Abomination

That there are many people without taste is not in dispute. The question is where is the NYC planning department? Doesn’t an alteration like this require a review and a permit? Here is San Francisco, the Planning Commission is far more extreme in the other direction. They believe that the “people” own all property, and occasionally they will allow a “comrade” to build a garage or an addition, provided only that it can first be established “to each according to his need.”

And what of the Pennsylvania Hotel? Nothing must stand in the way of making more and more money on the ruins of a once great, once beautiful city.

The Abomination adds insult to injury with the white “keystones”. Ugh!

My father is chief architectural inspector and plans examiner for all commercial projects (non-residential) in the city in which my parents live. While his main concern is safety and adherence to code, he definitely requires that certain changes be made to maintain the quality and aesthetic appeal of the buildings in the city. I am proud to say that he is largely responsible for maintaining the city’s beauty — which otherwise might have been lost, considering that it is the nation’s second-fastest growing city.

I don’t think my father would’ve allowed this degree of ugliness to be erected. Even if the original façade is in need of renovation, which may prove too costly compared to to refacing the building, the orignal architectural details should have been reproduced or somehow preserved. I’ll have to ask him how he would’ve handled this.

Sadly, I have to say I’ve seen worse.