Bowery Road and the Library of Distilled Spirits check into the Hyatt Union Square

The new bar-restaurant is now open at the Hyatt Union Square — please welcome Bowery Road to Fourth Avenue and 13th Street.

Here's more about it:

Gather at Bowery Road, a neighborhood American restaurant. Chef Ron Rosselli's flavorful and thoughtfully prepared dishes are inspired by long relationships with local farmers and purveyors and loaded with seasonal produce from the Union Square Greenmarket. The restaurant takes its name from its location on 4th Avenue, which was formerly called Bowery Road when it served as the pathway to Peter Stuyvesant's farm.

Located directly off the lobby, Bowery Road is open from 7am-11pm for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

Rosselli has also worked at Locanda Verde and The Standard Grill.

The hotel now also sports The Library of Distilled Spirits, which: "pays tribute to liquor makers and their craft with over 700 bottles made around the world. Explore the collection neat, or shaken and stirred into more than 150 classic cocktails. Barkeepers and encyclopedic volumes of single spirits will help you choose."

As previously noted, The Fourth and Singl, the hotel's two dining-drinking options, had closed. Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky, the restaurateurs behind these two as well as a third Hyatt space, Botequim, reportedly parted ways with the hotel last spring.

The two new establishments are operated by APICII, "a multi-concept restaurant company."

The hotel opened in April 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Slim dining options at the Hyatt Union Square for the time being

Slim dining options at the Hyatt Union Square for the time being

The Fourth and Singl Lounge, the two dining options at the Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street, are currently closed ...brown paper has been up in the windows for the past 10-plus days...



There isn't any note about a temporary closure on the public-facing doors or windows... and the Hyatt Union Square website still lists both properties as the hotel's two dining options...



A hotel rep said that the two spaces were closed for renovations... and both would reopen later this month. (Guests apparently have a dining option in the lower level of the hotel.)

This was an expected move. Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky, the restaurateurs behind these two as well as a third Hyatt space, Botequim, parted ways with the hotel last May, as Eater reported. New operators were expected to take over The Fourth and Singl last summer. Apparently that's just happening now.

Back in 2014, there was some concern about the size of the sidewalk cafe at the Fourth, which was named for the right bank neighborhood in Paris. The matter eventually went to City Council, who OK'd a smaller, 12-seat cafe.

The hotel opened in April 2013.

City Council approves smaller sidewalk cafe for The Fourth on 4th Avenue

As previously reported, several nearby residents had concerns about a proposal for a sidewalk cafe with 13 tables and 26 chairs at The Fourth, the ground-floor restaurant located in the Hyatt Union Square.

Community Board 2 issued a denial for the cafe back on March 20, even after reps for The Fourth agreed to 12 tables and 24 seats. Residents wanted the number of tables here reduced to six (with 12 seats) to better fit the space on Fourth Avenue at East 13th Street.

Flashback to our post:

With this application, they are claiming that their diners will sit shoulder to shoulder while pinned against the wall to be in compliance. Even if diners were willing to sit that way (at a very expensive restaurant), would the restaurant then turn away anyone with above average or particularly large shoulders? Of course they would not and it would not even be legal to do so. Even in the best case scenario, it is clear that this cafe, as proposed, will not comply with city regulations. There is simply not enough room for 2 persons to sit side by side on this sidewalk and be in compliance with the law. What they have proposed is impossible.

City Council weighed in on this yesterday ... and the residents were able to get the smaller 12-seat cafe, per their wishes.

"I'm still skeptical as to how they might implement it to be greedy with space," said one resident, who noted that District 2 Councilmember Rosie Mendez was "a helpful mechanism to effect this change."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Concern over a proposed sidewalk cafe for The Fourth on 4th Avenue (20 comments)

Concern over a proposed sidewalk cafe for The Fourth on 4th Avenue

There is a proposal for a sidewalk cafe at The Fourth, the ground-floor restaurant located in the Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue at East 13th Street.

Community Board 2 heard the proposal for the sidewalk cafe with 13 tables and 26 chairs on March 20. Board members had some concerns about the configuration and size of the tables … as did a few nearby residents.

Some concerned residents shared a letter with us that they also submitted to CB2 as well as Councilmember Rosie Mendez's office.

Said one EVG reader:

Their proposal is laughable and preposterous in many ways. It calls for tiny, tiny tables placed perfectly next to one another on the extremely un-level sidewalk there to feign compliance with city laws. The idea that they will actually ask anyone to spend top-shelf prices to dine in these conditions is absurd.

Now let's quote from this letter, which goes into great detail about the way diners sit. Not to mention shoulders:

They have proposed six sets of (2) 19" wide tables pushed up against the wall and pushed up against each other. If these tables could be placed perfectly against each other, they would take up exactly 3'2" of space. Add to that the required 3' for a service corridor and their plan would take up every fraction of an inch available to them (based on their already inaccurate measurements). In reality, it is unrealistic to think that they could ever keep these tables pushed together.

Anyone who has dined at a restaurant knows that when 2 separate parties of 2 persons sit at adjacent tables, the tables are pushed apart (usually about a foot). The way this plan is written, if they push the tables apart by even a quarter of an inch, they are no longer in compliance with city regulations. If they had any intention of keeping the tables together, there would be no reason to request permission for 2 separate tables side by side. They would have requested only one table. They clearly intend to file the plan one way and then place the tables in a very different way.

So far we have only touched upon the size of the tables themselves and their ability to fit within the plans but let's not forget that people will be sitting at these tables and make their claimed placement of the tables impossible. This plan implies that 2 people could be sitting next to each other at this cafe, dining and enjoying cocktails and take up 38" or less of space.

The average width of a human shoulder is between 18" and 19". Even if you had people willing to sit shoulder to shoulder, touching each other, with the inside party's shoulder pinned against the wall, every time you had 2 people with shoulders that were above average, they would expand into the required 3' service aisle and no longer be in compliance with city regulations.

With this application, they are claiming that their diners will sit shoulder to shoulder while pinned against the wall to be in compliance. Even if diners were willing to sit that way (at a very expensive restaurant), would the restaurant then turn away anyone with above average or particularly large shoulders? Of course they would not and it would not even be legal to do so. Even in the best case scenario, it is clear that this cafe, as proposed, will not comply with city regulations. There is simply not enough room for 2 persons to sit side by side on this sidewalk and be in compliance with the law. What they have proposed is impossible.

And here is the proposed cafe configuration…



Those against the proposed cafe as it is now are suggesting that The Fourth reduce the number of tables to six. For their part part, CB2 denied the license. (Read a PDF of the proceedings here.) We understand that the application will now go before City Council next Thursday.

Said the EVG reader: "The City Council could potentially force changes to the plan ... It should be an interesting lesson in local politics to see how it unfolds."

[Updated] Oh, the Hyatt Union Square is open

Five-plus years in the making!

And I swear it didn't look open yesterday... Last we heard they were opening May 1. But they are now accepting reservations! And I saw people bringing luggage in and all that kind of hotel stuff here on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street...





Updated:

Apologies — We were wrong. The restaurant with the crazy bed frame installation won't be open for a few more weeks... They are currently just serving coffee.

Checked out a room online... rates start at $459.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

Here comes The Fourth, with a crazy bed frame installation and private-label coffee

Over at the five-years-in-the-making Hyatt Union Square, signs just went up for one of the restaurants in the space on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street.

Here's a description of The Fourth via the Hyatt's website:

Our signature Lower East Side restaurant boasts 30-foot ceilings and wide French doors for open-air dining, attracting hotel guests and local denizens alike with fresh baked bread and neighborhood appeal. The 100-seat room will offer three distinct dining areas: a café with a European style espresso and wine bar, a 24-seat communal bar and dining space, and a 45-seat full service formal dining area. Open virtually all day, The Fourth will serve traditional brasserie fare with a modern American interpretation: upscale fare with a continental flair.

Taking its name from the elegant and sophisticated right bank neighborhood in Paris, the vibe at The Fourth is Union Square meets the 4th arrondissement - a stylish place to meet for coffee, dine at the bar after a movie, or enjoy a business dinner. The wine and beverage program at Hyatt Union Square New York is skillfully designed by Roger Dagorn, MS, whose vast knowledge and approach to wine selection makes The Fourth not only a delicious place to dine, but also an intriguing place to explore the vineyards of the world.

This Lower East Side restaurant serves espresso drinks made with Café Quatrième, a private label coffee, offering various blends and roasts throughout the day for an excellent coffee experience to stay or to-go.

Repeat: "Union Square meets the 4th arrondissement."

Also, we took a look inside and spotted this hanging from the ceiling...



Maybe that's one of the hotel's specially priced courtyard studios?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

At long last, Hyatt Union Square branded

Five years later here on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street... we'll check back with the latest opening date....

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

The Hyatt Union Square will open in May, probably

Our favorite fivesix-years-in the-making development, the Hyatt Union Square, now has an another official opening date, Crain's noted yesterday. They put the opening date in April... recent opening dates included Nov. 15 and Jan. 2, though Sandy took care of that.

Per the article:

Rooms at the 11-story Hyatt will start at $315 per night during off-peak season. The Hyatt has been under construction for years and work has been held up multiple times because of violations filed by the city's Department of Buildings.

We looked at the Hyatt Union Square website... And found that the hotel will start accepting guests after May 1. But we're not taking any bets that this will actually happen.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

Hyatt Union Square is now opening Jan. 2; and where's the the hydroponic bamboo garden?

One of our favorite five-years-in the-making developments, the Hyatt Union Square, now has an official opening date of Jan. 2, per the Hyatt Union Square website.

Earlier estimates put the opening around Nov. 15 here at Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street.

Which explains why there's still no sign of the hydroponic bamboo garden and halo!

Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

Well, here we are at 132 Fourth Ave. and East 13th Street ... at the site of the incoming 178-room Hyatt Union Square — five years in the making! Where it looks as if a piece of metallic space junk landed upright on a formerly historic two-level building...

Yesterday, real-estate blogger Andrew Fine, who has been monitoring the lack of progress here for years, noted that the opening is tentatively set for Nov. 15.

Oh, the memories that we've had here!

2009!


And there goes the view and daylight... (and this must have really been awful to cope with... from the construction noise to loss of the views and sunlight) ...

[Via A Fine Blog]

[July 2011]

In any event, the stalled/unstalled/too tall/view-blocking hotel project dawdled along ... Curbed's first post on it went up on July 18 2007.

And it wasn't always a Hyatt property. Early on hotel developer Sam "McSam" Chang's group was heading up the construction. It became Hyatt's problem property in November 2010.

Andrew found this shot of 132 Fourth Ave. (on the right) from 1924 via the NYC Municipal Archives...

He has more details about the hotel (like room rates) here. You can also find more details at the hotel's website, which is now live... You don't have to look, though — we'll have about 20 more posts on it before Nov. 15.

h/t Curbed

Hyatt Union Square entrance looking underwhelming (for now!)

At long last workers have removed the plywood from the front entrance at the incoming Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street... And! Five years in the making...

Well, OK. Obviously there's work to do. Unless this is supposed to look like a hotel you'd find outside a regional airport.

No, splendor and glory are on the way!

[Image from Archpaper via Curbed]

Not to mention the hydroponic bamboo garden and halo!

Previously.

Hotel construction on 13th Street and Fourth Avenue — now in fifth year! — continues

Yesterday morning, EV Grieve reader John noted some progress at the incoming Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue at East 13th Street... Indeed, workers were erecting scaffolding on the lower levels...

...and later... more scaffolding!

In any event, it seems as if the stalled/unstalled/too tall/view-blocking hotel project is dawdling along ... by our count, construction has entered its fifth year. Curbed's first post on it went up on July 18 2007.

It wasn't always a Hyatt property, of course... early on hotel developer Sam "McSam" Chang's group was behind the construction ... It became Hyatt's problem property in November 2010...

Early rendering!

Newer rendering with the hydroponic bamboo garden and halo!

[Image from Archpaper via Curbed]

Last official word on this via Hyatt was a fall 2011 opening.

Previously.

Southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street is up for grabs

The retail space on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street — currently home to Brothers Deli and Dryden Gallery — is for lease...

...which might be why Brothers never fixed their sign...

Here's the listing at RKF ... looks as if they're pushing for retail...

The listing includes the currently vacant space behind the deli on 13th Street...

Meanwhile, the new Hyatt Union Square will be opening across the street one of these days...

Today outside the Hyatt Union Square

As the signs outside the incoming Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street promised, a crane was on the scene today...

We were hoping to see them hoist the hydroponic bamboo garden. Unfortunately, it was a few things that looked like this.

What is this? (Please, no serious responses.)

The crane event at Hyatt Union Square

Well, over here on Fourth Avenue and 13th Street... outside the incoming Hyatt Union Square, we can expect a bigass crane here on the dates below... we love cranes... and photos of them...

We think that they mean Feb. 18 and not 16. Since we didn't see a crane yesterday. In any event. No word on whether the crane will be lifting into place the hydroponic bamboo garden.

Sidewalk shed checks out of the Hyatt Union Square

Progress to note here at the incoming Hyatt Union Square on Fourth Avenue at 13th Street...

Still a lot of work to do. Anyway. Wouldn't it be kinda nice it that was the final look up there?

Meanwhile, still waiting for the hydroponic bamboo garden and halo ...

[Image from Archpaper via Curbed]

Behold the Hyatt Union Square, in progress

Workers have removed the scaffolding and construction netting at 132 Fourth Ave., the looong-delayed hotel that will one day be a Hyatt Union Square ...

And here's the rendering... No hydroponic bamboo garden or halo just yet...But we're waiting!

[Image from Archpaper via Curbed]

The hotel is expected to open in fall 2012. According to a news release: "The Hyatt Union Square will be a 4-star hotel with a historic facade and 23‐foot lobby ceilings that will create a unique space for guests. Amenities will include an upscale restaurant, a destination lobby bar, an exclusive rooftop lounge, private terraces, a state of‐the art fitness facility, and a pool."

The Real Deal had a report back on June 29 about Hersha buying this property from the McSam Hotel Group.

Read all our coverage on this here.

East Village prepping for induction into Ugly New Hotel Hall of Fame Class of 2012

Well, now. We've been keeping tabs on the new Union Square Hyatt coming to Fourth Avenue at 13th Street... the last renderings looked like this...



Apparently that was just too darn boring for a hotel here... The ArchPaper (via Curbed!) has the latest, um, look:

Per Curbed's description:

This terrace will reportedly hold a hydroponic bamboo garden growing tall outside the hotel windows. The Hyatt's vertical extension will be capped by two floors faced in glass. For a final flourish, the corner over Fourth will get a halo framed in metal.

Meanwhile, this will be soon joining its classmate down on the Bowery...

Windows working at future Union Square Hyatt

Over at the future home of the Union Square Hyatt on Fourth Avenue at 13th Street, workers have unveiled one of the hotel's lesser-touted amenities... fresh air for the rooms!

Open windows will come in handy for dumping water on any noisy guests enjoying those private terraces on the second floor...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Noticeable progress at the future Union Square Hyatt