Back in 2015, The Real Deal reported that the Hakimian Organization with Gorjian Real Estate Group were finalizing a deal to develop a 24-story, 246-key hotel project at 250 West 49th Street in Midtown's Theater District. After acquiring 16,000 square feet of air rights from the landmarked Helen Hayes Theatre, permits were filed in 2016 to build a 279-foot-tall hotel tower designed by Nobutaka Ashihara Architects. As demand for new office space has grown in Manhattan and as the hotel arena has grown more competitive, revised permits show the developers have rethought the project as an office tower and have brought Morris Adjmi Architects onboard.
The revised permits show the team still plan to incorporate the existing 8-story office building at the site into the development. The tower is now planned to rise 19 floors instead of 24, due to the larger floorplates preferred by office tenants. Due to higher ceiling heights, that will reach 16 feet according to the developers, the office tower will still stand taller than the hotel proposal and stretch 296 feet tall to its highest floor. Gorjian's page on the project explains the Class-A tower will have 150,000 square feet of prime workable space with rooftop accessibility among other amenities. The floor schedule shows there will be a fitness center, conference and wellness room in the cellar, retail along the ground floor, and office space above. Several of the office floors will have an accessory terrace.
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