Park Lane

NEW YORK

Highgate entrusts acclaimed hospitality designers Yabu Pushelberg with scripting a new tale for Leona Helmsley’s beloved hotel on Central Park South.

Words: Ayesha Khan • Photography: © Adrian Gaut

The incredibly ambitious, sometimes crooked, onetime convicted felon Leona Helmsley is something of a New York legend. Dubbed the Queen of Mean for her tyrannical behaviour and penchant for humiliating and firing employees, Helmsley amassed a sizeable fortune, not as the bored housewife of, but as a determined equal partner to billionaire American hotelier and real-estate developer Harry Helmsley.

In 1967, during the height of New York’s ambitious Postmodern architectural boom, the pair commissioned a soaring 47-storey skyscraper on Manhattan’s glamorous Central Park South. At the time, the property offered a break from the more traditional gilded palaces that were The RitzCarlton, Essex House and The Plaza. But Helmsley’s interior design choices were quite antithetic to its forward-thinking façade. Panelled walls, garish chandeliers and gaudy furniture led the hotel to be considered by some as a missed design opportunity, and although its neighbours enjoyed a steady patronage well into the 2000s, Park Lane began to languish in obscurity. “The hotel had fallen off the map – it was never in any competitive set and no-one really talked about it any more,” recalls Managing Director Prince Sanders, who was hired by Highgate to tap into his credentials as a published author to tell Park Lane’s new story.

In order to script this tale, Highgate entrusted luxury hospitality darlings Yabu Pushelberg. But here’s the catch, it was meant to be a purely cosmetic refurb on a shoestring budget. The studio’s Founding Partner Glenn Pushelberg, recalls his first reaction to the space: “There was this lobby and a wide corridor to the 58th street entrance; we questioned how we could work with it.”

If there was one overarching mandate among both developer and designers, it was to create a space that shunned the exclusivity of the traditional uptown hotel. “We live in a time where there is so much social segmentation and divisiveness, but this hotel harkens back to an era when the proper society lady from Park Avenue would hang-out with her artist friend in SoHo,” explains George Yabu, fellow Founding Partner. “The principal of crossing those societal lines is quite wonderful.”

The resulting lobby is a cheery space that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Splashes of red and green welcome guests, while whimsical topiaries and ceramic bunny sculptures take inspiration from the park opposite, as does the handcrafted ombre rug by Creative Matters – who also supplied the ballroom, events corridor and entry staircase with digitally printed carpets.

The true star of this, and most other spaces however, is a

Park Lane’s F&B offer includes Rose Lane, a charming indooroutdoor restaurant, and Harry’s New York Bar, set in shades of grey and petrol blue

series of murals that were commissioned by a very special collaborator. “One of the creatives involved used to work at Yabu Pushelberg as a designer. After leaving our firm, he met Diego, an artist,” Yabu confirms. “He always kept in touch and would do freelance work for us under their business, En Viu. They are great collaborators because you can give them a general direction and they dream to create something truly amazing.”

As such, En Viu murals line the barrel vaults that give the building its instantly recognisable arched windows, while what was once an underutilised thoroughfare has been converted into a dazzling monochrome catwalk of sorts housing a lively bar. Parallel to this space is Rose Lane, a charming indoor-outdoor restaurant featuring curtained canopies and an expansive green wall. Influenced by Parisian Art Nouveau with a Riviera flair, the light-filled space is as suited to a morning coffee as it is to a nightcap.

Up two glamorous staircases adorned with more En Viu murals, sits Harry’s New York Bar, a delightful speakeasy set in shades of grey and petrol blue. The space is accented with natural materials, while classic vinyls and portraits of New York City icons line the walls.

Park Lane’s three F&B venues are operated by The Sartiano Group, who worked closely with Highgate to develop each concept. Rounding out the trio is Darling, a rooftop oasis perched above Central Park. Ironically, the 47th floor pièce de résistance was something of an afterthought, but became a chance for Highgate’s Senior Vice President of Design, Julie Frank, to exercise her design muscle. Decadent and ornate with a hint of curiosity, the space brings unexpected moments of delight. “We drew on Yabu Pushelberg’s inspiration but developed a narrative around a crazy aunt,” Frank explains. “The space is packed with all the furniture she’s been hoarding for years. It feels eclectic but it’s charming and continues the notion of embracing the quirks of this existing structure.”

The hotel’s once-iconic main dining room, which was a venue for deal-making and

power breakfasts over the years, is now one of the most sought-after event spaces in the city. Here, Yabu Pushelberg did away with the tired wood panelling and glass chandeliers, but not by swapping them out – “that’s too easy,” Pushelberg quips. Instead, they chose to recolour the panels in petrol blue and create the illusion of gilding on the glass chandeliers by simply painting them. Whimsical murals on the ceiling add to the appeal, their designs mirroring the park visible through the towering arched windows.

The 610 guestrooms and suites – half of which offer views towards Central Park – also echo the theme of bringing the leafy surrounds in, and once again feature the boundless creativity of En Viu. Murals cover everything from the headboards to the drapery to the TV credenza, and even the TV itself by way of interactive displays of chirping birds and woodland creatures. Floor lamps and accessories meanwhile are the work of RH, who also provided casegoods such as side tables for the communal areas, while lounge chairs and sofas are from Stellar Works’ Taylor collection. And although small, the bathrooms pay homage to the glamour of adjacent Fifth Avenue. Set in a bold black and white, they recall the monochrome stripe of now-defunct legendary department store Henri Bendel.

“The best hotels in the world are the ones that can bring disparate people together,” Pushelberg says as he muses on the overarching theme of inclusion. For Sanders, an African American, this theme truly resonates too. “As an operator, you rarely have an opportunity to create a culture,” he reflects. “I want to create a place where I feel like I belong, a place where my friends and I choose to hang-out; that definitely didn’t exist around the park previously.”

It’s difficult to know what the Queen of Mean would think about her beloved hotel’s new life. Frank quips that, on more than one occasion, she felt her presence. “We had floods, fires and countless catastrophes that don’t usually happen in the typical renovation, so I often thought ‘wow, Leona is having a ball!’” EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Owner / Developer: Witkoff Operator: Highgate, The Sartiano Group (F&B) Architecture: PBDW Architects Interior Design: Yabu Pushelberg Graphic Design: Mother Design Art Consultant: Creative Art Partners Procurement: HPG International Landscaping: Blondies Tree House Main Contractor: Plaza Construction www.parklanenewyork.com