Residents of Fifth Avenue along Central Park don't take kindly to change, and a developer really wants to shake things up by constructing a 15-story apartment building at 815 Fifth Avenue. The lot is currently home to an 1871 Italianate mansion that sold for $32 million last year. The building, which currently houses 12 apartments and two offices, is sandwiched between two UES powerhouses, 812 and 817 Fifth Avenue?former inhabitants include Richard Gere, Courtney Sale Ross, Steve Wynn, and Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, just to name a few?, and the Real Deal reports that residents of those buildings are really not happy about the plans.
The developer is Brazilian-based JHSF Participacoes S.A., and the architect for the project is TP Greer Architects. No renderings are available online, but the Real Deal says the neighbors oppose the new building plans because it is "'contemporary' and 'incompatible' with the character of the neighborhood." They probably aren't too keen on the idea of losing some windows, either. The current building, which houses 12 apartments and two offices, would be partially demolished, and an additional nine stories would be erected on top. It would reach 200 feet and hold 12 homes.
The local community board unanimously rejected the developer's plans, but there's a chance that the Landmarks Preservation Commission will feel differently. The architect told the Real Deal that they've been working closely with LPC, so you never know. But this is the same community board that stopped the Metropolitan Museum from, god forbid, putting too many tables and chairs on their plaza.
· Developer's Fifth Avenue Building Proposal Irks Famous Neighbors [TRD]
· 815 Fifth Avenue coverage [Curbed]
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