FRIENDS' Testimony:

While we can appreciate the desire for ease of entry into the lobby of 700 Park Avenue, FRIENDS is concerned about the visual impact of the proposed sliding glass doors. Increasing the doors’ glazing area will increase reflectivity as well as hinder what is now a clear differentiation between the entry door and adjacent lobby windows. We also feel that truncating the granite planters will further accentuate this expansion. The existing doors have a simple design and modest scale, appropriate for apartment entries on Park Avenue.

We fear that the proposed design harkens too closely to sliding doors found at the entrance of a supermarket, airport terminal, or hotel lobby and greatly detracts from the character of this residential block within the Upper East Side Historic District. In fact, the architect’s design precedent is the main entrance to the Loews Regency Hotel at 540 Park Avenue as opposed to another apartment within the historic district. Our Preservation Committee would urge the owners of the building to pursue an automatic entry mechanism with a less institutional feel. Overall, FRIENDS does not support this application.