CB1 Committee Calls Trinity's Tower Design a Bad Backdrop for Church
The Rev. James Cooper, rector of Trinity Wall Street, appeared before a Community Board 1 committee to present the church's plan for a 400-foot-tall glass tower on Trinity Place. Center: The view of Trinity Church from Wall Street, with the church's current building at 68-74 Trinity Pl.behind it. Right: Rendering of approximately the same view, with proposed tower behind the church. Photos: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib. Rendering: Trinity Wall Street
Is Trinity Wall Street about to spoil views of its own iconic church?
That’s the complaint of some members of a Community Board 1 committee that got a look last month at preliminary plans by the church to build a 400-foot-tall glass tower on Trinity Place, behind the lower Broadway landmark.
The planned building would contain 150 apartments above a podium that houses church offices. The church would demolish its two 90-year-old structures at 68-74 Trinity Pl. that parish officials say are in need of $33 million in renovations and repairs.
The building, 75 feet taller than the current ones, would be the new backdrop for the church when seen from Wall Street—hardly a sight that would en-hance it, according to several Financial District Committee members who saw preliminary renderings last month at a presentation by church officials.
“I just find this project unfortunate,” said Megan McHugh, who praised the “majestic” architecture of the church. “I don’t think it complements the [church] in any way.”
“The last thing [people] need to see is another building in the Wall Street area that looks like it’s on East 59th Street,” said Joel Kopel. “I’d like to see more limestone and less glass."
“It doesn’t do you justice,” said Susan Cole.
In a phone interview with the Trib, New York Landmarks Conservancy president Peg Breen, who had seen a rendering of the proposed building, said the “shiny box backdrop” would be a poor replacement for what is already there.
“I’m sure it’s a fine design, but it’s another glass tower—we’re going to have plenty of glass towers in that area,” she said. “To me, it’s a loss of a perfectly nice building.”
Instead, Breen said, she would like to see a restoration of the current, more attractive structure—with its ornate, articulated facade—that she believes is a more fitting neighbor to the landmarked former American
Stock Exchange Building next door. “It’s sad to see a handsome, historic building go—something like that will never be replaced.”
Jason Pizer, president of Trinity Real Estate, said the church likes the transparency of the proposed building’s facade because it does not overpower the church.
“It didn’t drown out the majestic church itself and was not much larger than the current building,” Pizer said.
“It depends where you stand on Wall Street,” said the church’s rector, the Rev. James Cooper. “The closer you get, you just have blue sky.”
The design, by Pelli Clarke Pelli architects, winners of a design competition for the project, is still a work in progress, Pizer said. The facade will likely be “more in line with what the neighborhood looks like,” he noted.“We’ve had this land for 300 years—we look at ourselves as a neighbor,” he said. “We’re not looking to incite or upset our neighbors.”
Though Trinity does not need CB1’s approval for the project, Pizer agreed to return to the board once the design was further along. Construction of the building is expected to begin late next year and be completed in 2017.