First Look: 163 Charles

Continuing with our West Village theme, architect Daniel Goldner has now placed on-line a large color rendering of his design for a building to fill a narrow lot at 163 Charles Street.  The site sits directly behind the just completed Richard Meier tower, and was recently dubbed (unfairly, we think) "Mini Meier" by the New York Times.  To our eyes Goldner's design seems competent in its own right, and comes after the property's previous owner (art dealer Kenny Schachter) had commissioned Zaha Hadid to design an earlier plan for the site.  The new design appears to have retained at least some of the intersecting planes associated with Hadid's work, while also carving out a triplex unit, two duplexes, and ground floor commercial space.  The project was recently the target of a demonstration by preservationists who are seeking to maintain the area's scale and protect the surviving examples of 19th century houses and stables.  To see a larger view of the rendering click through to the link below.

• 163 Charles Street
• Daniel Goldner Architects