SOM | HHC

Today, Howard Huges Corp. (HHC) received a long-sought-after Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for their proposal to build an $850 million, full-block development at 250 Water Street on the edge of the South Street Seaport Historic District.

The new development, a 324-foot tower consisting of a four- to five-story commercial podium and lofty 270-unit residential bar, will fill a gap in the district's street wall where an underutilized parking lot now exists. The LPC's green light was also paired with the approval of 89 South Street, the location of the South Street Seaport Museum expansion. 

The decision is a major win for HHC. 250 Water Street has seen at least nine other proposals rejected in the past 25 years.

250 Water Street today | SOM | HHC

SOM | HHC

Tuesday's appearance is the developer's third this year (and fourth overall; HHC tried with a different 990-foot rendition in March 2020). HHC started out with a 470-foot design in January 2021, only to reduce it to 345 feet in an April LPC proposal following concerns over the bulk.

However, despite a nearly 30 percent reduction in size, the project still found major public opposition centered on both height and mass and the impact they would have on the low-slung waterfront neighborhood. LPC commissioners were largely in agreement with concerns raised by the public and sent the applicants back to the drawing board.

The revised base of 250 Water Street | SOM | HHC

The tower crown | SOM | HHC

Saul Scherl of HHC and Chris Cooper of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) returned today with their response, a design focused on minimizing the street-level impact of the building through minor height reductions and the refining of the project's proportions and material palette. 

Changes seen at the base include a decrease in height from 76 feet to 64 feet to better balance the podium with the breadth of its neighbors and the buildings across the street; shifts in the color palette to create less contrast and flatten the facade at street level; changes to the window proportions; a lowering of the cornice; and perhaps the most impactful, the removal of the base's top commercial floor (now a residential floor in the tower portion) to create a more significant setback of 45-55 feet. According to SOM's Cooper, this last change gives the impression that the tower is just a background figure, visually detached from the street wall. 

The tower itself was reduced another 21 feet in height to 324 feet (25 stories), with the bar and the crown detailing simplified.

SOM | HHC

Several commissioners who were opposed to the development were swayed by the updates, namely those made to the base. Commissioner Jeanne Lufty deemed the project “most successful at the street level.”

However, the tower height still rubbed many the wrong way. While Commissioner John Gustafsson approved of the podium calling it “extremely well done,” he took issue with the continued defense that the new building is "better than a parking lot, and better than Legoland (i.e. massing built as of right)." He said this was an obvious statement and the reality is “anything is better than the parking lot.” Gustafsson wholly rejected the tower, and in turn the project, noting he would only accept something with two levels above the podium. 

Commissioners Adi Shamir Baron and Wellington Chen conceded but were not necessarily enthusiastic about their decision. Both plainly concluded that "a minimal standard of appropriateness" had been met. Chen did, however, call the base “spectacular.” 

Ultimately, the LPC came out 6 to 2 in favor 250 Water Street. In tandem, the design of the South Steet Seaport Museum received unanimous approval, a descision in step with LPC comments made in April.

89 South Street Museum addition | HHC | SOM

The approval will be a boon for neighborhood housing and South Street Seaport Museum. The new development will add 70 new affordable units (out of 270) in a district where only 2.5 percent of housing is affordable. HHC has also committed $50 million to the Seaport Museum under their proposal. The cash infusion will fund its restoration and expansion into the new building at 89 South Street and provide a lifeline for the museum's daily budget, which has been in dire straits since 9/11. During the LPC hearing held April 6, museum board officials shared that it only had enough in its coffers to fund one more year of operation.

HHC will now seek City Council approval, a process that should begin this month. Local council member, Margaret Chin, has already come out in support and city legislature typically sides with the local council member.