The building’s facade was previously a beige color, with brown trim for the windowsills and window frames, and the half-timbering that helped give the apartment building a quaint, Old World appearance. Instead, the building has now been painted asphalt gray, with window casements and frames light cream.
Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, called the new color scheme “dull as dishwater,” and argued that it does not reflect the building’s history.
Because the building is landmarked, any exterior changes require review by L.P.C. However, these alterations ultimately were permitted. The building’s managers explain that it was aging and needed renovation. They also insist that the facade’s new colors, in fact, mimic the historical ones.
“It was completely renovated because it was falling apart,” said Vanessa, a representative of the building management, who requested that only her last name be used.
According to Stefano Morisi, the architect who is overseeing the building’s ongoing renovations, its interior was a complete mess. There were leaks in the floors and bathrooms, and rotting paneling throughout the structure, he said. According to Morisi, the interior is not being replaced but simply restored.
Indeed, the 2014 L.P.C. permit requires that “any replacement wood components will match the historic in terms of material, dimensions, profiles and joinery.”
Yet, Berman took issue with the facade’s new color scheme, and cited a New York Times article from 1926, which describes the original colors of “Twin Peaks” as orange and black, with blue and green trim.
But Morisi said that his team scraped the paint from the building to reveal that the original coats were a dark hue, with various shades of brown for the windows and half-timbering.
“Before submitting the project to Landmarks, we did a lot of research,” Morisi said. “What the original designer wanted to do is make the building look like a heavy mass. He did this by painting the roof and the facade the same color.”
Morisi also argued that the beige color only appeared around 1938, and that the old building’s original hues have been restored.
“The original photos show a dark color for the facades and the roof,” Morisi stated.
Since the building is in the Greenwich Village Historic District, G.V.S.H.P. was additionally taken aback that the approvals were given by the L.P.C. with no hearing whatsoever.
“It is worrisome that such a decision could be made at the staff level which would so profoundly impact one of the most important buildings in the Greenwich Village Historic District,” said Berman in a letter to L.P.C. Chairperson Meenakshi Srinivasan this June.
Since 102 Bedford Street was first dubbed “Twin Peaks” in 1925, its exterior has undergone only two documented changes. The original architect, Clifford Reed Daily, transformed the building — adding the distinctive double-gabled rooftop — with the financial support of banker Otto Khan. Since then, it has changed hands several times. Until being sold, with an asking price of $2.5 million, in 1998, the building was owned by a co-op board. The building’s current owner was not available for interview.
The owner is leasing out apartments in the building, which are each roughly a tiny 20 feet by 20 feet. The realty company Paramount Group seems to be managing these affairs.
With experience restoring century-old paint jobs in Europe, Morisi assured The Villager that though identifying the right colors is a tough task, he believes that he got it right at “Twin Peaks.”
