The fourth time’s the charm, at least for the developer of the landmarked former French Consulate building on Fifth Avenue. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a plan to add a one-story addition to 1143 Fifth Ave., a J.E.R. Carpenter building, despite ongoing opposition from local preservationists.” By allowing for such a large, out-of-context addition to be approved could set a precedent to build other overwhelming additions to smaller buildings on the Upper East Side,” said Elizabeth Fagan, director of preservation for the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, during the hearing. “A more creative contextual solution must be found,” she said. The building is currently vacant, but the owner, Jean Claude Marian, is looking to use it for apartments. Starting this fall, Marian will add roughly 36 feet to the eight-story building to make room for a second, 21-foot-tall penthouse with two levels.
In addition, an elevator and an emergency staircase will be installed, along with a 15-foot bulkhead, which will protrude from the roof, but will be set back 28 feet from the front of the building so it won’t be visible from the street, according to representatives for the owner. The height of the bulkhead roof is shorter than originally proposed, its windows will also appear smaller and the exterior will be beige brick, plans filed by the architect, Dominick R. Pilla Associates, show. “During this redesign, we ensured that the penthouse design remains subordinate to the J.E.R. Carpenter building,” a spokeswoman for Dominick Pilla Associates said in a statement.