Neighbors who've been on edge about the state of the Hopper-Gibbons House at 339 West 29th Street can go into Thanksgiving feeling a little more relaxed. DNAinfo reports that the Department of Buildings has ordered the developer to tear down the illegal penthouse atop the building. The Chelsea row house was one of the few known New York City stops on the Underground Railroad, and some of the home's residents once escaped from Civil War rioters by fleeing across neighboring rooftops. Can't do that with an extra penthouse! The city's giving the developer two weeks to take it down or face a court summons.
All the illegal penthouse chatter makes us think of our old friend 53 Bridge Street, where controversial developer Josh Guttman was, last we checked, taking down his five-story rooftop addition to bring the building into zoning compliance. The timing on that's a little fuzzy, judging by this photo of the building addition that just hit the Curbed Photo Pool:
· City Orders Illegal Penthouse Torn Down from Underground Railroad Building [DNAinfo]
· 339 West 29th Street coverage [Curbed]
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