The Quin is a new luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, at the corner of 57th Street and Sixth Avenue—the junction of New York City’s best offerings for fine art, culture, fashion, and leisure. The original property was designed by Emery Roth, one of New York’s leading architects in the early twentieth century, and is in close proximity to Central Park, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, MoMA, the Museum of Arts and Design, Bergdorf-Goodman, Steinway Hall, and so much more. Notable past residents of the building include artist Georgia O’Keeffe and her husband, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, as well as Ignacy Paderewski, the celebrated pianist, composer and former Prime Minister of Poland.

The design vision was to renovate and reposition the property into one of the premier hospitality destinations in Manhattan. Given the building’s storied history as the Buckingham Hotel, its architectural significance and ideal locale, those trusted with the task would be inheriting a programmatically complex undertaking. The developer and design team partnered on every aspect of the Quin’s redesign, from programming to architecture and interior design, all while heeding the building’s historic importance. The paramount tasks were to convert all guestrooms and increase the building’s occupancy to 208 keys including 28 suites, add a penthouse level with outdoor space, make room for an additional restaurant and meeting areas, renovate the ground floor lobby spaces, and create a presence on 57th Street by opening views to the lobby and fully integrating the hotel and restaurant experience for guests.

Perhaps the biggest challenge to this project was the existing structure and mechanical systems. In order to achieve a consistent room layout within the existing floor plan that would be spacious and able to compete with nearby properties, the design team had to account for each room’s potential while also considering certain permanent structural systems. This required extensive demolition of existing partitions and MEP systems in order to achieve the perfect layout for each space.

The soaring gold, white, and gray marble lobby has a 15-foot wall for video art installations, which rotates contemporary works. The ceiling is a collage of hammered metal panels, reflecting the light and energy of the city. In the lobby’s more intimate Drawing Room, newly installed walls paneled in cerused oak evoke the neighborhood’s old clubrooms and performance halls. The mix of guestrooms and suites have a sophisticated palette and personalized detailing, much like you’d find in a tailored suit. Warm earth tones of the fabrics are juxtaposed with the clean lines of built-in furniture, and are complemented by elegant touches such as leather drawer and door handles.

By revitalizing both the building’s 124,000 gross sf interior and the street façade, the newly minted Quin has returned to prominence as a luxurious place to visit en route to enjoying the arts, shopping, fine dining, and the quintessential New York experience.