Architect Joseph Pell Lombardi's Glass Atelier proposal at 403 Greenwich Street—a traditional and contextual Romanesque loft building, except for the minor detail that the building would be entirely covered in glass—has been approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Tribeca Trib reports.
The LPC had already given the Glass Atelier some words of encouragement, and the 10-unit "ghost-like" project—which would strip the current six-story building at the site down to its steel and cover it with white concrete on the inside and glass bricks on the outside—has received surprisingly little resistance (this is Community Board 1 we're talking about, after all). The love fest may have to wait, however.
According to Lombardi, construction will probably not begin for another two years, and the work will take around 14 months to complete. The developers want to make the units rentals, but they may need to seek a variance from the city because only office use is currently permitted. Last time we took a gander at the Glass Atelier plans, Lombardi told us that one of the side walls wouldn't be glass bricks because it would be too difficult to fireproof. However, the Trib now reports that "even the side and rear walls would be made of frosted glass bricks." Did Lombardi figure it out? Does it matter? It's not like ghosts can catch fire.
