Accommodation
Midtown
The Chatwal New York
In 1905, noted architect Stanford White designed this neo-Georgian brick building to house the clubhouse of the Lambs, america's first fraternity for theater professionals. After decades of disuse, the designated landmark structure underwent an exhaustive restoration to transform into this 83-room hotel, which aims to bring back the genteel era of 'cards and cocktails.' As required by the Landmarks Commission, designer Thierry Despont kept the original façade and many internal design elements, then crafted a decor that retains that sense of place: patterned terrazzo floors, chrome-detailed columns, and Deco-style light fixtures are found in the cozy lobby and mezzanine bar, while the clubby Geoffrey Zakarian–overseen Lambs Club restaurant is centered around an oversize fireplace that White had given to the Lambs. In the rooms, retro touches like backgammon sets, ultrasuede walls, and cabinets and desks inspired by vintage leather steamer trunks live alongside 42-inch flat-screen TVs, raindrop showers, organic Shifman mattresses, and bath amenities by Asprey (the first for a New York City hotel). A few suites boast balconies, but the real showstoppers are the Stanford White Studio—the original Lambs Club Library with working granite fireplace, private terrace, and wood-paneled walls—and the penthouse Barrymore Suite, which can be taken as one four-bedroom pad or separated into two two-bedroom suites called the Producers and the Directors. — Sandra Ramani
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