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173 St. James Place has been a wreck ever since we moved to Clinton Hill five years ago (and we assume for much longer than that) due to a fire. Back in 2005, the owner filed for a permit to demolish the entire thing, but it was never granted, probably because Landmarks would have had to sign off first. So we were curious when we were combing through the presentation boards on file at LPC recently to find a rendering of a potential design for the site. This is hardly offensive but we’re not sure why the owner wouldn’t be required to hew closer to the existing design. After all, it can’t be in much worse shape than 58 Cambridge was. Granted, in that case the commission allowed the house to be enlarged, but it required that the original design be basically maintained. Maybe it’s a non-issue though: According the a spokesperson, the design has not been presented yet nor is it on the schedule to come before the committee.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Worst rendering ever.

    I suppose it has potential to be a nice enough neo-Grec knock off, but given the (complete lack of) effort that went into the rendering, the odds of this being a sensitive addition to the neighborhood are pretty slim. Right now it looks like someone sat down with a kit of parts and called it architecture.

    I don’t know the history – did landmarks review the proposal to demolish before? If so, was it attached to a proposal for a new building, and was it approved? Those questions are pretty material to whether or not LPC would approve a new building here period, let alone THIS new building.

  2. Not terrible but of course details are lost on modern builders. For instance the basement windows look like they are right on the sidewalk. Where is the areaway ironwork to separate the windows from the sidewalk? Where is the decorative grilles for those windows? why is the door asymmetrical and suburban looking? tweaks would improve the design greatly.
    I like the cornice very much and the banding very much. It really could be a nice new building imo.