When New York Methodist Hospital announced that it would demolish five brownstones to make room for its new U-shaped, seven-story expansion near the Park Slope historic district, residents of the neighborhood had some concerns. Chief among them was parking, but whether or not the new structure would fit in with its surroundings (primarily three- or four-story historic brownstones) was also an issue. Planners assured the community that the expansion would, indeed, fit in, and at a community board meeting last night, the community got a chance to see what exactly that meant: the new structure will be built to resemble a series of terracotta-clad buildings with an additional glass section on top. The community was not happy.
Architect Peter Cavaluzzi of Perkins Eastman explained the design by saying that, "We've tried to take your comments and shape and form the building in a way so that it is more sympathetic to the heights, the shapes, and the basic geometry of the buildings that surround our site." As for the glass section, that part should "really blend in with the sky," he continued.
The Park Slopers in attendance were unmoved. "I was not impressed," said one. Another called it "a Disneyland notion." The hospital hopes to break ground in late 2014 or 2015.
· Residents throw stones at Methodist's glass house [Brooklyn Paper]
· New York Methodist Hospital coverage [Curbed]
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