"New Domino": Glass Box, Towers, No Pedestrian Bridge

Among the stranger details to emerge from a presentation that Rafael Viñoly gave about the planned New Domino development in Williamsburg yesterday was the fact that he wanted to build a pedestrian bridge to Manhattan, but that the developers had said no. Other relevant information sent to Curbed yesterday included a description of the big towers as consisting of masonry at the base and glass curtain walls on the upper floors and of the pedestrian waterfront access as a "sliver" that looked like "a footpath." The Daily News reports this morning that a presentation at a Community Board One Hearing last night included renderings and that "some frowned on the design, calling it too boxy and too big for the Williamsburg waterfront neighborhood."

The LPC attendee who shared the information from the LPC luncheon later added the following via a comment:

in the model he showed...the factory was dwarfed by the two flanking towers. The design for the towers was brick or some sort of red masonry on the bottom third and all glass curtainwall for the top two thirds. He also showed a map as to how this project will influence the area of north williamsburg and create a revitalization. I guess he hasn't been there in a while.

The description included the five-story "glass box" the developers want to add to the top of main Domino building, which is landmarked. We will withhold judgment until renderings are made public, but it would seem that a five-story addition could render the landmarking rather, uh, meaningless. That particular element goes before the LPC on February 5. The plans are supposed to be available today at the Landmarks Commission Office, which is located in the Municipal Building on Centre Street on the Ninth Floor in the North Building. Further details and/or renderings, hopefully, a bit later today.