The hotel coming to 237 West 54th Street will be a Hilton, according to a new sign on the construction fence. Foundation work is happening now, and Joseph Moinian is a "minority, noncontrolling member" of the joint venture that owns the land. So far, neither neighbors nor the DOB have been too excited about the project, said to have Gene Kaufman on board to design—the DOB approved only a 27-story building, instead of the 34-story one Moinian wanted. [NYP; previously]
Checking In
What the Newest Moinian Midtown Hotel Will Look Like
The neighbors were already strong opposed to developer Joseph Moinian's plan for a hotel at 237 West 54th Street. They probably won't be any less strongly opposed now that they know what the hotel will look like. DNAinfo snapped an image of the rendering, shown at right, during a Community Board 5 subcommittee meeting last week: "a building set back from the curb, narrowing as it rises, and constructed of a material resembling brown brick."
The architect behind the choice of that brick-like material was reported to be Gene Kaufman, and Moinian would really like him to create a 34-story building. Unfortunately, the Department of Buildings has so far only approved a 27-story one. With a 67-story Marriott already coming to the corner of Broadway and 54th Street, everyone from neighbors to the DOB might be hard to persuade on this one.
· Developer Unveils West 54th Street Hotel Renderings [DNAinfo]
· 237 West 54th Street coverage [Curbed]
Neighbor Beefs
Gene Kaufman: dude's everywhere today. In addition to planning a revamp of the Hotel Chelsea, he's causing some trouble on West 54th Street, along with Joseph Moinian. The neighbors are none too pleased with the Moinian-Kaufman plan for 237 West 54th Street, which is being demolished to build a 34-story hotel in a process that "feels like earthquakes and bombs going off next door." Neighbors are also concerned that a demolition accident would force them out of their building, opening up the opportunity for Moinian to sell both properties together. Paranoia, or have the neighbors picked up on a devious Moinian plan? [NYP]
34-Story Gene Kaufman-Designed Hotel Coming to Midtown?
Post columnist Steve Cuozzo has some fresh intel today on 237 West 54th Street, the vacant five-story building that developer Joseph Moinian had designs on for a hotel. Having a lot on his plate, much of it involving foreclosure, hasn't stopped Moinian from going ahead with those plans. Cuozzo reports the developer has filed plans with the Department of Buildings for a 34-story hotel with a ground-floor restaurant. The architect on the permits? The one and only Gene Kaufman.
But Moinian's representatives say the five-story building currently on the site isn't being demolished, which raises one other possibility: developer mindgames. Going up next door is a 67-floor Marriott Hotel, which would lose some views if Moinian's plan went ahead. So perhaps there's some larger scheming going on. Stay tuned.
· Moinian living on the edge [NYP]
· New Midtown Hotel Can't Ease Our Planet Hollywood Pain [Curbed]
New Midtown Hotel Can't Ease Our Planet Hollywood Pain
Steve Cuozzo dropped some bombshell revelations in his Post column today, including Planet Hollywood pulling up the stakes on its Times Square location (we'll just have to point tour groups to Red Lobster now). The Cuozz also provides a little hope for a forlorn square block of Midtown that knows the pain of the credit crunch all too well. That big glassy skyscraper at 250 West 55th Street still isn't happening, but at 237 West 54th Street, developer Joseph Moinian is looking for partners to turn a vacant five-story building he owns into a 400-room boutique hotel. We hate to see a nice arched facade wind up as rubble, but David Letterman could always use a new place near the office to bring his mistresses.
· Moinian eyes hotel partner [NYP]
Photo via PropertyShark
