Artistic rendering of 58 Washington Square South (New York University)By Amy Sacks
Special to DNAinfo
GREENWICH VILLAGE — NYU is moving ahead with plans to build a new spiritual center, sparking outrage among community activists who complain that it encroaches on a neighboring landmarked church and sets a dangerous precedent in the area.
Technically, the university has the right to build an 11-story building at 58 Washington Square South in order to house its new Center for Spiritual and Academic Life.
But the university insists it is only building a six-story building, and is therefore seeking permission from the Board of Standards and Appeals to widen its footprint.
Community advocates claim a short, squat building will block light and cast shadows over neighboring buildings on Thompson Street.
Construction site at 58 Washington Square South, the future site of NYU's Center for Spiritual and Academic Life. (New York University)“Light in a worship space in a city is really important to people,” said Donna Schaper, senior minister of Judson Memorial Church, a landmarked building whose stained glass chapel windows face the construction site.
She said light studies have shown the church would lose morning light during winter months, and has asked NYU to accommodate its needs.
NYU vice president of government affairs and community engagement Alicia Hurley acknowledged the building would block light before 10 a.m., but said the university would not change its plans.
A taller, narrower building, she said, would not be suitable for the Center’s programming needs, which will provide spaces for religious observance, music rehearsals and conferences, as well as classrooms and offices.
The shorter building would also allow a view of blue sky through the Arch in Washington Square Park, and is part of NYU’s conscientious approach to development, she said.
But Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation is most concerned about what comes next if NYU is exempt from the zoning regulations.
“It's the nose of the camel,” he said, noting an exemption could set a standard for NYU’s plan to add 6 million square feet to its footprint through 2031.
Community Board 2 has also asked the board to reject the proposed plans. The Board of Standards and Appeals is set to vote Tuesday, Feb. 9.
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