Fox Meadow Neighbors Object to Stained Glass Window
While Scarsdale Village Trustees convened in a meeting room on Monday night to discuss the building process, another drama was unfolding in Village Hall. The Board of Architectural Review was in session and one item on the agenda drew a small crowd of concerned Fox Meadow residents. They were there to voice their views on a home that was renovated at 48 Ogden Road.
Originally a ranch-style house, the home has been remodeled into a Tudor. But one element of the renovation did not comply with the approved plans. The design plans that were reviewed by the BAR included a large arched, mullioned window above the front door. That window was in keeping with the style of the house and approved by the BAR who has jurisdiction over the exteriors of renovations and new homes.
But rather than comply with the approved plans, the residents installed a large stained glass window featuring a blue ribbon, pictured above. 
Since it deviated from the original plan, the homeowners had to reapply to the BAR for design approval in order to get a certificate of occupancy for the house.The homeowner, Dr. Bayrakdarian, argued that the new window was beautiful, had personal meaning to the family and was very costly. He explained that the design for the window was derived from the emblem for the Ladies Aid Society. Elizabeth Blackwell the first female physician in the United States helped to found the society, which trained nurses during the Civil War and sent supplies to the troops. Bayrakdarian claimed it would cost $35,000 to replace the window and questioned why the Board and his neighbors could rule on matters of personal taste. He submitted photos of other stained glass windows on Tudor homes in Fox Meadow and said that the shape of the window conformed to the original plans. He asked if he could simply install a plate glass window and hang the stained glass window behind it inside the house. Appealing to the audience, he added, “my children are young and we want to live here in harmony with our neighbors.”
A Stained Glass Window at the Ladies Aid Society
This is not the first time neighbors objected to the renovation. At a BAR meeting in March 2011 where plans for the house were vetted, a Fox Meadow woman said the planned house looked like a "faux Tudor" and voiced concerns about the building materials and lack of landscaping to screen the house. She feared the new house would "change the whole feel of the neighborhood."
After considerable discussion on Monday October 15, the BAR members voted on the amended plans and turned them down unanimously. The Bayrakdarian’s now face a choice – they can removed the stained glass window and substitute the window shown in the original plan or file an appeal to overturn the BAR’s decision.
Comments (20)
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written by Fm Resident, October 26, 2012
I totally support the BAR mission- everbody's property values depend on the continued beauty of our neighborhoods- as well as our schools, commute, etc. I only wish the BAR applied their presciptions more fairly and consistently. I've seen individual homes suffer real dollar value because they sit next to a paricularly offensive house. Drive down Oak Way and check out the blue-roofed "Smurf" house or observe the "Taco Bell" on Brewster Road. Would any of you like to buy one of the homes next to them?
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written by Had Enough, October 22, 2012
The BAR is an aesthetics board and does not have the power to approve or disapprove any structure that meets the uniform building codes of NY. The Village of Scarsdale will not spend a dime in litigation costs when put to the challenge. Having said that, permits are based on approved plans, and if approved plans are not followed to the letter in execution then a homeowner or builder must be prepared for the consequences. Remember it's "build as approved" not "approved as built". In the scheme of things a window is a mild offense, but overlooking the fact that it was not approved sets a precedent that get ugly in a hurry.
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written by Fairness, October 22, 2012
Not a fan of the BAR as they have not been very consistent over the years, but the function they serve is critical to ensure we have some set of guidelines... or I agree, as some have stated below, anything can happen -- and a neighborhood can degrade quickly.
As for this house with the stained window - I, too, am for limited regulation...but what he did was deceitful. He put in one plan to get the "approval" to move forward and then just did what he wanted and violated the BAR's approval conditions...
So now, he should have to deal with the ramifications of getting in compliance...no matter what the cost... he knew that he was taking that risk...and he got caught...
As for this house with the stained window - I, too, am for limited regulation...but what he did was deceitful. He put in one plan to get the "approval" to move forward and then just did what he wanted and violated the BAR's approval conditions...
So now, he should have to deal with the ramifications of getting in compliance...no matter what the cost... he knew that he was taking that risk...and he got caught...
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written by Michael T., October 22, 2012
As people hide behind fake names and stupid handles on this site, truth is that the home that was built was VERY different than the home that was originally approved. Also, it was not ONE neighbor that came out against this abortion of a home it was almost ALL of the ones that live directly around it! The window could have been worked into facing the back or used inside to divide spaces, but they just stuck it on the front of the house! Please drive by the house before commenting here!
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written by Aesthetically Correct, October 21, 2012
anonymous is correct. go to Queens or Brooklyn and see monstrocities built on tiny lots. Lots of the people who do so are recent arrivals to USA and to them, style that shows up in Khardasians and Jersey Shore is hip. I mean mediterranean "palaces" with lions and gargoyles etc. on a .18 acre lot, come on. Over-regulate? alot of people submit plans dishonestly. They know an original plan wont get through so they deceive. Soon Fox Meadow will look like little Brighton Beach, Beruit, or Vietnam. Come on, standards help. Play by the rules. Now the good doctor wants to hide behind his kids and to live in peace?
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written by Rick, October 21, 2012
Go south on the Post Rd. Make a left onto Edgewood Rd. Have a look at the second house on the left. Compare this house/property to the above one being discussed...
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written by Cathy, October 19, 2012
These people turned a horrible eyesore into beautiful Tudor. Their neighbors should be thanking them, not harassing them.
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written by Cathy, October 19, 2012
These people took a hideous eyesore and transformed it into a beautiful Tudor in keeping with the neighborhood. They did their neighbors a favor and should be thanked not harassed
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written by BAR fan, October 18, 2012
The schools, the proximity to Manhattan, and the village aesthetics are what maintain our property values—and without the BAR, the aesthetics would go out the window. You may not like all their decisions, but when they keep your neighbors from building a two-story decorative windmill in their front yard or slapping a Victorian front porch on their 1920s Tudor, you'll be glad they're there.
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written by Edgewood Mom, October 18, 2012
The good doctor should have played by the rules, so tisk tisk for him.
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written by Susan, October 18, 2012
This is a violation of a person's freedom of expression.
I feel for this doctor. He just wants to live his life with his family and these neighbors have to stick their noses in his buisness.
Some "neighbors".
I feel for this doctor. He just wants to live his life with his family and these neighbors have to stick their noses in his buisness.
Some "neighbors".
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written by Captain Latin America, October 18, 2012
The BAR is probably aesthetically correct. But what regulatory authority do they have to force somebody to undo something that deviated from the approved plan? Probably very little. In fact I don't want any government entity to have undoing authority. But what they can do is to refuse to approve future projects proposed by the architect and builders behind this one. If they risk being openly banned by individual name and by firm from a lucrative market like Scarsdale, they might find themselves in hot water in other municipalities too, and there will be far fewer incidents like this.
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written by Jeff Wilkins, October 18, 2012
Beware those are your nice neighbors, I would hate to see your enemies! These are going to be your neighbors? Do these people not work? Do they look to come down on everything that someone else is doing? Get real people. Do you also judge people for their color, race, religion etc...? It is exactly the same. Who is the BAR to tell people how their home is to look? I can't see how a stained glass window is going to affect the lives of the people and the community around it. Don't look at it if you don't like it. Simply, just mind your business.
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written by Anonymous, October 18, 2012
When I passed that window a few days ago (before I even knew of the controversy) ... I did a double take. Because it looked so ... strange ... and wrong. Scarsdale is beautiful because ... yes ... we we have a BAR that helps regulate appearances, which often borders on a question of taste. Go to the neighborhood where I grew up in Queens, where there is no similar board and you will find a LOT of ugly homes because ... no one there regulates taste. A few years ago, I wanted to build a porch on my home. The BAR turned me down. They thought it would be too big and simply look wrong. I was annoyed for a month or so, but built a more appropriate porch. And now looking back, I realized they were right. The bigger porch would have looked strange. There is a difference between drapes (that no one sees from the street) and an enormous window that faces the street.
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written by rps, October 18, 2012
On the contrary ! The BAR has been much too reticent and has allowed one atrocity after the other; one would think there was an ongoing competition who could build the ugliest house ! If Mr.Bayrakdarian has the arrogance to ignore the approved plan he should not be surprised if neighbours object to this horror.
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written by FM Resident, October 18, 2012
The BAR has a role in maintaing the archtectural intergrity of our neighborhoods. If you want to see what happens to the aestethic of a neighborhood when there is no BAR and high land values = tear downs drive around Roslyn LI. Would any of us what to trust the curb appeal of our neigborhoods to spec developers (look at what happened on Brewster and Chesterfield)? The stained glass on ogden is hideous, thankfully the BAR was paying attention to the orginal plans and now has grounds to take it down.
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written by Quaker Ridge homeowner, October 18, 2012
This makes no sense. Are there neighborhood dues? Common charges? If it is a private home and the renovation is up to code, then why does the neighborhood have a say? I feel for this family. This is a terrible use of time and resources.
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written by pandora's box or design, October 18, 2012
That isn't the point. will people start putting up other symbols that reflect their personal tastes? The good doctor wants to live in harmony but who is the one submitted one set of plans and then switched the design once approved. Supporters of such chicanery and dishonesty beware lest you open the door for other designs of personal tastes like a swatiska? a gun? re-enactment of WTC bombings? A board of volunteers or elected officials should not be denigrated because of unpopular decisions.
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written by Douglas, October 18, 2012
It had become obvious that unless we designate the whole Village as a homeowners association with strict rules and regulations on what color we can paint our doors and what materials we can use on our houses that the time has come to dismantle the BAR. It is a matter of personal freedom and property rights and this rule by comittee has no place in a free society. If this was my project and a group of tomato throwing neighbors tried to force me to build my house they way they wanted I would be pretty darned upset. As long as a project fits within the very restrictive zoning we already have in place that should be sufficient. Dismantle the BAR
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written by greenacres homeowner, October 18, 2012
The BAR and neighbors continue to attempt to over-regulate the personalizing of homes from the exterior.....So when are they going to go after the homes that have ugly drapes, mangled blinds, or junk piled in windows? What about the overgrown, 75 year-old landscaping that deviates from the neighborhood norm, or maybe even my holiday decorations? There is a point where they have overstepped their bounds, and unless the village enacts a code to monitor every property for appearance, there has to be some latitude in what is allowed in the remodeling process. And to the neighbors who don't like this window, take a look at the exterior/streetscape of your homes before you start criticizing.
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