Work has begun on a 522-key hotel designed by Gene Kaufman Architect (GKA)at 140 West 28th Street in Chelsea. The 146,000-square-foot hotel is being developed by Sam Chang’s McSam Hotel Group, GKA’s frequent client.
At 45 stories, the hotel is one of the tallest buildings in Chelsea, an opportunity made possible by the air rights that came with the property. An arcade in front of the hotel is another unique feature.
The hotel boosts to 1,000 the total number of rooms in the now four GKA-designed hotels onWest 28th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. With 522 rooms, it has more rooms than the previous three GKA hotels combined — the Cambria Suites at 123, which opened in 2015; the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites at 116, which opened in 2010; and the Hilton Garden Inn at 121, which opened in 2007.
The hotel’s façade is a mix of brick and metal, with the materials changing ever so slightly every two floors in response to the high visibility.
Said GKA founder and principal Gene Kaufman: “The demand for hotel rooms in Chelsea continues to grow, with ever larger and ever-taller hotels being constructed to accommodate the number of tourists wishing to stay in this vibrant neighborhood. With its variety of restaurants, shops and easy access to other parts of Manhattan, Chelsea seems to show no sign of losing its attraction for visitors.”
The new hotel will have approximately 2,300 square feet of restaurant and lounge space as well as office and fitness centers.
Chelsea is one of the many neighborhoods transformed by hotels designed by GKA, which has often been ahead of the curve in designing hotels that helped to make previously untapped neighborhoods into tourist destinations. In 2003, the first two hotels the firm ever designed, a Hampton Inn for Hilton and a Four Points by Sheraton for Starwood, opened in the one-time industrial area, which has since become one of New York City’s destination neighborhoods.
The middle-market guests who began patronizing these hotels, and the ones that followed in the years before the High Line opened in 2009, were drawn not only by the modest prices. They were also attracted by the assurance of quality that comes with brand names like Choice, IHG, Hilton, Marriott and Starwood.
The hotel will be located in the heart of the emerging “Silicon Alley,” close to hundreds of Chelsea art galleries, and a variety of tourist attractions, including the Empire State Building, Times Square, Bryant Park, Chelsea Market, and the High Line.
Gene Kaufman Architect (GKA) has a well-earned reputation in the real estate and private development arenas for high-caliber, high-impact designs that are innovative and highly efficient. For nearly 30 years, Principal Gene Kaufman and his team have cultivated strong, collaborative relationships with some of New York City’s most active developers, helping them to realize substantial bottom-line results through thoughtful design. Known as a hospitality designer par excellence, the firm also has a significant portfolio of commercial, educational and institutional commissions; residential projects; and urban developments, notably multi-family residences and adaptive-reuse projects. GKA’s special expertise in the niche areas of zoning, land-use changes, variances, urban planning and historic restoration is a critical resource for clients. In 2011, GKA joined forces with Gwathmey Siegel + Associates, the architecture practice of the celebrated modernists Charles Gwathmey, who died in 2009, and Robert Siegel. The resulting firm, Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates Architects (GSKA), works collaboratively with GKA to provide clients with the full spectrum of architectural services. For more information, visit www.gkapc.com.
