In a 6-4 vote, the Landmarks Preservation Commission has approved the hardship application put forth by St. Vincent's Hospital to demolish the O'Toole Building in Greenwich Village. The razing of the loved/hated "Overbite Building" is part of the controversial St. Vincent's/Rudin Management redevelopment proposal for the hospital, which sits in the protected Greenwich Village Historic District. St. Vincent's had argued that the O'Toole spot is the only one that makes sense for its new 30ish story medical tower. The hardship application specifically dealt with the O'Toole Building, on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. The rest of the massive hospital/luxury housing plan—which includes the demolition of several other (smaller and less prominent) buildings—will have to be dealt with in many steps/hearings, but the message is clear: St. Vincent's has prevailed in the bitter battle for Greenwich Village. The Waverly Inn will be full of some notable sad faces tonight, friends.
Statement from Alfred E. Smith, IV and William Rudin on the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s Approval of Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers’ Hardship Application
“We are very pleased that the Landmarks Preservation Commission today approved St. Vincent’s hardship application, allowing us to take another step forward to building a 21st century, technologically advanced hospital for Manhattan’s West Side and Downtown.
We thank the Commissioners for their time and diligence in determining that St. Vincent’s qualified for this rarely applied, but critically important exemption. We also are grateful to Chairman Robert Tierney for his leadership in this complex process, conducting an open, fair and transparent review of the hardship application.
St. Vincent’s is in a unique position as the only hospital in New York City located entirely within an historic district. Moreover, the lack of alternatives facing the hospital and the complications of constructing a new facility in a dense urban area made the case before the Commission challenging. Their decision is critical to St. Vincent’s ability to carry forward its mission and ensure that residents, employees and visitors to Manhattan’s West Side and Downtown have access to the kind of quality healthcare and trauma services that St. Vincent’s will be able to provide in a modern facility.
St. Vincent’s and the Rudin Family are fully committed to this vitally important project and look forward to continue working with LPC, our elected officials and the whole Greenwich Village community as we continue on in this process.”
· Latest St. Vincent's Hearing Indicates Decision is Approaching [Curbed]
· Celebrities, Architects Take Sides in War For Greenwich Village [Curbed]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.
