A new rendering has been revealed for the hotel-to-residential conversion of 440 West 57th Street, a two-building complex in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Designed by Isaac & Stern Architects and developed by Isaac Hera of Yellowstone, the project will involve a full re-cladding of the structures and will transform their 600 guest rooms into 316 condominium units. The development consists of a 17-story, 184-foot-tall tower along West 57th Street and an 11-story annex with frontage on West 56th Street, and originally opened in 1963 as a Holiday Inn. The property last operated as the Watson Hotel and is located between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.
The rendering shows the main West 57th Street structure’s façade replaced with a symmetrical fenestration of floor-to-ceiling windows framed by sculpted stone panels in columns topped with arches. The ground floor will feature double-width arched openings surrounding a glass-clad lobby and porte-cochère at its western end. The final two stories are set back from the street and will feature a continuous stretch of glass with dark mullions. A landscaped terrace is visible atop the roof, and the building culminates in a bulkhead that will be re-clad in marble paneling.
The following photos show the current appearance of the main tower along West 57th Street.
440 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
440 West 57th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
Amenities will include an entertainment lounge, gaming room, pet playroom, fitness center, an indoor swimming pool. The hotel’s existing outdoor pool and roof terrace will also be refurbished.
Yellowstone purchased the leasehold interest and existing mortgage for The Watson Hotel from HSBC for $175 million in 2021, and recently acquired a $326 million construction loan for the project. The hotel had closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and its previous owners, Richard Born and Ira Drukier of BD Hotels, defaulted on their debt in 2020. The property subsequently operated as a temporary migrant shelter.
Reuveni Development Marketing will handle pre-development advisory sales and marketing for the property. The nearest subways from the property are the A, B, C, D, and 1 trains at the 59th Street–Columbus Circle station to the east.
A construction timeline for 440 West 57th Street’s transformation has yet to be announced.
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Strangely, the old facade seems more “residential” and the new one more “hotel.” This should be a big improvement.
The new rendering looks worse than the original. Why change it?
Unless you are from Norilsk, there’s no way in hell the old and current facade looks better than the planned recladding. That grimy midcentury crap is such an uninviting and uninspiring eyesore over the surrounding neighborhood.
Agree 100%!
I don’t see how the old existing design looks better than the overhaul in the rendering. Who wouldn’t want bigger windows, new interiors, and a much needed makeover after several faces of wear and tear?
The old facade had some distinctive texture, which could have been improved, with chnage of fenestration, maybe some balconies or whatever without adding this fake “I am SoHo” pretens
सोऽहम् सोहो …
Wow… Beautiful project!
Fun fact, Robert Redford’s character, Joe Turner (aka The Condor), tapped the lines of this hotel in the spy thriller, “Three Days of the Condor.”
Great film also he got four from 82nd and Lexington .
Four what?
Agree, great movie and I love that NYC plays a big role.
Big improvement.
This will really spruce up the look of the street and make it more appealing!
this looks like such a huge upgrade! really changes the whole presence of the building and the entire look of that street.
I know ‘technically’ it might be, but W. 57th street just doesn’t feel like Hell’s Kitchen..
You’re not wrong, but if any block of West 57th Street feels like Hell’s Kitchen, it’s that one.
This is a great relief to the neighborhood. The past few years were traumatic for all of us who live on the block. The scaffolding has been up for years, hundreds of bikes and scooters occluded the sidewalks and street, children ran amok, and the overpowering smell of pot not to mention open drug selling and using were daily occurrences. The pocket park on the corner of 57th and 9th was ominous day and evening. While the City has obligations that are understandable the wholesale abandonment by the CIty of basic rules of order at the Watson was a dire situation.
That is no excuse for the area to be in disarray or unsafe. Even with the sidewalk scaffold -brighter LED lights, Building manager to wash and clean the sidewalks, call 311-NYC Traffic to take away the bikes and scooters. No one should live like that.
The city is not obligated to spend billions upon billions to house out of towners, who then have zero respect for the community and zero income. Sorry, that was never the intent.
The appearance from the street aside, a reason to reclad is the windows and light for each apartment will be vastly improved.
Definitely a vast improvement that adds more housing with a much better design that still has a mid-century look.
Converting old hotels to housing will become the new trend as NY will soon lose about half of its tourist income due to you know who.
One condo per two hotel rooms. All small 1-bedroom units?
Sure looks that way, but that seems the only way to make this pencil out. My greater concern is the building’s provenance as a speculative mid-century hotel. Unless the project is a total (and I mean total) gut renovation, the end product may be questionable. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
I used to go to the NY Pulp and Paperback show here. Many happy memories of meeting good people, buying old magazines and paperbacks, etc.