Times Square Mixed Use

New York, NY
141,000 sf

A developer with a site on the fringe of Times Square asked us: Could that property accept their pro forma for retail and a distinctive 4-star hotel?

After we analyzed their site, neighborhood context, NYC zoning and other constraints, and program specifics, we prepared blocking and stacking plans and sections, calculated building area and guestroom potential, and developed two options.

Rather than the conventional solution to keep the retail and hotel at the property line, we proposed a three-story retail base with a hotel tower and conference center set back on the fourth floor, ringed by a heavily-landscaped terrace. On the side street, a triple-height entrance distant and distinct from the retail marquees would lead to the hotel’s elevators. We set the tower flush against the lot-line building to the north and placed all services, core, and corridor on that side – which made it possible to have generously-sized rooms that feature ceiling-to-floor windows with an unobstructed view to the south.

The best news for the developer was that their site could yield a 21,000-sf retail space on Broadway and, on the side street, a 27-story, 230-key hotel with a roof-top bar and terrace nearly 320 feet above Times Square.

Renderings: Stone 3D and Helpern Architects