Q&A
Discussion on LPC's approach to regulating buildings and storefronts
0:18:49
·
128 sec
Council Member Restler and LPC Executive Director Kersavage discuss LPC's general approach to regulating buildings and storefronts, particularly regarding historical accuracy and flexibility.
- Restler expresses concern about LPC potentially mandating restoration to a specific historical period
- Kersavage clarifies that LPC does not mandate specific designs or restorative work
- The conversation touches on the balance between maintaining historical integrity and allowing for modern needs and flexibility
Lincoln Restler
0:18:49
Well, you know, I think we're you know, I'm certainly happy to see a landmark designation that, you know, maintains the current design and structure broadly.
0:19:03
I can get into the specifics on the retail spaces.
0:19:06
But sometimes, I worry that when we design a building, we then look back to some picture from 1922 and say, we need to recreate that picture from 1922 and hold the building owner accountable for a redesign that's gonna recreate a 1922 image.
0:19:23
And I'm sure 1922 was a great year in Brooklyn, but, you know, it it can feel random.
0:19:28
And so I just wanna make sure we're not request because the previous entrance of the building was on Pearl Street, not on Adams.
0:19:34
We're not going back to some previous design from a different era that we're imposing on this building and saying you're gonna have to recreate this that's inconsistent with the current design.
0:19:42
Does that make sense?
0:19:43
Did I say that more plainly?
Lisa Kersavage
0:19:44
Well, obviously never mandates a certain design.
0:19:48
You know, people come with the changes that they want to make to us.
0:19:53
And in this case, because we so clearly documented the changes to this building in our designation report, and that's what the commission voted on, We recognize that those storefronts on atoms were not historic.
0:20:04
We are very clear about that, and that allows for future flexibility for those storefronts.
0:20:11
But we regulate every building the same.
0:20:13
You know, we we don't It's it's not a different set of regulations for each building we designate, but we never mandate that somebody has to do rest restorative work.
0:20:23
And in this case
Lincoln Restler
0:20:24
Although, I if you weren't
Lisa Kersavage
0:20:26
clear about the the need for flexibility and that these building these storefronts had been recreated.
Lincoln Restler
0:20:33
I think that sometimes the staff review of exactly this banister or exactly this window frame or whatever the heck it is, it can feel like it's a mandate.
0:20:40
It you may not use that language in may not be the way that you think about it.
0:20:44
But I think for an applicant going through a process, they may not feel like they have the latitude that I it sounds like you're describing in your answer.
0:20:51
But I I I do I digress.
0:20:53
I I well, I don't really.
0:20:54
I just wanted to clarify that point.
0:20:56
It sounds like we're on the same page.