Construction watch: 340 Bowery

Workers recently encased the front of 340 Bowery in plywood.

As we reported in late October, the four-story building — a former flophouse — is becoming a "boutique micro hotel" for solo travelers... with retail space on the ground floor, as seen on the plywood rendering...

The new venture will be an 182-key modern boutique micro-hotel inspired by European Luxury train sleeper cabins, per the marketing literature.

The four-story building has served as a single-room occupancy hotel dating to 1899. Our previous post has more history of the space.

The rendering shows a spring 2024 completion date. 

A 'boutique micro hotel' is in the works for this former Bowery flophouse

The former Whitehouse Hotel, the last flophouses on the Bowery, will see a new life as a "boutique micro hotel" for solo travelers. 

This information comes via a new listing at Meridian Retail Leasing for the space at 340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond. Here are hotel details per a PDF about the ground-floor space being pitched for retail or restaurant use: 

338-340 Bowery will undergo a full renovation repositioning itself into an 182-key modern boutique micro hotel inspired by European Luxury train sleeper cabins. The hotel will focus on creating a hub for solo travelers to connect while providing a beautiful, affordable and exceptional experience ... 

The Bowery Boutique Hotel will have a target demographic of adventurous, curious, global travelers ages 25-40 seeking a shared experience and appreciation for design and culture. The social profile will consist of design-focused and brand-aware young professionals who align their values with the NoHo culture.

The PDF includes renderings of the hotel...

And a rendering of the retail...

This 2,200-square-foot retail space has a monthly ask of $27,000.

Some recent history here: In August 2022, a "retail opportunity" banner arrived by the front door. (The Meridian signage arrived early last week.)

There is a lot of history with the Whitehouse, a four-story building that has served as a single-room occupancy hotel dating to 1899.

As we understand, a handful of residents remain here, and their presence has reportedly hindered any new building plans through the years. We hadn't heard anything about the building since late 2018, when Alex Vadukul profiled the artist Sir Shadow, who was one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, in a feature at The New York Times.

As Vadukul noted: "A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel's future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game." (Sources tell us that Sir Shadow no longer lives at this address.)

Ahead of the renovations, the residents were moved to space at 338 Bowery. (We covered this here.)

The building was spruced up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the long-term residents remained on another floor.)

However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert a 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. The Renatus Group now owns the property located in the NoHo Historic District.

At its height in 1950, the Whitehouse had 234 "cubicles" for its occupants. Take a tour of the space here.  

Renovations underway at the former Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery

Top photo by EVG; all others by Stacie Joy 

Renovations are underway at 338-340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond. 

In August, a "retail opportunity" banner arrived by the front door of the former Whitehouse Hotel, the last of the flophouses on the Bowery. 

Management is offering 2,000 square feet on the ground floor, with an "optional 500 SF cafe + courtyard." 

The work to create the retail space is happening. Permits show the scope of the work includes replacing windows, cleaning the brick, and repainting fire escapes, all with the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission. (The building is located in the NoHo Historic District.)

There is a lot of history with the Whitehouse, a four-story building erected in 1916 that has served as a single-room occupancy hotel. A handful of residents remain here, and their presence has reportedly hindered any new building plans. 

We hadn't heard anything about the building since late 2018, when Alex Vadukul profiled the artist Sir Shadow, who was one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, in a feature at The New York Times.

As Vadukul noted: "A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel's future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game." (Sources tell us that Sir Shadow no longer lives at this address.)

Ahead of the renovations, the residents were moved to space at 338 Bowery... where the tenants can access their small room via security... 

There is a shared bathroom on the floor as well.

Some recent history: The building was spruced up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the long-term residents remained on another floor.)

However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert a 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. Those plans never materialized. The Renatus Group now owns the property.

Retail space aside, it's not immediately known what the plans are for the upper floors of the former hotel.

A 'retail opportunity' at the former Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery

An interesting development at 340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond ... a "retail opportunity" banner now hangs by the front door of the former Whitehouse Hotel, the last of the flophouses on the Bowery...

Management is offering 2,000 square feet on the ground floor, with an "optional 500 SF cafe + courtyard."

There is a lot of history with the Whitehouse, a four-story building erected in 1916 that has served as a single-room occupancy hotel. A handful of residents remain here, and their presence has reportedly hindered any new building plans. 

We hadn't heard anything about the building since late 2018, when Alex Vadukul profiled the artist Sir Shadow, one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, in a feature at The New York Times.

As Vadukul noted: "A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel's future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game."

At this point, there aren't any new permits for development. So perhaps retail is the solution for now to generate revenue for the property.

Some recent history: The building was spruced up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the long-term residents remained on another floor.)

However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. Those plans never materialized. The Renatus Group now owns the property. 

The art of Sir Shadow and the remaining residents of the Whitehouse Hotel on the Bowery

In case you didn't see this feature in the Times over the weekend... Alex Vadukul profiles the artist Sir Shadow, one of the six remaining residents of the Whitehouse, about the last of the flophouses on the Bowery.

A few passages:

As Sir Shadow hums for inspiration, his slender hand strikes a sketchpad with a silver marker and swirls deliriously, never leaving the page, as though he were signing a signature. The elegant silhouette, formed with one continuous line, depicts a saxophone player. He blurs through more: a jazz ensemble featuring trumpet and upright bass; a drummer in the flurry of a solo. His musicians are faceless abstractions.

And...

At 6-foot-4, he sleeps diagonally to fit into his windowless cubicle. Rarely without his fedora, he gets around on a red electric scooter and draws his blues and jazz musicians across the neighborhood. He calls his one-line style Flowetry, which can be found in the calendars he sells.

But his masterpiece might be the Whitehouse Hotel itself. Nearly every hallway and boarding room contains a Sir Shadow mural. Even the keys behind the reception desk are marked with his musical silhouettes.

The piece also delves into Sir Shadow's past as well as "another surreal accent" of his life — his connection to one of the most powerful real-estate families in NYC.

The Whitehouse, a four-story building erected in 1916 at 340 Bowery between Great Jones and Bond, spruced itself up in 2011 to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling... while the longterm residents remained on another floor.)

However, the Whitehouse stopped accepting reservations in September 2014. Plans were previously filed via Sam Chang in 2014 to "convert 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. Those plans never materialized. The Renatus Group now owns the property. However, as the Time notes, "development has been hindered by Sir Shadow and his compatriots."

A few residents have died, and buyouts have lured away others. The men who remain in the flophouse have refused these deals. The Whitehouse Hotel’s future appears to now hinge on a grim but simple waiting game.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More tenant meetings for White House residents; plus the bed bugs will be exterminated

Another round of plans to convert the Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery into a 9-floor hotel

The Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery is 'temporarily closing down'

The Whitehouse Hostel has closed for good on the Bowery

'Blue Bloods' turns the Whitehouse into a hotel again for a day on the Bowery

The CBS drama "Blue Bloods" is filming on the Bowery... and some faux signage arrived outside 340 Bowery for the Wyckoff Hotel (and drink Abewell soda!).

The address is the former Whitehouse Hotel, the hostel/flophouse combo that stopped accepting reservations for back-packing thrill seekers in September 2014.

Plans were filed via Sam Chang in April 2014 to "convert 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. The city disapproved the plans again in September 2014, records show.

Meanwhile, the four-story building erected in 1916 between Great Jones and Bond still serves as a permanent home to a handful of low-income residents.

And, according to a report in the Post, current resident Roland Davis is no longer allowed to file suit against current or former owners without proper legal representation or approval from a chief judge. Davis has sued the past or current owners of the Whitehouse Hotel 23 times in seven years, losing every time, the Post notes.

Davis, an $8.32-a-night resident, would file claims in Housing Court demanding that management make repairs to his tiny windowless room, and would then refuse to let the workers in, according to court papers.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More tenant meetings for White House residents; plus the bed bugs will be exterminated

Another round of plans to convert the Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery into a 9-floor hotel

The Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery is 'temporarily closing down'

The Whitehouse Hostel has closed for good on the Bowery

People are still living in the Whitehouse Hotel, 1 of the last remaining flophouses on the Bowery

[Photo from Dec. 27]

As we first reported on Sept. 2, The Whitehouse Hotel, the hostel/flophouse combo at 338-340 Bowery, was no longer accepting reservations.

A few days later, the Hotel's Facebook page noted: "We regret to inform everyone that Whitehouse Hotel's building has been sold and our doors have been closed as of September 4th 2014." (Don't tell this to the Whitehouse website, which still has that clip arty group of people looking happy to make a reservation here.)

In the past four months, there hasn't been much activity at the building. (However, someone remained sitting behind the check-in desk in the lobby.) Plans were filed in April to "convert 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. The city disapproved the plans again on Sept. 5, records show.

In 2011, the hostel spruced itself up to appeal to the thrill-seeking backpacking set. (For $45, guests could stay in a tiny room where the walls don't go up to the ceiling.)

Meanwhile, the four-story building erected in 1916 between Great Jones and Bond still served as a permanent home to a handful of low-income residents.

Apparently a few of them are still living in the building, based on this sign that appeared a few days ago on the front door...



Any construction will likely have to wait until the remaining residents have left...

Previously on EV Grieve:
More tenant meetings for White House residents; plus the bed bugs will be exterminated

Another round of plans to convert the Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery into a 9-floor hotel

The Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery is 'temporarily closing down'

The Whitehouse Hostel has closed for good on the Bowery

The changes to 3 Bowery mainstays

Just adding up the changing Bowery landscape along East Third Street and East Second Street…

Workers continue jackhammering away at the Salvation Army's former East Village Residence on the Bowery at East Third Street. The site will one day yield a 13-floor, 30,000 square-foot mixed-use residential development.



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The Whitehouse Hostel at 338-340 Bowery closed for good in early September. The building was sold. There are pending plans to build a 9-floor hotel in its place. Otherwise, there's not much activity here. There's still someone sitting behind the front desk … and the Pepsi machine remains in the lobby…



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On Friday, workers erected the sidewalk bridge outside the former Amato Opera building at 319 Bowery just below East Second Street…



Landlord Steve Croman received DOB approval in September to convert the former theater into a commercial and residential building. Documents show that there will be one residence on each floor above the retail space. Amato Opera ended its long run on May 31, 2009.

And these are just the changes on one block. Curbed documented more of the Bowery's changing landscape back in August.

The Whitehouse Hostel has closed for good on the Bowery

As we first reported on Sept. 2, a sign appeared on the front door at 338-340 Bowery pointing out that the Whitehouse Hostel was no longer accepting reservations …


[EVG file photo]

Given that hotelier Sam Chang had sold the property, there was not going to be anything temporary about this closure. (Public documents point to The Renatus Group, a Greenwich, Conn.-based privately held real estate investment firm, as the new owner.)

Sure enough. The Whitehouse announced the permanent closure on Facebook back on Sept. 12. (No mention of the closure on the Whitehouse website.)



Plans were filed in April to "convert 4-story lodging house into a 9-story hotel," according to DOB records. The city disapproved the plans again on Sept. 9, records show.

It's not clear if the Whitehouse would be demolished for the new hotel, or if new floors would be dropped on top of the existing structure.

Previously on EV Grieve:
More tenant meetings for White House residents; plus the bed bugs will be exterminated

Another round of plans to convert the Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery into a 9-floor hotel

The Whitehouse Hostel on the Bowery is 'temporarily closing down'