FRIENDS' Testimony:

First, the Preservation Committee at FRIENDS takes it on good faith that this new space will in fact be used for a community facility, and not for private enterprise. As for the design, we find that this proposal is lacking in articulation. Quite visible to the passerby on Lexington Avenue from the service entrance for 129 East 69th Street, this rear yard addition requires more refinement. Comments from the Community Board have resulted in an improved proposal: implementation of red brick, a square corner and “memories” of windows. However, the applicant should continue a step further and take cues from the Adamesque style in his treatment of the exterior, adding detail and definition to a relatively blank wall.

We respectfully request that the Commission work with the applicant to achieve a more neighborly and less institutional design.