L to R: 44 West 37th, Embassy Suites Hotel, 11 West 37th, and 6 West 37th Street
Over the past decade, the commercial blocks of Midtown West between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and from 34th and 40th Streets have been infilled by mid-size hotels chains. International flags such as Hilton, Marriott, and Sheraton have planted roots in the area which sits in the shadow of the Empire State Building and within walking distance of Bryant Park and Times Square. In the latest wave of new lodgings coming to Midtown, a West 37th Street block stands out as having more than a healthy sum of new projects. Here, three new hotels and an office building are simultaneously rising. Like other blocks in the area, the new hotels will likely add more vibrancy and activity to this stalwart area of Manhattan.
Embassy Suites by Hilton (Rendering by Peter Poon Architects)
The largest and farthest along development is a 310-suite Embassy Suites by Hilton hotel slated to open early next year. Rising 40 stories from a through-block site at 60 West 37th Street, the building is being co-developed by Hidrock Properties and The Buccini/Pollin Group who purchased the former garage-holding site for $28.5M in 2013. Though quite tall for a hotel, the building’s design by Peter Poon Architects is rather unexceptional. The 37th Street frontage is setback from the street and covered in a dark and drab metal and glass curtain wall. The entryway is quite open and airy, however.
Amenities will include a lobby bar, third-floor café with a roof deck and a 3-level parking garage. As in all Embassy Suites, guest will have access to free made-to-order breakfast each morning, a complimentary two-hour evening reception with drinks and snacks, and suites with a separate living area, formal sleeping area, and a bar fitted with a microwave and refrigerator.
(CityRealty)
(CityRealty)
In the middle of the block at 44 West 37th Street, the Sioni Group has begun construction on a 15-story office building drawn up by Newman Design Group. Though the proposed design is not as eclectic as an earlier released one, the building upholds the streetwall since large floorplates are ideal for office tenants. The building will encompass close to 39,000 square feet of office and retail space and sources told The Real Deal that the firm expects to attract tech companies, showrooms, and a restaurant for the ground floor. Foundation work is ongoing.
44 West 37th Street (Newman Design Group)
Further east on the block at 11 West 37th Street, Meng Hua Wang of HKONY West 37 LLC is building an 18-story Howard Johnson hotel with 68 guestrooms and a restaurant. Construction of the building designed by Michael Kang Architect is now more than halfway up and the slender structure will be enveloped by an energetic façade of alternating frames. However, the pervasive setback from the streetwall that afflicts many new hotels rising in the area detracts from the design.
11 West 37th Street
Construction progress at 11 West 37th Street as mid-October (CityRealty)
Near the corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street, foundations are being laid for a ground-up 22-story inn tentatively named The Draper. Judging from the rendering posted at the site, the tower will sport a no-frills glass exterior designed by Japanese-born architect Nobutaka Ashihara. There will bring 120 rooms, a top-floor lounge and front-and-center views of the Empire State Building. Per The Real Deal, the Dallas-based State Bank of Texas acquired a pre-existing pair of six-story commercial buildings at the site in 2014.
These latest projects will join a trio of unattractive-looking Marriot hotels on the block: a Vacation Club Pulse, a Springhill Suites, and a Fairfield Suites. The buildings were designed by the aesthetically-challenged architect Gene Kaufman and incongruously setback from the block’s streetwall and are clad in a thin skin of metal and glass. These latest projects are slightly less offensive.
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