St. Vincent's Hospital

Here's the statement from St. Vincent's regarding the Landmarks Preservation Commission's approval today of the hospital's hardship application.

The approval was a critical one, and removes a hurdle to the development of the new hospital building on 12th Street and Seventh Avenue, along with a new housing complex built by Rudin Management in the spot of the existing hospital. The hospital would still need more approvals from the commission to move forward with its plans, followed by a lengthy public approval process for a rezoning.

Update: 1:25 p.m.

A community group opposed to the plan, Protect the Village Historic District, just sent over a statement to say it would appeal the ruling, which it considers illegal.  read more »

St. Vincent’s public affairs office gave us a call about our post on the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s meeting Tuesday on the hospital’s hardship application to demolish the O’Toole building and construct a new, “state-of-the-art” medical facility in its place.

Dr. George Neuman, the interim chief medical officer at St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center, said that “support for the new hospital among the doctors and nurses, maintenance and ancillary staff is universal.”

“The people here want to see a new hospital built,” he said. “When you think about it, who wouldn’t want to work in a new building?"

Dr.  read more »

So long O'Toole building?

A host of elected officials today--City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Senator Thomas K. Duane, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler--gave their blessings to a demolition of the O'Toole building at 12th Street and Seventh Avenue in order to make way for a new St. Vincent's hospital in its place, should the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission find the hospital faces sufficient "hardship."

By issuing statements or speaking at a hearing today, the officials voiced support for Rudin Management's modifications to the original, $1.6 billion proposal, but warned that more revisions responding to community concerns about construction, building height and density, and how to mitigate shadows and traffic cast on the neighborhood, would be needed should the proposal reach the public review phase.  read more »

Yesterday, we wrote about the public hearing at the Landmarks Preservation Commission where St. Vincent's submitted its application for hardship status to get permission to demolish the O'Toole building and build a new hospital on the Seventh Avenue site.

The Municipal Art Society, which also testified at the hearing, issued the following statement in reaction to St. Vincent's application:  read more »