LIVING AS LIVELY AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The Lower East Side (LES) is one of New York’s most lively and dynamic areas; the birthplace of counterculture and a hotbed of artistic expression, culinary adventure, and nightlife. It is an epicenter for culture in the making. Experimentation trumps tradition, then trends are born. All with authenticity and brutal honesty—there is no room for pretense here.
Defined by constant reinvention, the LES offered an opportunity to create a new hotel and residential experience: one that reflects the neighborhood’s spirit and contributes to its culture while presenting a distinctly LES take on luxury. Social, vibrant, and visceral—a place where experience is treasured more than excess.
Led by Ian Schrager’s vision, we set out to create a city within a city, bringing the heartbeat-raising thrills of LES life into stylish communal spaces and amenities. All the while, creating an affordable, technology-forward luxury hotel and ultra-premium residences.
This development was meant to be the premier way to experience the LES for visitors and residents alike.
“Smartly geared towards democratising luxury, by eschewing the usual tropes such as bellhops and room service, to focus on the details that really matter.”
LOWER EAST SIDE LIFE INSIDE AND OUT
Guests come to New York to enjoy the city. They crave the same eating, drinking, social, and artistic experiences that make New Yorkers love New York. Staying at PUBLIC or living at the 215 Chrystie Street Residences is all about these experiences, not just what is in the rooms and residences.
Communal spaces are the focus, taking on a reimagined role as an extension of the in-room experience. They are much more than places to consume; these impeccably designed co-working and co-living spaces provide a backdrop for socializing, work, and life.
When guests and residents are ready to eat, they have two restaurant options from the world-renowned chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Exquisite takeout is also an option for nights in, as is hosting a private event with a special Jean-Georges menu when it is time to socialize.
When looking for a taste of New York nightlife, guests and residents can choose from two bars inside. Or, they can ascend to the rooftop for one of the city’s most sought-after lounge experiences, featuring 360-degree views of Manhattan, an outdoor terrace, and international DJ talent.
When they want a dose of classic LES culture, Public Arts is in order. The avant garde multi-media center gives guests a space to sing and dance at live performances, laugh at open mic comedy shows, soak in rotating art exhibits, and watch film screenings.
That is just inside these four walls, let alone all that is just steps outside. This is a new type of luxury—one that’s more about feeling and doing than owning.
“Creating a new hotel for a new lifestyle.”
OUR PARTNERS
CONCEPT
Ian Schrager
For over 5 decades, since the ‘70s, Ian Schrager has achieved international recognition for concepts that have revolutionized the entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and residential industries. He has changed the way we live our lives, entertain ourselves, party, dance, socialize, holiday, work, dine, drink, play, shop, and even how we see the world. His passionate commitment to the modern lifestyle has been expressed through a series of pioneering concepts and the creation of numerous original innovations that have become standards and continue to be imitated throughout the world. His keen instincts for the mood and feel of popular culture were honed during the ‘70s and ‘80s, when he and his late business partner, Steve Rubell, created the legendary and groundbreaking Studio 54 and Palladium nightclubs. They soon turned their attention to the hotel business, opening Morgans Hotel in 1984 and introducing the concept of the “boutique hotel” to the world. The partners saw the opportunity to challenge the traditional “take no offense” white box and mass-market mentality in favor of something more unique, daring, and original that gave people an elevated experience and elicited an emotional, visceral reaction. What was accomplished, for the first time, was that a hotel could appeal to a sensibility and be freed from the constraints of traditional demographics. The entire hotel industry was turned on its head. Part visionary, part social scientist, and part businessman with a gift for seamlessly integrating art and commerce, everything Ian Schrager has accomplished chronicled the cultural narrative of that time and has been an unequivocal success.
ARCHITECTURE
Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd. is an award-winning Swiss architecture firm founded in Basel in 1978. The firm received the Pritzker Prize, one of the highest honors in architecture, in 2001 as well as the RIBA Stirling Prize for the Laban Dance Centre in London and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 2007. Their work consists of the innovative use of exterior materials and treatments as they refine the traditions of modernism while transforming surfaces through the exploration of new treatments and techniques. In 2006, the New York Times Magazine called them “one of the most admired architecture firms in the world.”
DESIGN (RESIDENTIAL)
John Pawson
For over 30 years, John Pawson has been designing spaces with a minimalist aesthetic. John Pawson and his team focus on ways of approaching fundamental problems of space, proportion, and light. With extensive experience in responding to these challenges, Pawson’s team has been able to create unique, one-of-a-kind solutions. John Pawson has worked on a wide array of projects which include Calvin Klein’s flagship store, Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, the interior of a 50-meter yacht, and sets for new ballets at London’s Royal Opera House, 50 Gramercy Park North, and Schrager Apartment.
DESIGN (HOTEL)
Bonetti/Kozerski
Established in 2000, New York design studio Bonetti/Kozerski is led by partners Italian-born Enrico Bonetti and English-born Dominic Kozerski. Its approach to each project renders one-of-a-kind spaces, which distill the essence and spirit of the individuals or organizations within. With its roots in European education, the studio merges compositional, technological, spatial, and philosophical disciplines into an overall vision. The firm has done work throughout the United States with some of its major projects including the Warren Tricomi Salon at The Plaza Hotel in New York City and The Shore Club in Miami.
CONSTRUCTION
Triton Construction
Triton Construction was founded upon quality, experience, impeccable references, and best-of-class staffing and services. With more than 70 years of combined industry experience and $10 billion in completed construction work, Triton’s partners invest the resources to understand the goals of our clients and the significance of on-time and on-budget, high-quality performance.
DEVELOPMENT
HFZ Capital
Founded in 2005 by Ziel Feldman, HFZ Capital has extensive experience in residential real estate conversions in New York City. HFZ Capital’s real estate professionals have a demonstrated record of success at creating value across a range of real estate products and capitalizing on opportunities presented in various market cycles. HFZ Capital’s investment portfolio includes condominiums, rentals, urban revitalization, and hospitality.
DEVELOPMENT
New Valley
New Valley LLC is the real estate subsidiary of Vector Group Ltd. (NYSE: VGR) and maintains equity positions in numerous real estate investments, including a broad portfolio of domestic and international projects in the U.S. and Caribbean. New Valley targets opportunities in high barrier to entry markets with irreplaceable locations that generate strong risk-adjusted returns. New Valley’s investment and development portfolio is comprised of apartments/condominiums, hotels, and land in Manhattan, Queens, Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Maryland, and Bermuda. New Valley owns 70% of Douglas Elliman, the largest residential real estate brokerage firm in the New York metropolitan area and fourth-largest in the U.S.
