The next project to come from the overhaul of the former General Theological Seminary buildings will be The High Line Hotel, set to open in May. Just like the beautiful old buildings at 422 and 455 West 20th Street, which have been turned into condos, the seminary also sold off 180 Tenth Avenue?originally built in 1895 as student housing and modeled after the Oxbridge campuses?to The Brodsky Organization to help shore up the its flagging finances. In the case of the hotel, MCR Development is the co-owner.
The 60-room hotel's future home is a red-brick landmarked structure between 20th and 21st streets that both overlooks the High Line and has a private garden. We've only got the image above to go on, but it looks like it'll be purty. No interior shots yet, alas, though word is they will "blend eclectic Americana with antiques and unexpected artwork sourced from around the world." Luckily some old-world Gothic charm will remain, as designers are preserving stained glass windows, moldings, pine floors, fireplace mantles, and staircases.
We know there will be a lobby coffee bar with the incredibly unpretentious name Intelligentsia (the Chicago brand's first East Coast outpost). Later this summer, the front courtyard will get a makeover as a cafe, while the backyard is reserved for "bespoke cocktailing and dining."
Fun fact! Before it was used as dormitories for Episcopal ministers-in-training, the land on which the hotel will sit was an apple orchard. And then it was owned by Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on that very spot.
· Official site: The High Line Hotel [www.thehighlinehotel.com]
· Inside 455 West 20th, A Chelsea Condo With an Older Feel [Curbed]
· Inside Chelsea Seminary's Latest Dorm-Turned-Condos [Curbed]
· More General Theological Seminary coverage [Curbed]
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