In 2013 Gertler & Wente Architects proposed plans to New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) to restore 29 Green Street.
The original 19th century 4-story building lost its top two floors sometime around 1760, to an unfortunate fire. Larry Wente proposed a design to the LPC that included adding three new floors and a fourth floor set back 15 feet to keep with the architectural design of the neighborhood. The plan also included removing the ground level loading dock and replacing it with historic pillars and transoms.
Wente proposed to the LPC that the building retained enough historic material and detail to make restoration of the original cast iron facade achievable and worth while. The LPC noted our design would “return the building closer to its original appearance” and would “reinforce the architectural and historic character of the building, the streetscape, and the Soho-Cast Iron Historic District.”
We worked closely with the new owner of the truncated building - French entrepreneur and founder of The Webster - Laure Hériard Dubreuil to make her dreams a reality. When Ms. Hériard Dubreuil first laid eyes on the building it was a mere two-story edifice, scarcely big enough to contain her dreams of a New York home for The Webster. Now at 6 stories tall, she refers to it as her “baby”.
Inside The Webster - 29 Green Street
Inside The Webster - 29 Green Street
The exclusive multi-brand luxury boutique provides a sophisticated and unique shopping experience where the luxurious, intimate home-like design conveys the ambiance of the ultimate walk-in closet, complete with customized furnishings and contemporary artwork. The design and décor is a Manhattan mélange of winks to the original Webster store in Miami with a pink terrazzo floor on the first floor, panels of vintage wallpaper and quirky personal art such as, Gaetano Pesce’s Face Cabinet and a spectacular glass Art Deco wall installation by Miriam Ellner.
If you can’t wait to make a trip down Soho to check out Webster, the New York Times article, The Webster Takes New York, is a descriptive experience that will temporarily transport any fashionista in a moment.