Directly above is a peek inside the lobby, which our tipster points out "looks like a third-world hospital." The lighting on the other two photos gives off an appropriate doomsday vibe. Meanwhile, one block over on Orchard Street, another hotel is having a bit of trouble getting off the ground.
The old Fine & Klein Handbags building at 119 Orchard Street was snatched up for $4.22 million in the summer of 2008 and targeted for a new 40-room boutique hotel. Half the building has been demolished, but the DOB has halted work and Bowery Boogie reports that the site is back on the market for $4.7 million. Here's what the Massey Knakal listing has to say:
Full plans were recently approved and stamped by the Department of Buildings for a 10 story (plus cellar and subcellar) mixed-use building. Cellar and subcellar approved for commercial use plus 10 stories above-grade of residential or hotel use. With full plans already in place and demolition underway a developer could start construction immediately.
This is technically an "enlargement" in DOB-speak, which might explain how the building can rise so high in a post-LES-rezoning world. Whether this ends up going apartment or hotel, we're sure it will be a welcomed addition to Hell Square.
