Will the late Philip Johnson's final design soon rise posthumously in SoHo's western reaches? That's the question raised by the status of a vacant lot on Spring Street
next door to the much loved Ear Inn.
Developer Nino Vendome has long planned to build condos on the site and has unveiled a number of different Johnson-designed plans in recent years. The original plan was rejected by the City's Board of Standards and Appeals for being way too tall--and indeed it was at 36-stories. The latest design released by Vendome last year was for an eleven story "urban glass house" clearly meant to invoke Johnson's New Canaan masterpiece. The adjacent James Brown House, fragile home of the Ear Inn, would have to be carefully preserved during any construction. We know the block well (Ear Inn's burger comes with nicely roasted potatoes), and have noticed that although the site has been cleared and a new fence was recently put up, there's been no sign of ground breaking as of yet. Has Vendome run into some unforeseen roadblock or is he waiting for the area to get even hotter than it already is?
The idea of living in Philip Johnson's final work will be enough to make the apartments much coveted by design-conscious buyers. The sure-to-be breathless marketing materials practically write themselves. So stay tuned all you MoMA junior committee members, Triple Mint will keep you updated as circumstances warrant...
This post has been updated HERE.
