9 Orchard Street Repositioning

New York, NY

New York City is home to world-famous hotels, eclectic and exciting neighborhoods, and noteworthy historic sites including the historic bank at 9 Orchard Street. In the Lower East Side of Manhattan, DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners hired Mancini to combine all three elements to create a unique, boutique destination known as Nine Orchard. Working with a multi-faceted team of designers, engineers and consultants, Mancini is serving as architect for the interior spaces and rooftop amenity. This involves coordinating the hospitality-focused future of the 60,000-square-foot landmarked Jarmulowsky Bank Building, which has long been a neighborhood architectural treasure.

A Modern Take on a Historic Bank

When guests enter, they will be greeted by a generous reception area that leads into a grand, double-height lounge space with majestic vaulted ceilings and large windows. The space, with its landmarked interiors, was once the main banking lobby and retains its historic architecture, moldings, among other decorative elements. Instead of bank tellers interacting with clients, bartenders now serve craft cocktails.

Creating New Spaces at 9 Orchard Street

A restaurant and bar occupy additional spaces on the ground floor and will engage the community as a new neighborhood hot-spot. Directly accessible from the street, the restaurant will have both indoor and outdoor spaces. The facade was preserved inline with the building’s existing character. Two private events spaces overlook the grand lounge. A large hall and connected catering kitchen can accommodate events from fundraising luncheons to formal galas. The Library is the smaller venue and is designed for more intimate gatherings.

Creating All-Unique Guest Rooms at 9 Orchard Street

Moving up, the building’s remaining floors contain the guest suites, adding 108 keys to the neighborhood’s hospitality offerings. Every floor is different–no two rooms are alike. Mancini worked with the interior architect to give each room its own character, there are no standard rooms at this hotel and each will have unique features. The team negotiated these floorplans to include rooms that were ADA-compliant to serve a diverse range of guests. Additionally, a neighboring building was annexed to increase the building’s size, and a few seventh-floor suites were designed to include private outdoor terraces on that building’s roof.

A planned penthouse addition will serve as a new event space for the building. The venue overlooks a spectacular domed tempietto atop the building’s turreted corner. Once considered a local landmark, the tempietto will be restored and create a unique destination within the hotel itself where guests can enjoy sweeping views of the neighborhood.

Designing for the Building’s Next 100 Years

Crucial to the project is bringing the historic building up to current, 21st Century code. Mancini’s goal was to keep as much of the historic character of the building as possible while integrating modern accessibility and comfort standards. New mechanical and electrical systems will be installed. Additionally, since Nine Orchard is in a flood zone, Mancini designed solutions that would help keep the building resilient in the wake of extreme weather. There were many conversations about what would happen during the next “Sandy” so that every floor was upgraded to mitigate the risks of disruption in power or flooding.