From the Times today:
The 21-story Cooper Square Hotel may be an imposing presence on the Lower East Side, but its interiors have an intimate scale more evocative of neighborhood buildings. In fact, the hotel was built around one of them, a 19th-century tenement that was not torn down because two tenants refused to move. “It would have been much cheaper to demolish,” said Carlos Zapata, center in picture, the designer, but in the end “the tenement had a positive effect” on the design, inspiring smaller, more livable interior spaces. The first two floors of the tenement became the hotel’s library and offices; the third and fourth house the two tenants, who have their own entrance.
For guests, who will pay $375 to $1,000 a night ($7,500 for the penthouse), “the hotel means to be a home away from home,” said Klaus Ortlieb, left in picture, who developed the $115 million project with Matt Moss, right in picture, his partner at MK Hotels. Among other things, that means there is no formal check-in desk in the lobby, above right: The registration process will take place out of sight, while guests are greeted by a hostess bearing drinks.
Previously on EV Grieve:
“This used to be an area where people got their start. Now it’s a place to land once you’ve made it.”
[Photo: Rebecca McAlpin for The New York Times]
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