Let the light in. The design scheme for Ian Schrager's condo conversion of the Gramercy Park Hotel smartly opens up the old cramped sash windows with large single panes of glass, offering dramatic views of the famous private park. The hotel is actually two buildings, one at the corner of the park and Lexington Avenue, the other to the west facing Gramercy Park North. It is the latter structure out of which just 23 apartments are currently being created. Schrager has chosen London-based minimalist John Pawson to design the spaces, an architect with such a light touch that his work could be described not so much as spare as vacant. Don't plan on moving in with lots of stuff--a toothbrush could look out of place here. By choosing to simply alter the glazing pattern rather than re-skin the entire building, Schrager has kept his project nicely muted. After all, this is one of the most loved corners of New York and the only way to survive here is to get along with the prickly (and litigious) neighbors. In the past the hotel's guests would have to take turns visiting the park because the doorman only had one key. We wonder if that arrangement will work in this new condo regime. The prospect of litigation with the park's trustees is always just one cease-and-desist order away. View renderings of Pawson's interiors and the unit layouts at the just-launched website for the project linked below.
