[sparkling]

19-Story CitizenM Hotel on the Bowery

March 24th, 2015
By Elie

That pent-up energy from years of inactivity at 185 Bowery was relieved last week with an ejaculate of plywood fencing and construction crews. All of a sudden, there is an explosion of work at the CitizenM hotel site, mostly related to foundation and excavation. So what will this 19-story beast look like?

Good questions. An updated rendering was posted to the project site, as mandated by Department of Buildings. Yet, in the three years since the illustrations were first uncovered, the design of the Dutch-based CitizenM hotel on the Bowery apparently changed. For example, the new design does away with that terrible aquarium element atop the structure. Either way, it’s another tower to ruin the Bowery.

It’s worth noting that the gargantuan nature of this CitizenM hotel was possible due to a lack of zoning restrictions on the east side of the Bowery. That’s why the thoroughfare is so uneven when looking at building heights. On the other side, the Special Little Italy District limits the vertical to eighty-five feet.

Upon its eventual debut, the CitzenM hotel will boast 300 keys spread between floors 2 to 17 (20 rooms per level). Amenities for guests include a gym, basement bar, and rooftop lounge/terrace on the 19th floor. Plans also call for the construction of a 3,383 square-foot public plaza. Completion is expected sometime in the winter of 2016. We’ll take the over on that bet…