Community Facility

Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History Files Expansion Plans With Landmarks Preservation Commission

The American Museum of Natural History, located between West 77th and 81st streets on the Upper West Side, has filed plans with the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for their expansion project, the Wall Street Journal reported. Since the museum board approved the Studio Gang Architects-designed project late last year, the proposed expansion has grown from 218,000 square feet to 235,000 square feet. Also, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation — a ground-up six-story structure near 79th Street — has been altered to cut into only a quarter of an acre of Theodore Roosevelt Park, down from half an acre. Changes to the 2015 plans include reducing the number of trees removed from nine to seven, and demolishing three existing structures. Extensive reconfiguration work and upgrades to park space remain key elements of the project. In addition to the LPC, the Parks Department must also approve the project. Completion is tentatively expected in 2020.

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Former synagogue at 212 West 93rd Street. Photo via Wikipedia Commons.

14-Story Mixed-Use Building with Synagogue Planned at 212 West 93rd Street, Upper West Side

Congregation Shaare Zedek has partnered with developer Ornstein Leyton Company for a mixed-use project on the site of the congregation’s three-story synagogue at 212 West 93rd Street, on the Upper West Side. The congregation is having financial troubles and has concluded the only way to prevent it from dissolving is to sell the property to a developer, DNAinfo reported. Preliminary plans call for a 14-story building that would contain a new synagogue on the lower three floors, followed by residential units on the upper floors. No new building applications have been filed with the Buildings Department. The congregation has stated that it’s not feasible to expand the existing structure or retain the façade for a new building. The synagogue is not landmarked and can be demolished as-of-right.

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445 West 35th Street

12-Story, 125-Unit Mixed-Use Building Rises to Fifth Floor at 445 West 35th Street, Hudson Yards District

Construction has reached the fifth floor on the 12-story, 125-unit mixed-use project under development at 445 West 35th Street, in the Hudson Yards District. The construction progress can be seen thanks to photos posted to the YIMBY Forums. The latest building permits indicate the structure will eventual measure 121,859 square feet and rise 120 feet above street level, not including the bulkhead. There will be 4,920 square feet of ground-floor retail space, in addition to 1,188 square feet of community facility space in the cellar. The residential units above should average 740 square feet apiece, indicative of rental apartments. Gowanus-based Workshop Design + Architecture is the design architect and Aufgang Architects is the executive architect. YYY Development & Construction is the developer. It is also building the similarly designed 12-story, 186-unit project across Dyer Avenue at 411 West 35th Street. Completion of both is expected in 2017.

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