FOUND Study - Midtown East Residences (New York City, New York)

 apartment building, Modern (architecture)

177-foot, 19-story hotel completed in 1961. Designed by Morris Lapidus, it opened as the The Summit Hotel. It was later renamed the Loews New York Hotel, and then the Metropolitan Hotel, before being sold and rebranded as a Doubletree property in 2010. Built in reinforced concrete, the curving north and south elevations are clad in light green glazed brick and dark green mosaic tile. The top three floors, built as penthouse suites, are faced in green structural glass.

One story (plus mezzanine) tall along Lexington Avenue, the height increases as it approaches Third Avenue. Above the base, the S-shaped slab contains 15 floors of guest rooms, crowned by a set-back penthouse and an irregularly-shaped mid-block mechanical tower. The main entrance, with glass doors, faces Lexington Avenue, covered by a large stainless-steel marquee. It is set between two storefronts, each occupying space that was once part of a small plaza. Along East 51st Street, the walls are mostly faced in pale-green glass squares. These panels, installed in early 2005, conceal the original pre-cast concrete panels and strips of green mosaic tile. Globe-shaped aluminum lighting fixtures, projecting from the mosaic tile, are located above. On the roof of the base are stainless steel planters and railings.

Further east, three storefronts, clad in stainless-steel and clear glass, are recessed below the 2nd floor, forming a shallow arcade. The 2nd floor is divided into three bays, each having four vertical windows, flanked above and below by dark green glass. Farther east is the entrance to the loading dock, trimmed in the original metal. Near the east end of the building is the entrance to the garage, crowned by the original metal louvers.

Above the ground floor, the entire west façade is windowless. The beige-colored aluminum panels replaced the original marble in the late 1960s. Close to the north edge of the west facade, extending from approximately the 7th to the 13th floor is a projecting illuminated sign, consisting of seven oval disks balanced between triangular stainless steel supports. It is approximately seventy feet tall. The sign is original, though the arrangement of letters and imagery has been changed.

The north or East 51st Street elevation is the building’s most distinctive and visible feature – a flattened S curve. At the lowest floor, it is engaged with the base, obscuring part of the lowest floor. From the east edge of the site, where it meets the rear façade of 830 Third Avenue, it veers north and then south again before nearing Lexington Avenue. Each bay consists of a projecting light green brick rectangle that floats against a dark green mosaic tile background. At the center of each rectangle are two small air vents. The top of the uppermost floor (below the penthouse) is faced in beige-colored aluminum panels. The penthouse, faced in green and clear glass and vertical metal moldings, is three stories tall. Each suite adjoins a small outdoor terrace. The top level is crowned by a projecting roof cornice. Above the penthouse, at mid-block, is a tall mechanical tower, housing ventilation equipment and a water tower. The north side is faced with metal grilles and the west side is clad with green brick.

The south elevation is visible from Lexington Avenue with difficulty. Viewed at an acute angle, it nearly identical to the East 51st Street façade except mid-block where the windows are interrupted by a solid wall of green brick.

The hotel contained 764 guest rooms. It closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was sold in 2021 for use as dormitories. The ground floor along the avenue is occupied by Fresh&Co restaurant, Neuhaus chocolates, and Euphorie cosmetics.

www.foundstudy.com/midtowneast
therealdeal.com/new-york/2022/01/07/midtown-doubletree-...
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