said the commissioners would consider the application and announce a decision at a future public meeting.
If they approve the transfer of the air rights, the matter will be referred to the Department of City Planning for approval. The project does not require permission from the City Council, but it can be blocked by council members.
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