Surrounded by historical neighbors such as the New York Public Library, the hotel and residential tower stands at the south west corner of Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, where it blends in with the buildings alternating in height along 40th Street.
The 33-story skyscraper follows the classic tripartite composition of the New York tower: base, middle section, and crown. The three separate sections contain stores at street level, a hotel all the way up to the 13th floor, and private apartments on the upper levels. The base occupies the full width of the site and accommodates a double-height ground floor as well as the first four levels of the hotel. Above this, an increased floor-to-ceiling height together with a decreased footprint mark the start of the middle section. A lounge and the hotel bar are located on this floor, as is an outdoor terrace that is accessible to both hotel guests and residents of the apartments. Above the uniform residential floors, two penthouses with double-height spaces define the crown.
The façade follows a strict grid of polished precast concrete slabs and columns. This distinguishes the tower from New York’s new buildings with glass façades and simultaneously lends it a classical appearance. The concrete mix contains different aggregates such as marble and sandstone chips in various colors corresponding to the stone varieties used for the masonry façades of buildings in the immediate vicinity. Adhering to the requirements of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the façade relates to the historical buildings nearby, while offering a contemporary interpretation.
