The Playgoer: NYU compromise on Provincetown?

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Thursday, May 01, 2008

NYU compromise on Provincetown?

Curbed continues to be the most authoritative source on the NYU/Provincetown Playhouse story. Yesterday they shed a lot of light on this by publishing and linking to the actual NYU proposed models for the site (see above).

So I must admit...so far this doesn't look too bad. If indeed they are preserving the facade and at least some aspects of the interior. (I have no idea if any of that is true, of course.)

But if so, then apparently it is the result of much pushback, and so the protests may be paying off.

In fact, Adjmi's [the architect] proposed design is actually NYU's third go-round at figuring out what to do with the Provincetown site. According to the PDF, the first idea brought about by the law school was a new 8-10 story building that would have maximized the buildable space allowed under the zoning. The current building would have been demolished. NYU says it was actually the agreement struck with the community that caused them to send the law school back to the drawing board.

The second proposal would have kept the original façade, but would have included a rear addition and three new stories plopped on top. A structural engineering report deemed that design impossible. Which brings us to the third, and current, design. The Times reported that the new building would only be three feet taller with one additional floor than the current building, but that's not quite true. It's three feet taller as seen from the street, but 13 feet taller in total, and it will be seven stories compared to the current building's five. The "low-scale, contextual, brick building" will contain a new theater with the same seating capacity, and the original pre-1940s-renovation façade will be protected during construction, then restored.

The PDF referred to of the complete NYU proposal is here.

Hey, I'm all for being reasonable...

2 comments:

Leonard Jacobs said...

Actually, it's propaganda, and as a result, the coalition continues to grow. I don't want to mention any names, but there is support hopefully to come from some very high-level industry folk that may transform this crisis substantially.

Anonymous said...

With all due respect to Leonard, the propoganda is flying around on both sides if, as I understand it, propogranda is "the systematic manipulation of public opinion." I hope the Playhouse stands but I am also acutely aware of how many of my colleagues are up in arms about this real estate deal that damages nostalgia as opposed to others that actually displace thousands of people, decrease green space in the city, etc.