Landmarks Preservation Commission To Decide Fate of Merchant’s House Hotel Tomorrow
By Billy Gray March 11, 2013 1:48 pm
reprintsDevelopers of a proposed hotel adjacent to the historic Merchant’s House Museum in the East Village will face the Landmarks Preservation Commission tomorrow and face the board’s judgment on the controversial project.
Plans for a nine-story hotel at 27 East 4th Street provoked neighborhood backlash as soon as they were unveiled nearly one year ago. Local preservationists circulated a petition warning that the structure would “overwhelm and detract from the special architectural and historic character of the Merchant’s House Museum. Its excessive size and bulk is not respectful of the historical context of the Museum and does not relate to its small scale.” There were also fears of the impact the hotel’s construction could have on the 181-year-old museum’s structural integrity.
Last June, The Villager reported that two of the hotel’s developers–Edward Carroll and Constantine Fotos–had criminal backgrounds pertaining to obstruction of justice and illegal asbestos removal, respectively. A L.P.C. hearing scheduled for later that month was postponed after Community Board 2 rejected the proposal.
Bowery Boogie writes that Messrs. Carroll and Fotos have amended their original plans and will present them at tonight’s meeting, where the L.P.C. will vote to approve or deny the application.
