Now that we're hip to the MTA's games, where might the next subway ventilation plant masquerading as a quaint townhouse pop up? All signs point to Greenwich Village, and specifically Mulry Square, the fenced-off triangle of land where Greenwich Avenue meets Seventh Avenue South. But the emergency facility is a particularly sensitive topic for two reasons: The site lies within a historic district, and the Tiles for America 9/11 memorial still covers the fence. Local officials have been getting peeks at the MTA's design for the fake townhouse, and The Villager reports that the early reviews aren't very enthusiastic:
What the agency has created is a garish-looking “faux-cade” — a fake townhouse facade on two sides — according to a person who saw the plan. Basically, it’s a building the same size as its neighbors, but with the aforementioned “faux-cade” hanging off of it — and extending 8 feet in the air above it. “You can actually look through windows to nothing. There’s nothing — there’s not even windows,” said the horrified source. Word has it that, even without the facade, the structure is a complete clunker. “They’ve changed the massing, it’s too tall,” said the source. “It’s solid concrete. It’s Brutalist."Such a tease! What's this kooky thing going to look like? Well, last summer the MTA showed off a variety of potential designs to community groups, including one faux-cade structure, before the agency headed back to the drawing board. Here's how it looked back then:
Though the design has since been updated, we're still thinking it's not going to turn out as well as the famed Brooklyn Heights imposter.
· How faux can you go? [The Villager]
· MTA Venting in Greenwich Village Over 9/11 Tribute Tiles [Curbed]
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