The Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed a proposal at its May 19 hearing to convert a long-vacant Beaux-Arts firehouse at 124 Greenpoint Avenue into a 10-unit residential building, then sent the plans back for substantial revisions, citing the new construction’s dominance over the historic structure, according to Brownstoner.
Developer Kings Capital Management, represented by principal George Giannopoulos, is behind the project. The firm hired OPerA Studio Architecture, led by architect Thomas Barry, to design a six-story brick building that would go up on the neighboring single-story lot at 122 Greenpoint Avenue and connect via an addition atop the firehouse. The site sits within the Greenpoint Historic District.
Under the proposal, the rear of the firehouse would be largely demolished while its limestone facade would be restored. The firehouse interior, including its double-height ceiling, would be retained as the lobby for the new residential units. The ground floor of the adjacent new building would include commercial space.
Barry told commissioners the new building’s orange brick is designed to split the difference between the red brick common on the block and the firehouse’s limestone facade. Four stories would face the street with arched concave window bays; two additional stories would be set back from the street, Brownstoner reported.
Giannopoulos told commissioners that the project’s proportions and materials are “respectful of both the landmark and broader character of the neighborhood” and that it represents an investment in restoring a building that has fallen into disrepair. “From the outset, our approach has been rooted in the mindful preservation, contextual design, and deep respect for the architectural significance of the existing firehouse,” he said.
Commissioners supported the concept but criticized the execution. Their central question: is this being designed as one building or two? That ambiguity, several said, caused problems with the facade, brick color, and rooftop massing.
Commissioner Frank Mahan praised the “investment in quality architecture” but said the one-or-two-building question had to be answered first. He compared the design to the work of architect Minoru Yamasaki, saying it felt “out of place” in the immediate historic context and that simplification would help. Commissioner Stephen Wilder said he was “struggling with a lot of elements that are, I think, inappropriate for the location and the objective.” Commissioner Stephen Chu, while complimenting the care put into the design, said it needed “refinement and an overall thinking of cohesion and expression.”
Specific critiques raised by the commission included windows on the new facade that are too large above the ground floor, brick and arch detailing that is overcomplicated, insufficient differentiation of the ground-floor retail, and a penthouse and rear facade that need simplification. Some commissioners also asked whether more of the firehouse itself could be preserved within the project.
At the public hearing, neighbor Melissa Kravitz raised concerns about the height of the proposed development. A second neighbor asked the commission to weigh the project’s impact on the streetscape alongside a separate proposal to replace the nearby Polonaise Terrace, arguing that “two substantial new buildings on the same block will together reshape the stretch of historic district in a way that neither application individually analyzes, and I don’t believe either applicant has examined the cumulative effect.”
Emma Bartley of the Historic Districts Council called the rooftop addition “overly complicated in its massing and quite visible from the street view” and recommended the applicant restudy it to reduce its visual impact. She also said the facade needed “greater articulation and material variation,” specifically suggesting stone or limestone elements to add depth and texture. Christina Controy of the Victorian Society of New York echoed the call for facade variation, recommending slate, cast stone, or contrasting-color brick sills. She said the new building is “well scaled for the district” overall.
LPC Vice Chair Angie Masters closed the hearing with no action, citing needed revisions to the facade, windows, retail area, firehouse door, penthouse massing, and rear facade, and invited the design team to return with updated plans.
The firehouse has been on the Greenpoint Avenue site since 1856, when Hook and Ladder Company Number 6 was organized there. An Italianate brick building replaced the original structure in 1880; the current limestone building was constructed around 1909. The firehouse stopped operating in 1972. City records show the building was sold to its current owner, Kwong Sang Hope Kee Inc., in 1957; the company also owns the adjacent former wagon shed, built in 1893, which was later used as a poultry slaughterhouse before falling into disrepair.
