The history of the Wall Street Hotel site began in the 1790’s with the founding of the New York Stock Exchange at the famous Tontine Coffee House, which for decades was the center of New York’s commercial life. After this historic structure was demolished, the construction of a Beaux Arts building keeping the name of the Tontine Building in 1901 and an adjacent building shortly thereafter kept finance and insurance firms flourishing at this location for decades.
Stonehill Taylor, a specialist in historic preservation, was tasked with not only the restoration of these two buildings, but also their combination as one unit to create a new hotel, the Wall Street Hotel, owned by the Paspaley Group.
Located between Pearl and Water Streets, the new Wall Street Hotel stretches an entire block and features 180 rooms and suites, and over 6,500 square feet of flexible event spaces including a lobby lounge, a restaurant, and a rooftop bar.
Stonehill Taylor was in charge of hotel architecture and collaborated with Charles & Co., designer of the F&B spaces, and Rose Ink Workshop, responsible for the hotel interiors.
In its architecture work, Stonehill Taylor sought to restore the glamour of old New York to the property that has had many lives and uses, most recently as offices with various retail on the ground floor. A new steel and glass marquee makes a striking street presence and a grand entry experience. The façade work of the first two stories entailed restoring the original buildings’ handsome historic character while also removing interventions that happened over the years or incohesive elements between the two buildings. Stonehill Taylor eliminated the different stones on the first-story façades of the two buildings and rendered them uniform, further strengthening the street presence.
Upon entry, guests are greeted by the reception area flanked by a spacious lounge and bar on one side and the restaurant with a double-height ceiling on the other. The architecture team designed the building plan to accommodate the severe differences in elevation of the two historic buildings, creating seamless transitions between two distinct levels.
The rooftop, housed in a three-story addition to the building with vertical siding and a metal exterior, includes a bar, a ballroom with 15-ft high ceilings, and a wrap-around terrace.