FRIENDS' Testimony:

FRIENDS feels that replacing 20 East 68th Street’s historic one-over-one double hung windows with single-pane casement windows will detract from this building’s intact appearance. One-over one double hung windows are emblematic of mid-century white brick apartment buildings such as this, in which the windows add interest to otherwise unadorned facades. While the designation report marks this building as having “No Style” it inarguably displays hallmarks of the midcentury modern style. These double-hung windows were purpose-designed to emphasize the building’s horizontal lines and contribute a sense of texture and rhythm to the design that would be lost with the proposed window replacement.

The proposed windows would dramatically alter the entire appearance of the building and ignore the original intent of the architect, thereby forever weakening the character of the building which reflects the style and era in which it was built. FRIENDS cannot support this application or any proposal that would omit rhythmic horizontal divisions from the window design. We ask the Commission to work with the applicant to devise a window masterplan that will be more appropriate to this building’s design.