Community Board 3 to Hear Details of Proposed 20-Story Tower … – The Lo-Down

Another day, hints of another large-scale residential project on the Lower East Side.

Coming up on Monday, May 8, Community Board 3s landmarks committee will consider a Certificate of Appropriateness for St. Augustines Chapel, a New York City landmark and one of the oldest church buildings on the Lower East Side. According to CB3s meeting agenda, the church property at 290 Henry St., is set to undergo:

restorative work, demolition of non-contributing structures (and) new construction on protected lots. Proposed 20-story mixed use intergenerational building providing affordable housing, retail, community facility space.

St. Augustines Episcopal Church opened in 1828 and the building became a city landmark in 1966. The designation report stated, Onthe basis ofacareful considerationofthe architectureandother features of this building, theLandmarksPreservationCommissionfinds that St.Augustines Chapel has aspecial character, special historicalandaesthetic interestand value aspartofthedevelopment, heritageandcultural characteristicsofNewYorkCity. One feature of the building (not mentioned in the report) is the presence of two slave galleries, which were restored a number of years ago to as The St. Augustines Project noted preserve a rare artifact of racial segregation in New York City, stand(ing) as a stark, physical reminder of how the boundaries of marginalization were drawn in our State.

A Certificate of Appropriateness is required by the Landmarks Preservation Commission if, the proposed work affects the significant protected architectural features of the landmark property or the proposed work does not conform to the rules of the commission.

In the designation report from more than a half century ago, the commission explained:

By this designation of the Landmark above described and the Landmark Site on which it is located, it is not intended to freeze the structure in its present state or to prevent future appropriate alterations needed to meet changed requirements of use for religious and directly related charitable purposes. The Commission believes it has the obligation and, indeed, it has the desire to cooperate with owners of Landmarks who may wish to make changes in their properties. In this connection the Commission wishes to state at this time that it recognizes that Trinity Parish (today St. Augustines is an independent entity) may want to erect new buildings in the future on its grounds at St. Augustines Chapel. The Commission recognizes that Trinity Parish may also wish to make exterior alterations to its existing buildings at St. Augustines Chapel. The Commission looks forward to working with the representatives of Trinity Parish when the Church desires to erect new buildings on its grounds or to make exterior alterations on its existing buildings.

UPDATE 5/1/23: Documents posted on CB3s website Monday provide more details. The project is described as a joint venture among St. Augustines Parish, Fulcrum Properties LLC, and NFW Group LLC. The development team plans to substantially renovate the church building and to construct a new 21-story tower, connected to the chapel. They envision 119 residential units, including apartments for older adults. As part of the project, an annex building behind the church would be demolished and many of the churchs historic features would be restored. You can view the document here.

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Community Board 3 to Hear Details of Proposed 20-Story Tower ... - The Lo-Down