Hotel 31

 hotel, 1928_construction

8-story Beaux-Arts hotel completed in 1902. Designed by Copeland & Dole, it opened as an apartment-hotel called The Dunsbro. In 1940 the new owners converted the expansive flats to 13 single-room-occupancy apartments per floor. By 1954 the building became the Lexington Residence Club; which provided members sleeping rooms. Around 2007 The Lexington Residence Club became Hotel 31.

The 3-bay facade is clad in beige brick above a 2-story rusticated limestone base. An entrance portico at the center is carried on pairs of polished grey granite columns; above it at the 2nd floor is a stone railing topped at the corners by a pair of seated lions. The entry has glass double-doors in a carved molding, with a rounded, red canvas canopy extending out from the below the portico and over the sidewalk. The outer bays have double-windows divided by black metal mullions, and with a pair of eagles at the base of each. The 2nd floor has three round-arched double-windows with metal mullions at the outer bays and a stone mullion at the center bay. A pair of flagpoles projects from the piers between the bays.

The 3rd-6th floors have double-windows in the middle bay with flat stone lintels and sills, and the 3rd floor having narrower windows set in a segmental-arched stone surround with elaborate ogees at the sides. Incised brick spandrel panels are placed between each floor. The outer bays consist of projecting, black cast-iron oriels with three windows and angled sides. The 7th floor is banded and has projecting stone surrounds around each window bay, with shallow balconies carried on trios of brackets and topped by wrought-iron railings. The 7th floors is crowned by a black metal cornice with brackets, modillions, and dentils. Above it the 8th floor consists of a steep metal mansard with three dormers - the outer two are segmental-arched with double-windows, and the center dormer is larger, topped by a peaked pediment.

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