The renovation and restoration of The Knickerbocker
Hotel, a fifteen-story, 175,000SF landmark Beaux-Arts
building, is a modern interpretation to recapture the
historic hotel from 1906, for the present traveler. The
330-key hotel was conceived as a sanctuary from the
urban animation. Illuminated screens and a textural
material palette within the spaces harness the city’s
energy throughout the volume. The L-shaped lobby
creates a grand, yet intimate arrival experience. The
reception is punctuated by a monolithic stone elevator
bank, forming a foyer to the espresso café. The hotel’s
primary public fourth floor utilizes partitioning among
seating areas, defining each area. Through the library,
the 122-seat restaurant encourages social gathering.
The rooftop is a carved within the historic oxidized
copper along the mansard roof are private seating
areas, employing space originally used for flagpoles
supports. The adaptive reuse of the rooftop area
salvages the historic shell to celebrate the building’s
architecture.
http://www.gabellinisheppard.com/
http://www.theknickerbocker.com/