133 Lafayette’s Day of Reckoning at LPC

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The chickens are coming home to roost at 133 Lafayette Avenue, where the owners of the corner bodega charged ahead last fall with a renovation without getting the blessing of the Department of Buildings or the Landmarks Preservation Commission. In October, The Local blog reported on the the removal of the entire storefront facade as well as the original signage, which dates back an estimated forty years. At the time, The Local quoted a neighbor’s account of the sign removal:

They were just ripping it off with crowbars, the reader said. They were tearing it down in a way that made clear — it’s not like they were taking a painting off the wall. It was like, ‘This is gone.’ There were holes punched in it, crimped out of shape.

The DOB still has a Stop Work Order in place on the property, at a minimum until the LPC is satisfied with the owner’s plan for remedy, the first attempt at which is scheduled to take place at the commission’s March 2nd meeting. Interestingly, there’s no mention of the signage in the LPC agenda item, just the storefront infill.
Streetlevel: Lafayette Grocery Overhaul [Brownstoner] GMAP
A Sign of Change at Lafayette Grocery [The Local]
Photo by Andy Newman for The Local

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