The Landmarks Preservation Commission has voted in favor of the Nordstrom tower cantilever, moving Extell Development’s plans for 225 West 57th Street forward.
Voting 6-1 in favor, the LPC closed the door on a debate about whether the cantilever would be an eyesore on the Art Students League of New York building next door. The overhang, it ultimately decided, posed no negative impact and will, according to one member of the commission cited by New York YIMBY, protect the building from intrusions and help preserve the landmark in its current state.
The mixed-use tower is set to rise 1,550 feet, with Nordstrom’s first New York City location in the base and high-end residential condominiums above.
Extell’s Gary Barnett, who attended the hearing, spoke of the cantilever’s “integral design function,” saying it will “only be perceptible when pedestrians look at the sky.”
Now that the tower has snagged the LPC’s backing, a dramatic departure from vociferous Community Board objections, the next step will be detailed renderings of the structure, to be designed by architects Smith + Gill. [NY YIMBY] — Julie Strickland