Greenwich Village O'Toole Building to be Demolished

Image details

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the demolition of Albert C. Ledner’s 1964 Curran/O’Toole building when it recently passed current owner St. Vincent's Hospital's hardship application on October 28, 2008. Although the modern building squeaked its way through the prior rounds of public hearings last spring and summer, the quirky, concrete “overbite” building will now be demolished and replaced by a slick new hospital building. O’Toole is one of 4 buildings Ledner built for the National Maritime Union in New York City between 1954 and 1967; all are expressive mid-century modern. Ledner was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the majority of his work is found in New Orleans, where DOCOMOMO/NOLA is involved in advocating for its importance.

DOCOMOMO New York/Tri-State held an event in September 2007 featuring Albert Ledner discussing his work for the National Maritime Union. The chapter has also prepared a backgrounder that includes images, historical information about the building and its architect as well as background on the current situation.

To view the report in PDF please click here.
 
Photo: Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times, 2008