FRIENDS' Testimony:

FRIENDS feels that the proposed addition of new storefront windows along 68th street is ungainly, and that there should be a better transition between the retail side of Madison Avenue and the residential character along 68th Street. The new showroom windows on the first floor should be deemphasized and smaller in size. The existing storefront to the east of the building’s entrance is modest and appropriate, and this proposal should seek to emulate that design.

Currently, the fenestration of the building’s upper floors is repetitive, thus the proposed new windows along the second floor will interrupt an otherwise regular pattern. This random mix of windows is jarring, and we believe that the existing fenestration of the building should be maintained. We understand commercial desire for single pane windows along the Madison Avenue elevation, but the large cluster of three windows on the 68th Street side seems unnecessary. The center window in this group of three should be removed to harmonize with the fenestration of the upper floors. We ask the Commission to deny this application as proposed, as the large storefront windows and altered fenestration would introduce a design that is incongruous with the rest of the building.