Rehab Of Blighted Hell's Kitchen Building OK'd By Landmarks Board

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A historic building whose shuttered storefronts have blighted a block of Hell's Kitchen for years may be in for a makeover after the city's Landmarks and Preservation Commission signed off on renovation plans Tuesday.

Owners of the Windermere Hotel on the corner of West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue are seeking to renovate the building's street-level facade to add new windows and cornices, repair its original cast-iron columns and restore brickwork, bringing it closer to its original appearance.

Commissioners unanimously approved the plan during their Tuesday meeting, but asked applicants to keep working on aspects of the design in order to adhere more faithfully to the building’s original architecture.

Considered a prime example of Victorian architecture, the building was constructed in the 1880s as a residence for unmarried women. For decades, it was shrouded behind scaffolding as it crumbled into disrepair. The building became infamous after landlords were convicted for violently harassing tenants, and has been empty since 2007.

The scaffolding came down in 2019, but the windows along 57th Street have remained boarded up.

In November, Community Board 4 unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Windemere's renovation. The following month, despite being empty, the building landed on the Public Advocate's "Worst Landlords" watchlist based on its high number of open violations.

It is unclear what the future holds for the Windemere's 65 dwelling units. In 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported that owner Mark Tress planned to convert the Windermere into a luxury hotel, but few updates have emerged since then.

View detailed plans for the Windemere Hotel renovations via the Landmarks and Preservation Commission.