Downtown Express sheds some light on the stalled development of the vacant lot across from the Soho Grand hotel at 311 West Broadway. Seems the developer, Albert Laboz, had contracted the starchitectural firm Gwathmey Siegel to design a five-story, glass n' metal building on the lot—the first modern design built under Soho's new zoning guidelines.
The goal of the design, Laboz says, is a "a modern interpretation of a cast-iron building." (Uh.) The plans include a 150 space garage, ground floor retail space, and a ground-floor townhouse, the first of its kind in the hood. However, the developers plans to bring modern touches to the area hit a snag when the Landmarks Commission sent them back to the drawing board. LPC member Andrew Jones says, "There are modern buildings that achieve historic proportions. It can be done, but this didn't do it."
· Some in City Like Modern Design [Downtown Express]
· Tiny Quarterblock Stretch of Soho Still Tolerable [Curbed]
UPDATE: Apologies—outdated intel in this post. Here's an update.