Proposed Downtown Brooklyn tower could obstruct neighboring views, change landmark row * Brooklyn Paper

"A developer who bought the landmarked row in Downtown Brooklyn known as the Duffield Street Houses is proposing to build a glassy 30-story tower in the petite backyard that will swallow up the back half of the houses and obscure windows of apartments in the converted BellTel Lofts on the other side of the block. The proposal for 188 Duffield Street is headed for a public hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission Tuesday, Oct. 21."

"The developer, Watermark Capital, proposes to combine the interiors of the 19th century buildings and demolish their rear facades, according to the LPC and preservation nonprofit Historic Districts Council. At the CB2 meeting, HDC "strongly voiced our concern to CB2 and local elected officials that this precedent would suggest that every historic structure is only as meaningful as its facade, and thereby fair game to be window dressing for a tower," the group said in an update about New York City landmarks at risk."

Watermark Capital proposes a 30-story glass and beige brick tower at 188 Duffield Street that would occupy the small backyard behind the landmarked Duffield Street Houses, demolish their rear facades, and combine the interiors of the 19th-century buildings. The tower would consume the back halves of the houses and obscure windows of apartments in the converted BellTel Lofts across the block. A rendering shows a glass-and-beige-brick stepped facade with symmetrical windows. Community Board 2 voted no on the plan in May. The proposal is scheduled for a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Oct. 21, and preservation groups warn of a damaging precedent.

Read at Brooklyn Paper