Green-Wood Cemetery Tries Sleeker, More Subdued Design for Modern Visitor Center
Reps for the historic cemetery are set to go before the LPC Tuesday with a new design from Architecture Research Office that will highlight the adjacent Weir Greenhouse.
While the restoration of Green-Wood Cemetery’s historic Weir Greenhouse got a thumbs up from the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2015, a plan for a new, modern visitor’s center, designed by architecture firm Page Ayres Cowley, was not approved.
Now Green-Wood is set to go before the LPC Tuesday with a new proposal: A sleeker and more subdued modern design from Architecture Research Office that will make the 19th century greenhouse the centerpiece. The new building is still an “L” shape that wraps around the old one on two sides, but the massing and materials have changed, and its new dark brown color makes the greenhouse stand out.
Significantly, the current proposal also shifts the new building completely outside of the landmark boundary. While a new glass lobby would almost abut the greenhouse on the 5th Avenue facade, on 25th street a landscaped courtyard would separate the two and serve as the main entrance to the complex. A new entrance would also be inserted into the greenhouse itself.
Gallery space, a catering kitchen and a research library are planned for the 25th Street section of the building, with offices above, according to presentation materials on the LPC site. Covered in terra-cotta panels, the facade facing the glass greenhouse is dominated by windows. Bold signage appears on the facade and fence. What do you think of it?
[Renderings by Architecture Research Office via NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission]
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- A Newly Rehabbed Roof Is Gleaming at the Historic Weir Greenhouse in Greenwood Heights
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