FRIENDS' Testimony:

This proposal to replace the storefront at 823-825 Madison Avenue with generic stainless steel and glass infill is the latest in a series of changes that has eliminated the once distinctive lower two floors of this neo-Federal design. The rosettes and triglyphs on the lintels above the side openings on the ground floor and the attenuated proportions of those same openings and the windows above them are all that remain of that previous design, and all that tie the lower floors to the still handsome upper stories. While the Preservation Committee at FRIENDS can reluctantly accept portions of this proposal, the committee urges the commission to deny the enlargement of the two second floor openings, and work with the applicant to explore other options before final approval.