Reply With Quote105-107 (the red brick Neo-Georgian) was set to come down a few years ago, but a couple of weeks ago when I walked past there was a fairly new "For Rent" sign up.
The building is setback to create an entrance. Rector St is too narrow, with hardly any sidewalk.
Since it's a hotel, I can understand the need for space in front; but it could have been done by setting back the first floor, with columns at the streetwall to support the building.
105-107 (the red brick Neo-Georgian) was set to come down a few years ago, but a couple of weeks ago when I walked past there was a fairly new "For Rent" sign up.
W Hotel is much taller, is located on the same street, is also a hotel, and is located on a similarly sized site (slightly larger), yet they got the streetwall perfectly. This pile of floors has no excuse.
Last edited by LeCom; March 6th, 2012 at 06:25 PM.
I mean, they got it fine on the spots where it touches the street, but it has one of those rotten public plazas on the back of it ruining the street wall on 1.5 sides, so I'm not sure this is the perfect example. I think it would have been better without the plaza, considering the WTC park space that is coming across the street. I think 400 5th ave is a better example...
W Hotel's plaza is actually a nice street corner public space, IMO. I don't expect Kaufman giving us any public plaza amenities aside from a loading/unloading driveway and maybe a trash can.
The W "plaza" is basically an outdoor cafe, and mostly will be for commercial uses. Given the narrowness of the streets there and the buildings nearby it should be semi-comfy about 4 months out of the year.Originally Posted by RoldanTTLB
Kaufman's driveway might get a little batch of tables jammed up against a wall (see his Hudson Square hotel off Varick -- or any number in the Garment District -- for a comparable situation).
April 06, 2012 CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON WORLD'S TALLEST HOLIDAY INN
NEW YORK CITY — Construction is under way on the world's tallest Holiday Inn — a 50-story hotel at 99 Washington St. in New York City. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architects (GKA), the 400-room hotel is situated just three blocks south of the World Trade Center site and is slated to play a role in the ongoing recovery of Lower Manhattan. McSam Hotel Group is developing the property.
"Ten years after 9/11, with the Memorial recently opened and forecast to be the number one tourist attraction in the entire nation, breaking ground in Lower Manhattan on the tallest Holiday Inn in the world is clear evidence that this is a renaissance of the newest, biggest and best," said Gene Kaufman, founder of GKA, in a prepared statement.
Holiday Inn will join the growing hotel landscape in Lower Manhattan, said Elizabeth Berger, president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, in a statement. According to a 2011 report by the alliance, the number of hotels in Lower Manhattan has tripled since 2001, going from six to 18. The number of hotel rooms rose to 4,029 from 2,300.
Tourism continues to thrive in the district. With about 10 million visitors last year, the occupancy rate in Lower Manhattan was in the mid-80 percent range in 2011, according to the report.
"Business travelers remain a significant market element, but the growth of leisure visitors and special events shows that Lower Manhattan is a destination of choice in the region, nationally and around the world," said Berger.
The exterior of the Holiday Inn will have a low-rise, contextual base that will blend with the surrounding streetscape. It will be topped with a dramatic tower, which will offer views of the city, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates Architects is designing the facade.
The hotel will also include a full-service restaurant and bar, fitness center, meeting facilities and in-room Internet access. McSam Hotel Group is the project's developer and Gwathmey Sigel Kaufman & Associates Architect designed the facade. The hotel is slated for completion in October 2012.
-- Liz Burlingame
© COPYRIGHT 2009 FRANCE PUBLICATIONS, INC.
Wow. Just Wow.
There are no words...
...maybe this Gene Kaufman scumbag really does hate this city. I mean, there could be no other explanation for all these atrocities and this one takes the cake.
FixedThe exterior of the Holiday Inn will have a low-rise, contextual base that will blend with the surrounding streetscape. It will be topped with a dramatic tower, which will offer views of the city, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates Architects is designing the facade.
The exterior of the Holidaze end will have a streetwall killing base that is anything but contextual, visually destroying the surrounding streetscape. It will be topped with a dramatically awful tower (using the cheapest materials tha can be scavenged), distracting everyone's views of the city, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. Gwathmey Siegel Hackman & their pretend to be architects is drawing up the ugliest and cheapest design possible.
How is it that this Hack , is able to put up some of the worst visual garbage in this city, right next to some some of it's greatest...it's appalling.
So the streetwall isn't nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. This does look pretty ugly, though! I just realized I never got around to posting these from last week.... The rendering is from an unfortunately impossible angle east on Rector st.
(based on the steel here, even the area off the street might be getting glassed in.
Is 107 (or is it 108) Wash. St., the nice Georgian-style building, still standing? If so, that's great news!
I don't understand it.
Why did they have to notch the building and break the streetwall right next to a landmarked building, compromising its appearance. It's like they did it for spite.
This is one area where the LPC should have some influence. It was in the original landmarks legislation, but opposed by the real estate industry.
Thanks, Lofter. It would be a shame to raze it.
That 'set-back' entry way may have been an attempt to "showcase" or otherwise increase the visibility of that little GEM of a building next door: which is actually a good idea, and working out well, if that was in fact the intention. If the old red brick side wall is restored to be more consistent with the facade, that historic building will be the 'architectural' centerpiece of the whole block - which would be lovely.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks