As construction progresses on the 14-story tower next to St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side, more people are bemoaning how much their view of the historic cathedral will be blocked.
The Brodsky Organization's 428-unit residential tower was approved for construction on the north side of the cathedral in 2013, and locals tried their hardest to stop it. The cathedral said it needed the millions of dollars generated by the tower each year in order to fund deferred repairs and maintenance of the aging structure.
But now, as the condos grow in scope, people are getting feisty about the Handel Architects' design and the project's proximity to the cathedral.
Great that towers will generate $5 million/year for St John the Divine, but um, this design… http://t.co/LctchqsyVa pic.twitter.com/892mVXawEE
— Rebecca Baird-Remba (@thecitywanderer) April 28, 2015
Pitiful that once-beloved St. John the Divine still refuses to consider tower alternative to apartment bldg, despite community uproar.
— Michael Kimmelman (@kimmelman) August 7, 2014
Others warned this summer, before construction really got under way, that people had better soak up the existing views while they still could.
RT @danfriedmanme: Last chance to see Cathedral of St John Divine before it desecrates itself & betrays its neighbourhood....
— MHHDC (@mhhdc) July 27, 2014