§ 4-01 Treatment of Designated Broadway Theater Interiors (Theater Interior Guidelines).
RCNY § 4-01
(a)Preface. Work may be done on designated interior portions of theaters either without application to the Commission, or with a Certificate of No Effect on Protected Architectural Features (CNE) if the proposed work is in accordance with the following guidelines: (1) For production-related work, no application to Landmarks Preservation Commission is needed if the guidelines set forth in 63 RCNY § 4-01(b)(1) below are followed, but owner must submit a written description to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), prior to undertaking the work, clearly delineating the scope of the proposed work. This description should also include steps to be taken after the end of the production to return the interior to its prior condition if significant architectural features are proposed to be altered, unless further changes are mandated by an incoming production, in which case the interior would be returned to its prior condition following the latter production.
(2)For permanent alterations, application to LPC is necessary and a CNE will be issued by staff if in accordance with the guidelines set forth in 63 RCNY § 4-01(b)(2) below.
(3)Applications for work not in accordance with the guidelines will be subject to the usual landmark review procedure as set forth in Chapter 3 of Title 25 of the Administrative Code. Note: The guidelines are keyed to underlined portions of the Description Section of the Designation Reports, which identify architecturally significant features requiring protection.
(b)Guidelines.
(1)Production-related changes. No permit needed for work, if the following conditions are met: (i) Interior configuration of the theater is maintained.
(ii)Any alteration to architectural features underlined in the Description Section of the Designation Report is reversible. (It should be noted that alterations to certain architectural features may not be reversible; for example, murals or heavily three-dimensional decorative features such as putti.) (iii) Following a production in which a theater interior is to be painted in a non-contrasting color scheme, the theater interior will be painted in contrasting colors, unless some other color scheme is mandated by the incoming production, in which case the interior would be painted in contrasting colors following the latter production. (A contrasting color scheme is one in which the ornamental architectural details are painted a different color or a different value or hue of the same color than the background.) (iv) If the Buildings Department requires a permit for the work, a CNE will be issued by staff within five working days of the receipt of a completed application.
(iii)Any installation of state-of-the-art changes, as certified by the owner, such as light bridges, sound booths, and balcony rail light housings, provided that staff finds that (A) their installation will have no effect on the physical fabric of the significant architectural features of the interior, or (B) that such effect is reversible and that adequate steps will be taken to assure that affected features can be replaced in the future.
