In another victory for nightlife-hating neighbors, Hotel Le Bleu—the pricey Park Slope boutique hotel that tries to make gritty Fourth Avenue glow—shuttered its controversial rooftop lounge Vue this week. Soon after opening, Vue morphed into a bass-pumping nightclub that got locals, particularly those at the newish Novo Park Slope condo building, all riled up, and the complaints started working their way up the ladder. In the end, even the hotel's owners were squabbling with the club's operators, which might have done in the place more so than any neighborhood gripes. Vue is being replaced with an Italian restaurant, and one Novo resident tells the Brooklyn Paper, "All of us who worked so hard to bring this annoyance to the attention of authorities should go have a party at that restaurant." Sure, just remember to keep it down up there!
· A better 'Vue' is coming to the roof of Hotel LeBleu [BK Paper]
· Hotel Le Bleu coverage [Curbed]
In a particularly scoop-filled Between the Bricks column (Vornado to buy landmarked 510 Fifth! Urban Outfitters backed out of a deal for the UWS's Metro Theater!), the Post's Lois Weiss dishes on Extell's purchase of the Helmsley Carlton House at 680 Madison Avenue. According to a source, the developer does indeed want to turn the 16-story hotel into a residential building, and a co-op conversion might be the easiest route because the building is on a land lease (albeit one with 150 years left). In the meantime, the retail space is in for a makeover. New storefront action will be created by moving the hotel lobby and combining space on the second floor and lower level into the retail fold—all subject to Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. World's fanciest Duane Reade, perhaps?
· Vornado Wants 510 Fifth [NYP]
· Developer Buys Helmsley Gem [Curbed]
LES—After a year on the market, 217 East Houston Street—the five-story walk-up building that houses famed concert venue the Mercury Lounge on its ground floor—has been been sold, according to Massey Knakal brokers Philip Huang and Michael DeCheser. The amount paid was $5.275 million (the original ask was $6.5 million), and a local investor snapped it up. Don't worry, indie rock fans, the Merc is safe for a while. [CurbedWire Staff]
GRAMURRAY—When will Park Avenue South game-changer the Gansevoort Park hotel open? "Summer 2010," according to a not-very-specific press release from ownership (rooms will start at $495 per night). What are 29th Street neighbors looking forward to more, the light show or the tri-level rooftop pool/lounge? [CurbedWire Inbox]
GREENWICH VILLAGE—Park-loving dogs just can't seem to catch a break. First it was the Inwood Hill Park goldendoodle getting nailed by cops, and now a Washington Square Park four-legged friend got busted for leaving a present in the park. And here's a tipster's gripe: The park is already a shithole! Rant ahead...
As anyone who frequents Washington Square Park in the mornings knows, the park is quite often strewn with garbage. There are not nearly enough trash cans and trash is not picked up at the end of the day, only the following morning. This morning (3/7), the park was covered in garbage as trash cans overflowed and visitors attracted by the beautiful weather yesterday had nowhere to dump their trash. Yet with the garbage all over, I passed an officer giving a ticket to a young woman whose puppy had pooped for a second time but who had unfortunately only brought one bag to clean up after her dog. The ticket was for $250.
Dog owners need to be responsible but accidents happen. In the context of how filthy the park was this morning, there was absolutely no reason for the young woman to be ticketed. At the very least, the city needs to put more trash cans in the park and add a second trash pickup late in the day. After all the money that will be spent to renovate the park, the fact that is quite often covered in trash is just pathetic.
COBBLE HILL—Decrepit Kane Street eyesore the Rat-Squirrel House (our 10th most frightening building in NYC!) has been infested, squatted and raided over the years, and now it's getting ... repaired?. A tipster sends along a photo of 149 Kane Street with some fresh scaffolding and netting that went up this week. A permit was granted in February for some remedial repairs, and there's still a hardcore vacate order on the building. [CurbedWire Inbox]
SOHO—It's been an open secret that the Trump Soho hotel is finally opening on April 9, and now word has come from the hotel itself via a tweet at a bride spending her honeymoon in the hotel. Trump Soho, where dreams are made! [Twitter/@TrumpSoho]
We got a hint earlier this week that the hotel portion of the Related Companies' mixed-use hotel/rental tower at 440 West 42nd Street would be a Yotel, the first U.S. installment of the European pod hotel chain. The 669-room hotel does, indeed, appear to be happening as rumored. A tipster sends in the above shot with a note: "Looks like the Yotel design you posted for 440 W 42nd is accurate—the nauseating, foamy-looking hexagons have started going up. I can already envision that Yotel neon sign blaring 24 hours and doing to me what Kenny Roger's Roasters did to Kramer." The 170-square-foot rooms behind the foamy hexagons are supposed to be $200-$250 per night. And may be some of the few places in the neighborhood where those hexagons aren't visible, in which case, interesting marketing strategy! After the jump, a reminder of what the building has in mind.
One big piece of Harlem's hot development corridor of Frederick Douglass Boulevard is the new Aloft hotel opening this summer at 124th Street. A check of the brand's website shows that the opening of the 12-story building—which wraps around an old carriage house—has been pushed back from June 1 to July 1, but looking at Harlem Bespoke's construction shots of the barely-glassed building, we're thinking July might be a stretch. Harlem Bespoke also speculates that the Aloft might be the Central Harlem mystery location where celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson is planning his latest restaurant, Red Rooster. If memory serves us correctly, the 124-room hotel was supposed to have 44 apartments as well. Any word on the whereabouts of those?
· Aloft Races to Finish by July 2010 [Harlem Bespoke]
· Aloft Harlem [Starwood Hotels]
· Harlem's Aloft Hotel Revealed..Again! [Curbed]
The pieces keep getting added to the Related Companies' 60-story mixed-use tower now under construction at 42nd Street and Tenth Avenue, even if the developer is still playing coy about the building's final look. Already the future home of the Signature Theatre Company and its Frank Gehry-designed spaces, the hotel/rental tower is now filling in the blanks on the hotel part. The building will house a 669-room Yotel, the first U.S. property from the company that operates pod hotels near several European airports. Rooms will be a snug 170 square feet and cost between $200-$250 per night. The Rockwell Group and London's Softroom will design the Yotel New York, and a 2011 opening is expected. HotelChatter is all in a tizzy over the planned restaurant, spa, lounge and the "largest outdoor terrace space for an NYC hotel," and they also scored a rendering that features a heck of a lot of detail on the nearby Zebra Building, but still doesn't show much of the tower itself. The other Yotels look pretty crazy, but will Hell's Kitchen's Yotel be more happening than its gaytel?
· Yotel To Open Legit, Full-Service Hotel in Times Square in 2011 [HotelChatter]
· 440 West 42nd Street coverage [Curbed]
CHELSEA—The Eventi, the 292-room hotel portion of the new 54-story tower at Sixth Avenue and 29th Street, has an opening date, a website, a Facebook page and now—tada!—interior renderings! There's a couple of bigger bathroom renderings and updated facade shots on the hotel's Facebook page. [CurbedWire Inbox]
SOMEWHERE IN MANHATTAN—Jonathan Miller asked us if we'd seen the two feet of snow in Manhattan. Duh, JMillz, we have windows! But he didn't meant those two feet of snow...
So there's this big empty lot that's been empty for a few years up at 5-15 West 125th Street in Harlem, between Lenox Avenue and Fifth Avenue. Harlem Bespoke thinks that the property was being targeted for a 252-room luxury inn called the Uptown Grand Hotel, before the economy sunk it (and besides, the Aloft is coming this summer). Those plans seem to have been replaced with a cheaper Hilton Garden Inn totaling 144 units, but we're also intrigued by the mysterious third candidate: An office building rendering from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects that was proposed at one time. If the eyesore does end up going hotel (or sitting empty for years), no sweat, just toss the idea onto the Harlem Park heap. Check out the architect's website for a little shot of the 126th Street elevation, "kept low to fit with adjacent brownstones."
· Inn or Office on West 125th? [Harlem Bespoke]
It's been a long and rocky road for the three-story former homeless shelter and budget hotel at 510 West 42nd Street, and that includes the stones that were yanked off the building's kitschy facade late last year. Those sudden renovations, as well as the involvement of some big names, stirred our interest in the vacant dumpy building, and the Postlater confirmed an ownership change and a new lease on life for the ex-Travelodge. Today the Daily News reports that the property will stay a hotel following a $20 million renovation by Parkview Developers, but here's the twist: The name will be The Out NYC, and it's going to be the city's first gay boutique hotel.
So what makes a hotel "gay?" Well, besides the location within an on-the-rise gayborhood, we're not quite sure. Oh, but there is this:
One of the keys to the hotel's success may be the planned 10,000-square-foot, 750-patron dance club. Reiser and Weiderpass are working with gay nightlife king John Blair, who holds the cabaret license for the old xl nightclub that closed several years ago on W.16thSt. in Chelsea, the Gay City News reported.
A big gay dance club inside the hotel? This ain't your momma's Midtown crash pad! The 123-room hotel will also have a spa, restaurant, café and shops, and Community Board 4 will vote on the project in two weeks. Closing another loop, The Out NYC appears to be the Spanish-backed Hell's Kitchen gay hotel that Gawker passed along word of last month. Maybe the bears will ditch Balazs for good and bring their honey jars uptown? Yeesh, what a dirty mind you have! We meant disposable income.
· Hell's Kitchen to become home of city's first gay boutique hotel, complete with major dance club [NYDN]
· 510 West 42nd Street coverage [Curbed]
CONEY ISLAND—Coming hot on the heels of the city's official unveiling of Luna Park, the temporary amusement park that will occupy the former Astroland spot in Coney Island, the EDC has posted early renderings of the park entrance and some of the 19 rides. The whimsical designs won't come as a surprise to those of us who have been supplied with countless crazy Coney renderings in recent years, but to everyone else, "WTF?" might be the popular reaction. [EDC]
CHELSEA—According to a press release, Eventi, the hotel portion of the eye-catching new 54-story tower at Sixth Avenue and 29th Street, is now taking reservations via its website for stays arriving June 1. The 292-room hotel is managed by Kimpton Hotels, and will feature a Blade Runner-inspired high-end food court of awesomeness. [CurbedWire Inbox]
SOHO—A tipster hooked us up with a fresh photo of Soho's new Mondrian Hotel, which is now pretty heavily glassed. The luxury boutique hotel at 150 Lafayette was supposed to be open this summer, but that's been pushed back to fall. The glass doesn't look very crazy in the progress shot, but check out how it looks up close. Fritmania! [CurbedWire Inbox]
UPPER EAST SIDE—One could say the chips were stacked against 255 East 75th street, the new 30-story, 76-unit "super luxury" condo building. Sales began in November '08, not a happy time for the real estate market. And the tower, designed by Hugh Hardy's H3 and SLCE, was the subject of one of the most legendary archicritic rants in recent history. But despite all this, building reps inform us the development is now more than 90% sold. Among the units still on the market is a three-bedroom penthouse asking $12.75 million or, brace, $3,935 per square foot. [CurbedWire Inbox]
The neighbors have been having fun hatingThe Nolitan, the new Kenmare Street hotel from Grzywinski + Pons, calling it overbuilt. The DOB agreed, ruling that the hotel tried to cram in an extra "mezzanine" floor and issuing a stop work order. But despite the controversy surrounding the hotel's size, the owners are confident it'll open this spring. They gave the folks at Hotel Chatter a tentative opening date of May. They also tell Hotel Chatter they hope to avoid "neighborhood-alienation." Good luck with that!
Hotel Chatter also nabs a view from The Nolitan's roof:
As Andy Warhol once said, in the future every hotel will be famous for 15-minute rotating light shows. The latest is the Sohotel at Bowery and Broome, which has been making big promises about its renovation and LED-lit facade forever. Mission accomplished! On a scale of crazy this falls wall below Hotel Hell and the upcoming Gansevoort Park, but a nice effort nonetheless.
· CurbedWire: Sohotel Renovation Almost Done [Curbed]
· The Sohotel [Official Site]
The neighbors were right: New boutique hotel The Nolitan at the corner of Kenmare and Elizabeth Streets is too tall, the DOB has ruled. The zoning limits building heights to 8 floors (85 feet), but the Grzywinski+Pons-designed hotel pulled a Scarano and tried to pass off an extra level as a "mezzanine." The hotel has been wracking up complaints, causing the DOB to issue a stop work order and audit the sucker. The owners can appeal to the developer-friendly Board of Standards & Appeals, which in theory could force them to tear down the offending parts. [Downtown Express; previously]
The gang from the Great Jones Hotel was outnumbered by upset Noho neighbors at the Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday, where a public hearing was held to discuss the fate of the proposed facelift for this rising finger of hospitality. To start things off, architect Henry Smith-Miller presented a batch of renderings and photos, with the added bonus of a detailed model of the plan, all decked out with the signature and controversial etched metal scrim. The model also displayed a representation of the stylized bamboo barrier and, out behind the hotel on Bond Street, an undulating fence meant to keep party-goers under control. But the natives were having none of it, and came armed with petitions signed by dozens of residents of both Great Jones and Bond Streets.
Most of the naysayers were up in arms about the hotel in general. They were reminded that the hotel's hulking sliver of concrete, albeit ugly, was built as-of-right, and that its operation is allowable under zoning regulations. None of which is up for discussion or consideration with the folks at Landmarks (take it up with City Planning, if you will), but that didn't stop them. They also hate the way the hotel winks and nods at the acclaimed architectural beauties on Bond Street, and how it disregards its older neo-classical neighbors. In retort an offer was put forth: If they want to pull together the money then they could buy the building and tear it down. There were no takers.
The LPC, while acknowledging that this stack of cinderblocks is a big problem both aesthetically and historically (the hotel started to rise before the Noho Historic District was extended to this block), were more appreciative of Smith-Miller's decorative efforts, noting that the proposed materials were of high cost and quality. It was noted (without mentioning any specific projects) that so many other hotels in this set-back sliver style, which are cropping up all over town, end up looking far less artful than what Smith-Miller was showing. One member, however, wasn't so sure about the Bond Street fence, remarking that it reminded him of "that jungle village in King Kong, where they built the big wall to keep him out." People on both sides had varying opinions on the bamboo curtain. Like so much else here, some liked it while others hated it. After a good hour of back and forth, the hearing was closed. No vote was taken and the LPC's decision on the decorative merits of 25 Great Jones was put off until a later date.
· 25 Great Jones Street coverage [Curbed]
Now that the Village's Equinox gym has removed its offending ads, where will the next great advertecture battle be fought? Glad you asked! It's looking like the Gem Hotel at 300 West 22nd Street, where a tipster passes along this update:
The Gem Hotel, at 22nd and 8th, has a retail space on ground level that they haven't been able to rent. Over the weekend, they plastered the windows of the retail space with these garish ads for a Ru Paul show on the Logo channel. This morning, I noticed that someone had posted handbills. This is totally inappropriate for a residential neighborhood. I hope it goes away soon.
Yes, one could say this Gem is truly outrageous. Truly truly truly outrageous. Part of the Equinox hubbub was the building's location in a protected historic district, which we don't think is the case here. DOB will decide, but based on the shots fired so far, we're hoping this sticks around a while. The "please remove this abomination IMMEDIATELY this is not Times Square" had us at hello, but this 311 complaint might be even better.
UPPER WEST SIDE—Our friend the union rat has moved on to some fancy digs: the one, the only, the Apthorp! There the big guy is, hanging out in front of the controversy magnet's lovely gates. After the way he was treated in Soho, is it any wonder he headed uptown? [CurbedWire Inbox]
HUDSON SQUARE—More proof that the Viceroy Hotel at 330 Hudson Street, the neighborhood-gamechanger put on ice last April, is nowhere near thawing. In a press release announcing the acquisition of the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills (to be renamed Viceroy Beverly Hills), the Viceroy Hotel Group listed a bunch of current and future properties, including a Viceroy Abu Dhabi debuting in 2012. Guess which Viceroy went unmentioned? Writes a tipster: "The crane remains on the site, but is still and unused. They were isssued a Stop Work Order in December (now resolved), but there's been no action around the site for months." [CurbedWire Inbox]
For too long the only hotel option (legal hotel, that is) in Williamsburg has been the BQE-neighboring Hotel Le Jolie, but Brownstoner reports there's progress at 160 North 12th Street, a new seven-story hotel in a row of three buildings designed by blahchitect Gene Kaufman. The other Kaufmanites will be residential. Hotels should do pretty brisk business in the 'Burg just off visiting parents, given all the residents that are too young to have completely disappointed them yet. [Brownstoner]
In another victory for nightlife-hating neighbors, Hotel Le Bleu—the pricey Park Slope boutique hotel that tries to make gritty Fourth Avenue glow—
In a particularly scoop-filled 
LES—After a year on the market, 217 East Houston Street—the five-story walk-up building that houses famed concert venue the Mercury Lounge on its ground floor—has been been sold, according to Massey Knakal brokers Philip Huang and Michael DeCheser. The amount paid was $5.275 million (the original ask was $6.5 million), and a local investor snapped it up. Don't worry, indie rock fans, the Merc is 
COBBLE HILL—Decrepit Kane Street eyesore the Rat-Squirrel House (our 
So there's this big empty lot that's been empty for a few years up at 5-15 West 125th Street in Harlem, between Lenox Avenue and Fifth Avenue. 
