FRIENDS' Testimony:

While the redesign of this William Lawrence Bottomley townhouse verges on façadism, the Preservation Committee at FRIENDS can support many of the proposed changes, including the removal of non-original ironwork, the relocation of the entry door, and the increased height of the mansard roof. The committee especially appreciates the removal of the areaway fence, which re-establishes the ground floor’s open appearance.

However, while the alterations to the fourth floor windows and the dormers seem slight, they accumulate to modify the façade’s refined proportions in a detrimental manner. The enlarged dormers in particular disrupt the original hierarchy of fenestration.

As for the rear yard addition, the committee regrets the loss of historic material and the insertion of large fifth floor windows, the size of which are discordant with the rest of the rear façade’s openings. FRIENDS asks the Commission to continue working with the applicant in addressing these issues before approving this application.