Crossing boundaries
Tribeca insults Soho in logo fight
Tribeca residents are battling to stop Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake from slapping his corporate logo on a landmark — but in doing so they may have declared war against Soho.
The Miyake store, whose interior was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, occupies the ground floor of a landmarked building at 119 Hudson St., at the intersection of North Moore Street. Miyake would love to put his crest on a column on North Moore.
Community Board 1 made its opposition loud and clear on Sept. 25 when it voted 43-0 to oppose Miyake’s proposal. But the Tribecans went even further in their resolution — saying they want to protect against the “Soho-ization of the neighborhood.”
Community Board 1 chairman Anthony Notaro later explained to The Post, “Soho has essentially become an outdoor, upscale mall. Tribeca is still a predominately residential neighborhood. We view Soho as really being overrun as a commercial area. There are tons and tons of illegal vendors. Lots of overcrowding.”
Notaro said Tribeca, on the other hand, is “representative of the city. People in rent-stabilized apartments and people in expensive lofts and buildings . . . We don’t want to become a Soho. We want a diverse character for all people.”
He said the Miyake logo proposal is “out of character for the building. It does not enhance the building and its exterior. It’s not contributing. Modifying a landmarked exterior solely for marketing or branding purposes is not acceptable.”
When the board asked if “something less garish could be presented, we were told, ‘No, Issey Miyake wants the exact same image all over the world,’ ” CB 1 noted in their resolution, sniffing: “Tribeca is not all over the world.”
Defending her turf, Community Board 2 chairwoman Terri Cude fired back Saturday that “Soho is so much more than stores.”
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission will have the final say on the Miyake’s plan.
Miyake did not return messages.