First Look at the Bowery’s ‘Faux-Hostel’ Ace Hotel
Construction and engineering mega-firm HAKS brings the first full look at the Lower East Side’s Ace Hotel, slated to open next year at 225 Bowery. The ten-story building was formerly the 101-year home of the Salvation Army Chinatown Shelter, which provided rooms, meals, and services to the city’s homeless population until it shuttered in 2014. The 62,000-square-foot building was purchased for $30 million through a joint venture between the Omnia Group and North Wind Development Group. Building alteration permits were filed by Nataliya Donskoy of ND Architecture and approved that same year, and the historic structure is undergoing a complete gut-renovation and will be topped by a four-story rooftop addition.
The current site
In all, the Ace will house a 130-seat restaurant, fitness center, an 11th floor rooftop cocktail lounge, and roughly 200 guestrooms, fewer than the international boutique chain’s Nomad location, which is currently the brand’s only other in the city. Blogger Bowery Boogie reported that the full-service hotel will be a “distilled service venture” and will provide a “faux-hostel vibe.”
With a dearth of buildable/available land in the city, developers are more frequently squeezing new construction into tighter spots or piling on available floor area atop structures that may capture valuable views. The Ace’s 50-foot rooftop addition will be gained by removing a narrow three-story walk-up building to its south. According to HAKS, the architects of record, “a courtyard oasis will be created at the ground floor enabling entry to the hotel and restaurant from the Bowery. At the rear of the building, the hotel lobby can also be entered from Freeman Alley.”
Image courtesy of TJ/CityRealty
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Renderings via HAKS
