A new rendering was posted for 319-321 West 38th Street, an upcoming 26-story Best Western Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architect and developed by 319 West 38th Steel, LP, the 250-foot-tall structure will span 44,200 square feet with an undisclosed number of hotel rooms and a collection of amenities. LK Design Bureau is the structural engineer and Omnibuild Construction is the general contractor for the project, which will rise from two adjoining interior plots between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.
The main rendering depicts a slender rectangular tower that closely matches the heights of the adjacent buildings. The base incorporates the brick façades and cornices of the existing four-story structures. Above, the exterior transitions to gray metallic paneling for four stories before a setback, followed by a red brick envelope surrounding square industrial-style windows. The tower culminates in a cornice and mechanical bulkhead wrapped in gray fluted paneling. Best Western signage will adorn the ground-floor frontage.
Recent photographs show the two former residential buildings gutted and braced by steel beams as crews work to restore their brick façades. Excavation and foundation work is underway behind, and the new superstructure could begin to emerge sometime this spring.
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
Photo by Michael Young
The below Google Street View image details the look of the low-rise occupants of the property before work began.
Image via Google Maps
319-321 West 38th Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for summer 2025, as noted on site.
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I love that they’re keeping the original facades. We need more of that.
As for the rest, how long did that take to design? Ten minutes? Maybe fifteen including a bathroom break.
Wow, I am actually surprised they are keeping the brick facades, they look to be in pretty rough shape, and keeping them makes the whole project much harder and more expensive. Not something I would expect to see done for a Best Western.
Thought the same. It’s definitely off brand.
Not to be negative but I wouldn’t be surprised if these propped up facades are just gone one day and they make an announcement they weren’t structurally sound.
I’d almost prefer they just recreated a very high quality historic base up to the height of that bizarre grey segment they’re planning on sticking on top of the old facades and then setback from there.,
Guesser is probably elated and popping champagne seeing photos of that brick facade being spared of demolition.
I just hope the money to restore it is cheaper than the cost to just build a whole new, and structurally safer, facade that isn’t as fragile and frail as an Egyptian mummy.
Some things really should be knocked down for the safety of the public and future occupants. New York City shouldn’t be a place prone to progress (as if those two old buildings were designed to stand forever)
NYC’s housing stock is much younger than that of many European cities. I see no reason to knock something down if it’s still functional.
It’s not negative, I think that’s totally realistic. That face looks like it got burned and is a house of cards waiting to crumble
Somebody needs to stop this man
How not to preserve historic facades. Looks ridiculous.
Where are the lot line window warriors?
I’m pleasantly surprised the old facades are being kept, although they really are in bad shape, so the outcome may be less pleasant.
They appear almost beyond repair, which begs the question why not just build from scratch a historic in appearance facade at double the height or just anything else as long as it meets the streetwall and looks good. This Gene Kaufmann is just beyond weird. How do we have asshats like this practicing in this city?
Of all buildings, these don’t need to be [preserved.
Yeah, razing the Bancroft Building but lifting heaven and earth to save these nearly irredeemable facades is high comedy.
Nobody is doing it like Gene.
of all the facades to save…
Thoughtful
Square tower and has a similar height to the adjacent building, it is the filling of this gap that it deserves to be: Thanks.
did guesser get a new job at this architect company so that he insists every original facade be kept?
Poor neighbors who lose all their windows…. Oh well..
Another horrific Gene Kaufman design. Hopefully, the next generation will recognize the insignificance of these poorly designed buildings scattered throughout midtown and destroy them.
Wow – I used to live in 321 back in the late 80s. It was a rental then and I recall the fumes from the garbage trucks wafting through the window. Glad they’re preserving the facade.
I lived in 319 3-F (in the front) from Sept. ’85 to Sept. of ’86. They didn’t renew my rental lease because they wanted to sell it. It was a beautiful 1 bedroom apartment, recently renovated. Brick on both the west and east walls, with a working fireplace on the west wall.
I don’t recall any other residential buildings on the block. We were in the garment district, so, just racks of clothes up and down the street all day. Very busy. Then deserted at night. Until about 11:00p when the garbage trucks would arrive and slam and bang for about an hour. Very NYC.
I also recall that the fire department would us W38th if they needed to go east. Of course, it was always clogged with trucks that were unloading. So, the fire trucks would just sit and blaze their horns, until people moved. I was talking on the phone to a friend in D.C. one time when the NYFD came down the block. My buddy said, “Oh my God, is that truck actually in your apartment”, because I’m sure that’s what it sounded like.
The other thing that I recall is a house. A two story house that was in the air shaft behind the two building. So, as you went out the back door to the dumpster to throw out your trash (which was behind the 321 building), right behind the 319 building was a family home. You could see a mom cooking in the kitchen and kids at the dinner table. I wish I’d had the nerve to knock and ask about it. I always wondered about who lived there and why they made that choice. It was pretty dark back there. The only direct sunlight was summer, mid-day. Fascinating.
I’m sad to see it gone but grateful that the facade is there, at least.