Things got nasty at last night's Landmark Preservation Committee hearing over Sir Norman Foster's planned apartment tower above the Parke-Bernet Gallery building, on Madison Avenue (between 76th and 77th). Apparently the Upper East Side does have community activists, as the Defenders of the Historic Upper East Side came out in force to bash the proposal, with co-chairwoman Elizabeth Ashby saying, "Vertical, glass, and circular. Masonry, rectangular, and horizontal. There is no relationship whatsoever." But Sir Foster, ever the dignitary, struck back with his love of the neighborhood and its traditions: "The tradition of change is the essence of the Upper East Side." The battle continues, with Landmarks expected to make a decision next month.
· Sir Norman Lauds East Side's ‘Tradition of Radicalism' [NYSun]
· Tower Power Play In East Side Glass Warfare [NYPost]
· Hearing on Skyscraper Addition [NY Times]
· Norman Foster's 980 Madison Will Not Enrage You [Curbed]
UPDATE: Intelligencer's Carl Swanson files an amusing report from the front lines, with this gem: "There was a jam of pinstripes and pearls at the metal detector downstairs, so the hearing started late."
· Foster Tower Gets UES Sweaters in a Bunch [Daily Intel]