By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — City Hall is getting its most extensive makeover in half a century, complete with hundreds of solar panels to power the mayor's famous "bullpen" offices.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to give their stamp of approval to the $100-plus million dollar project, which was first reported in April as part of a comprehensive overhaul to make City Hall greener.
Part of the plan involves installing five large clusters of black solar panels on the roof of City Hall. The panels are designed to be visible from the street to draw attention to the use of solar power, Architect Richard Southwick said.
The panels are expected to provide enough energy to power half the building's second floor, "a significant space" that includes Mayor Michael Bloomberg's desk and other offices, Southwick said.
"We're setting the example," Landmarks Preservation Commission Joan Gerner said of the group's support.
But the main point of the effort, Southwick said, is to bring the "antiquated" building up to code, adding new smoke alarms and sprinklers, expanding handicapped access and improving electrical systems.
A new sub-cellar already under construction will house electrical equipment that is currently kept in the Tweed Courthouse next door, which also houses the city's Department of Education headquarters. The roof will also be replaced to try to put an end to "chronic water problems" that have repeatedly damaged the building, including historic murals in the City Council chambers.
The roof work is set to begin shortly and should be completed by next year, Southwick said.
Although it wasn't on the agenda, the commission also brainstormed a new idea in light of the discovery of a 70 foot-long stretch of a wall from an 18th century alms house that the construction has uncovered. Commission members said it might be nice to leave some section of the wall visible to the public after the excavation is complete.
"This is a great opportunity for us to have a dig site to help New Yorkers and visitors realize that this is an ancient city," said Commissioner Margery Perlmutter, who likened the discoveries to New York's very own Grecian ruins.
"This is a little bit of our Acropolis," she said.
