FRIENDS' Testimony:

While FRIENDS’ Preservation Committee appreciates that the applicants have taken the care in replicating the function and configuration of these historic multi light windows, we cannot support the removal of the historic wood material. On these two highly prominent, low-scale façades, the texture and appearance of the wooden windows contributes heavily to 870 Madison Avenue’s character and would be instantly lost with the installation of aluminum frames.

Madison Avenue’s rich character is a product of the interplay between opulent upper floor residences above one or two-story later-constructed storefronts. The replacement of these windows in aluminum would blur the line between the appearance of the distinct residential and commercial spaces and detract from that unique relationship as presented on 870 Madison Avenue.