Construction Jumpstarted on 163 Orchard Hotel; Renderings Released

In August 2008, the mid-block parcel of 163 Orchard Street was bulldozed to rubble and cleared out.  Within a matter of months, the concrete crew arrived, and the foundation for a glitzy new hotel was poured. It was to become a “hip” inn with thirty-two rooms designed by architecture firm Grzywinski + Pons, and carry the awful moniker, Stories_NY.

However, the foundation job was not completed before the updated Lower East Side zoning was passed in November 2008, and the economy simultaneously tanked.  This perfect storm effectively killed any chances for the eleven-story finger building to arrive. Two years passed without a peep from the project site.  Then, last February, Community Board 3 granted developer Serge Hoyda conditional support to jumpstart work after laying fallow so long. Another ten months elapsed, and at present day, a different architecture firm is on board with updated renderings for the space.

ADB Associates, who redesigned and upscaled the corner building at 100 Delancey a few years ago, is the new captain of the ship, so to speak.  Have a gander at what to expect in the coming months.  It’s gut-wrenching, vomit-inducing…you get the idea:

Wait, there’s more!  Not even finished yet, and the property is already listed for sale via Lee & Associates.  Price tag for the undeveloped hotel opportunity at 163 Orchard is a jaw-dropping $26 million. The investor will gain a hotel that is “delivered complete” sometime in 2013.