The land use, parks and preservation committees of Community Board 7 voted unanimously Wednesday night to not approve an application by the country's oldest Jewish congregation, Shearith Israel, which is located at 8 West 70th Street, for a certificate of appropriateness from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to erect a 10-story, mid-block building immediately to the west of its landmark structure that faces Central Park West.

The issue now goes to the full community board, whose recommendations are advisory and not binding.

The congregation's building facing Central Park West was completed in 1897 to designs by Brunner & Tryon. In his fine book, "Glory in Gotham, Manhattan's Houses of Worship, a Guide to Their History, Architecture and Legacy" (A City & Company Guide, 2001), David W. Dunlap, a reporter for The New York Times, wrote that "Like towering architectural counterpoints to the oaks across the street, four great Corinthinian columns dominate the facade of this elaborate Orthodox synagogue."

The congregation originated with 23 Jews, mostly Spanish and Portugese, who came to New York from Recife, Brazil, in 1654. Its earliest synagogue was erected in 1730 on Mill Street, which is now South William Street, and until 1825 it was the only one in the city, according to Mr. Dunlap. The congregation moved to Crosby Street in 1834 and to West 19th Street in 1860.

Sam White of the architectural firm of Platt Byard Dovell White presented revised plans to the committee that had been developed after consultation with the Landmarks Preservation Commission. A prior design was for a 15-story building with 12 stories on the building line. The new design presented by Mr. White was for a 10-story structure with 8 stories on the building line to match the height of the adjacent apartment building at 18 West 70th Street.

The new design was considerably under the allowable bulk allowed under "average weighted zoning" for the site, which falls in two zoning districts. The site could sustain a 8.38 F.A.R. (floor-to-area ratio), but the design only creates a 6.98 F.A.R. The design, however, would require zoning variances from the city's Board of Standards & Appeals for rear yard setbacks and building height.

The proposed new building would provide disabled access to the synagogue and various classrooms and offices for it on the second through the fourth floors.

The 5th through the 8th floors would be full-floor condominium apartments. Including a duplex penthouse apartment, the building would have 5 residential units.

Members of the committee generally were pleased with the reduced height of the project and not too concerned about its bulk, but they were not enthusiastic about the 70th Street facade. The rather modern design called for a limestone "frame" around bands of windows with buff-colored terracotta spandrels that covered most of the facade. The western edge of the building had more traditional "punched" windows to relate to those on the adjacent building.

The design wrapped its limestone "frame" around to its east facade, which would rise several stories above the roof of the existing synagogue. The exposed east facade of the proposed building is a very handsome modern design, but one that would be almost invisible from in front of the synagogue on Central Park West.

Architect Ray Dovell explained that the design sought to make transitional gestures toward the monumentality of the synagogue and the traditional apartment design of its mid-block neighbor.

There were about 20 people who spoke at the hearing about the project and many from the community declared the new design as "jarring" and "not in context," while several speakers from the congregation emphasized the need for improved facilities.