FRIEND'S Testimony:

FRIENDS Preservation Committee supports the design refinements at the front of the building, including the egress stair and its limestone balustrade, as well as the new position of the limestone bench to the left of the entrance, along the planter bed of the neighboring building. Both elements are elegant and appropriate to its use as a cultural building. We also have no objections to the plaque signage, or the proposed granite sidewalk pavers. 

 As far as the entrance gate is concerned, we feel, as we did when the application was presented in 2022, that while the approach of treating the entrance as a gate is interesting, the proposed design is not appropriate to the townhouse’s style and character. FRIENDS opposes the removal of the detailed historic (albeit not original) ironwork at the door. The proposed gate design is too severe and too emphatic about looking contemporary. We urge the applicants to consider retaining the existing door.