convert the 16th through 34th floors into residential condominiums, following the expiry of SEIU's lease. The plan to convert the upper stories to apartments was subsequently abandoned. By early 2021, the building had been vacated in preparation for its renovation. That February, the LPC approved a plan by Moed de Armas and Shannon Architects (MdeAS) to renovate part of the building. The plans called for renovating the facade and signs on the ground floor, as well as a new tenant doorway at West 42nd Street. MdeAS also proposed gutting the streamlined lobby as part of a series of changes to reconfigure the lower floors, formerly occupied by SEIU, for office use. After a tweet of the proposed design of the replacement lobby circulated, numerous preservationists petitioned the LPC to grant landmark status to the lobby's interior. A plan to remove the sign atop the crown, replacing it with one spelling out the building's address, was rejected by the LPC after opposition from preservationists. The following month, a spokesperson for the building's owner claimed that the lobby had mostly been demolished but that pieces were being stored. According to Gerard Nocera of Resolution Real Estate (the asset manager for Deco Towers), the LPC had rejected three requests to preserve the lobby during the preceding decades. The LPC had declined to preserve the lobby because it had been substantially altered during the 1980s. The $120 million renovation had included adding amenity spaces, refurbishing the office floors into an open plan, reconfiguring the lobby, and installing operable windows and air filters. In addition, Deco Towers replaced "nonhistorical windows", added doors for loading docks and outdoor terraces, and replaced the elevators. During September 2021, the New York Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit from preservationists who sought to protect the lobby, and the owners were allowed to dispose of the lobby's decorations. The lawsuit had been rejected in part because the lobby had been substantially modified. At the time, the original lobby decorations had been removed and placed in storage. The same month, the renovation was completed, and the building's owner Resolution Real Estate started leasing office space. By late 2022, Deco Towers was considering converting the 12th to 32nd stories into apartments, and converting the top two floors into residential amenity spaces, because of declining demand for office space during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this new plan, designed by Gloria Glass of SLCE Architects,