The historic building that was part of a row of 1861 houses was torn down last year, despite preservationists' efforts to save it. (Nicole Breskin/DNAinfo)By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — Preservationists are using the city’s decision to limit the size of a building in a historic part of Greenwich Village to push for broader landmark restrictions in the area.
The Department of Buildings did an about-face late last week revoking a permit it had issued in October for development at 178 Bleecker St., which was part of a row of houses dating back to 1861, because the proposed building would be too high.
The move has reinvigorated preservationists' push to make that area part of a proposed South Village Historic District that would protect historic buildings.
“It’s a shame that it even got to this point,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. “The city should have taken action to landmark it and prevent the demolition.”
The bounds of the South Village Historic District proposed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. (Photo: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation)The DOB gave the project the green light to build a new 8-story building at 178 Bleecker St., where the old historic townhouse was torn down completely last year.
Despite the previous approval, the DOB reported in an audit a “failure to comply” with city regulations, namely in relation to the out-of-scale height of the proposed building.
A letter expressing the city's intent to revoke the permit says the building must now be less than 60-feet high due to the "sliver law" that prevents tall, narrow buildings in certain zoned areas.
Since 2007, Berman has been lobbying the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate parts of the Village as a Historic District that would require tighter restrictions for new projects and alterations.
“We want to make sure things like this don’t happen again,” Berman said. “We’re hopeful and we’ll wait to see what the city will do next."
The developer, who did not return calls, now has 15 days to address the DOB’s concerns or risk losing the building's permit entirely.
A spokesperson for the Landmarks Preservation Commission said the organization is currently considering the expansion of the existing Greenwich Village Historic District to include stretches of Bleecker Street within the next year.
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