CB5 backs AKA Times Square storefront changes
A 7–2 vote cleared new doors, signage, lighting, and an ADA elevator at the former Hotel Gerard, despite debate over how modern a landmark hotel should look.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — landmarks committee, landmarks committee, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
Committee members split over whether the first floor should echo the hotel’s 1890s masonry character or accept a newer storefront that is already far from original.
The fight was over the ground floor, not the hotel above. Community Board 5’s Landmarks Committee voted 7–2 to approve exterior changes at 123 West 44th Street, the 1893 building now operating as AKA Times Square and originally known as the Hotel Gerard. Kevin said the work is tied to a major lobby renovation and would redo the first-floor storefront with new entry doors, new signage, a new logo, and new lighting. The plan would also add an ADA elevator so wheelchair users can reach the lobby level.
The debate centered on style. Kevin said some committee members wanted a first-floor redesign that better matched the landmark hotel’s 1890s masonry character instead of continuing modern elements such as granite steps, brushed stainless steel, and a modern logo. He described the existing storefront as already modern, and said the proposal largely reworks that condition rather than restoring an original street-level design.
That distinction carried the vote. The committee approved the application because the current storefront is not original to the building, and because the storefront-level design was not identified as original in the landmark designation report. The recommendation now heads to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, where the same question will follow the project: how much a landmark’s street face should reflect the building’s first life, and how much it can reflect the one it has now.
Landmarks Committee: 30 Rockefeller Plaza interior lobby lighting and related changes
At 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the question was light. The Landmarks Committee reviewed a proposal to brighten the interior landmark lobby while keeping its defining Art Deco features in place, and Kevin described the work as an easy approval. The committee approved it unanimously.
The main change is a lighting overhaul meant to make the lobby brighter and better conceal the fixtures. The application also includes a redesigned lobby desk, movable seating, movable barriers, and changes to the security check-in process.
Kevin said the core historic elements would stay, including the black marble and the large murals in the check-in area. He noted that Rockefeller Center is a landmark complex and said the committee sees this project team regularly. With the committee’s recommendation in hand, the proposal moves on with a clear message from CB5: update the lobby’s function and brightness, but leave the building’s signature materials and artwork intact.
New York Life windows win approval
CB5 backed a plan at 51 Madison Avenue to remove deteriorating bronze storefront window framing, add aluminum infill for weather resistance, and reinstall the bronze on top. The committee debated the use of new material, but approved the application unanimously because the visible appearance would stay the same.
Storefront window framing replacement at 51 Madison preserves appearance and mainly affects one landmarked property.
CB5 approves 31 West 21st windows
The committee recommended approval for exact-replica window replacements for a fifth-floor unit at 31 West 21st Street in the Ladies’ Mile District. Members paired that vote with a request that LPC require a master plan for the whole building, so future replacements match consistently.
Exact-replica window replacement for one 5th-floor unit is a narrow property-specific landmarks matter.
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