More progress at the townhouse at 172 Duane
Duane Street is slowly getting liberated from the construction at 172 Duane, the townhouse on the southside of the park that has been under construction since 2015. It’s been dormant for at least six years. (Thanks to A. for the bird’s-eye shot.)
The historic building now has a very modern four-story addition — I can no longer remember what the original building looked like, so I had to refer to the photo below. The last I talked to someone associated with the owner, they said construction would be done in six months. That was July 2023. The source at owner Tony Coll’s office said then they were refinancing and using the same architect. (There was a consolidation of the $10.5 million mortgage in August 2023.)
The building was always scheduled to be a two-family dwelling. An occupancy list in the permits from 2023 showed plans for an “apparel and display studio” on 1; offices on the mezzanine and 2; then two apartments on each of floors 3, 4, 5 and 6, plus a roof terrace.
The original building has fanciful cast-iron columns going up two stories; a design from the ’80s called for an 8000-square-foot addition by the Italian architect who modernized the building in the ’80s — Vincenzo Polsinelli. In 2020, I happened to hear from Polsinelli, who is American and has practiced in the U.S. since 1980. He was last involved in this project in 2009. After he got the original Landmarks approval, the owner hired another architect, who I am assuming added the odd vertical metal structure that looks like a scaffold. Polsinelli added: “The design (do not know who did it) is really lacking sensibility for this rich neighborhood. Very surprised Landmarks approved the change!”
The building’s history is featured here in Tom Miller’s post. It was also the longtime HQ of hip-hop impresario Damon Dash, who had a lease there until 2011.
