FRIENDS' Testimony:

FRIENDS’ Preservation Committee feels that removing the existing window—though it is currently blocked from the inside—will be impactful to the experience of this ground floor entry. The symmetry is clearly deliberate and the ground floor location of these windows makes them highly visible at eye level from the sidewalk. Though the proposed recessed masonry panel would share the window’s dimensions, it is an undesirable approach at the building’s main entry.

Should the existing window be weathered enough warrant replacement along with the stone base, FRIENDS feels that it should be replaced in kind, and the current condition of the opaque wall in the retail space ought to be addressed. It seems that such a solid obstruction starkly alters the experience of the glazing and perhaps there could be a lighter touch that allows the ground floor retail tenant privacy without compromising the window design.