External work is complete at 215 Pearl Street, a 38-story hotel in the Financial District. Gene Kaufman Architect, which took over from Nobutaka Ashihara Architects, is the architect of record and designing interiors as well. Lam Group is developing with The Rinaldi Group as the construction manager, the 165,655-square-foot structure will house a Courtyard by Marriott and a Residence Inn by Marriott with a total of 320 guest rooms.
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street has been in the works for a number of years and had endured stretches of delays in its construction. Our very first story came out nearly eight years ago when plans were first announced, though it wasn’t until the summer of 2016 that the reinforced concrete superstructure finally began to rise above grade. The superstructure topped out in the latter half of 2018 as exterior work progressed under a layer of black netting and scaffolding, but the final look of the façade wasn’t revealed for some time.
The hotel, with its large flat walls facing Pearl Street and the subtly angled cantilevering extrusion on the upper northeastern corner, certainly looks better in actuality than in the renderings. This is in large part to the dark exterior walls above the glass podium, which give the structure a much more toned-down and neutral presence than the white and earth-toned appearance as formerly planned. The final product blends better with the nearby structures, which are almost all enclosed in more traditional façades of glass, steel, and immaculate stone masonry.
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street. Photo by Michael Young
215 Pearl Street among the Financial District. Photo by Michael Young
The Marriott Residence Inn will offer a mix of studios and loft-style terrace suites fitted with kitchenettes. Amenities for future guests include a 24-hour fitness center with an attached terrace, a restaurant and bar, a communal lounge, and meeting rooms.
A finalized completion and opening date for 215 Pearl Street has not been announced, though we could expect that milestone imminently.
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I didn’t know Marriot had gotten into the privatized jail business.
No one can save a project spawned by Gene Kaufman.
Exactly what I was thinking… only thing missing are bars on the windows and a rooftop caged space for monitored “weightlifting”! ?
Blight, pure and simple. Maybe, in addition to criticizing the architects of these eyesores, we also bring attention to the biggest culprits: the developers that suck profits out of neighborhoods they actively undermine through cheap, ugly developments. Does CEO John Lam and the Lam family feel any sense of shame or embarrassment that their name is connected to this monstrosity?
I am piling on. This is a monstrosity. The city should not permit these limited-service hotels to be built unless they meet some sort of minimum architectural standard. This is clearly below that. It just drains that area of any joy.
I could have waited longer.
Ahh, what is this piece of crap? Seriously, I’m getting extremely fed up with all of these garbage Gene Kaufman hotels. Someone please get this lunatic out of the City and immediately do something about his eyesores, such as this one.
I’m 72 and a retired NY trial lawyer who spent 30+ years in NY Sup and the SDNY in Foley Square trying cases. I grew up in Bayside where one of my school trips in 1958 was to the brand new Seagram’s building. I think this addition to the architecture of the City is wonderful because it will be studied by architecture students and anyone with an interest in urban design of WHAT NOT TO DO. Words in the English language escape me. Even in Yiddish, the word “Drek” doesn’t do it justice.
I think the best thing that can be said is that, based on the angles of the photos here, at least it will be hard to see from a distance. I guess we can hope that the facade is defective and it spends its existence covered in netting and scaffolds.
The site should run a contest for the best Gene Kaufman jokes.
Maximum security?
No need to build the debated Rikers Island replacement facility in lower Manhattan – Just book ’em a room in this Marriott Courtyard.
Wow… the other commenters here covered it… yuck. Designed by a 2nd grader?
just what the city needs, another tacky marriott , arent there enough second class hotels in town……