Last October, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans for developer MTM Associates to demolish 150 Wooster Street and erect an eight-story residential building in its place. The building in question isn't anything to write home about?it's a one-story structure with an adjacent parking lot?but local artists are none too happy about the plans. In fact, DNAinfo reports that they are so unhappy that they filed a lawsuit against the LPC in hopes of getting the commission to reverse its decision.
The planned building would hold seven condos and 6,300-square-feet of retail space on the ground floor. The suing artists, many of whom have lived in Soho since the 1970s, contend that the building would be "way out of scale" for the street and a "mall-type store" would occupy the retail space. They also argue that the building is part of the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, and back in 2008, the LPC agreed with them.
When the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District was created, the little one-story garage was included. In 2008, the LPC reaffirmed this decision in a document that stated the "building's style, scale, materials and details contribute to the special architectural and historic character" of the district. But when the LPC approved the new plans, they said the exact opposite: the building "does not contribute to the historic district, and its demolition will not detract from the special historic and architectural character of the historic district." Hmm...
· SoHo Artists Face Off Against Developer to Protect One-Story Building [DNAinfo]
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