14th street and union square preservation plan - Columbia ...

CONCLUSION
What we hope will be instructive from our study
and the conclusions we have made are the
implications they offer, not just for the development of
14th Street and Union Square but also for the insight it
may offer in the creation of preservation plans for other
places in other neighborhoods, in other cities. That said,
it is this essence of 14th Street’s character that our study
attempts to define.
The following is a list of buildings that capture the
essence of Union Square and 14th Street, and whose
precarious existence demonstrates the need for historic
preservation. The buildings on this list are “at-risk”
buildings, meaning that if all potential tools have been
exhausted, or if no effective tools present themselves,
and landmark designation is not achieved, the building is
at risk of being demolished or seriously defaced.
1. The church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, located
on West 14th Street, is at risk because it currently
sits vacant, having lost its congregation after a recent
merger of two congregations. The building is owned
by the Roman Catholic Church, which has a checkered
history of stewardship to historic buildings. Finally,
the Archdiocese of New York has been engaged in
institutional restructuring that results in the closing of
church facilities, like schools.
2. The former Schirmer’s Store, located on Union Square
West, is at risk because it is significantly underbuilt and
is flanked on the right side by another vastly underbuilt
lot occupied by a one-story “taxpayer.” The rising real
estate values on Union Square could make these two lots
attractive to a developer seeking to merge two 25-foot
lots for demolition and redevelopment.
3. The former Greenwich Savings Bank, located on the
northwest corner of 14th Street and Sixth Avenue, is
at risk because it is a one-story building located on a
prominent commercial corner near Union Square.
4. The polychrome terra cotta loft on the southeast
corner of 14th Street and Seventh Avenue is currently
suffering from lack of maintenance, and runs the risk
of having its terra cotta detailing stripped because of
Local Law 11.
5. The row of tenements at628-640 East 14th Street
are currently suffering from lack of maintenance and
structural failure, and could be demolished in the future
for redevelopment. The fact that several different parties
own groupings of tenements in the row increases the
likelihood of partial demolition.
6. 527 Sixth Avenue currently suffers from lack of
maintenance, and is also an underbuilt building located
on a prominent commercial lot.
7. The still-functioning firehouse on East 14th Street
is at risk of closure, which would lead to deterioration
and possible condemnation. In light of the New
York City Fire Department’s acknowledged policy of
abandoning nineteenth-century fire houses in favor of
modern facilities, it is a matter of particular urgency to
raise public awareness about the value of the Engine
Company Number 5.
We realize that we as preservationists cannot save every
building, nor do we think this is constructive in an
evolving city. Our Plan seeks to address the best possible
way of balancing the integrity of the historic built fabric
with the need for change.
CONCLUSION
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