Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy has been commissioned to create the first Aman Resort in the US, within New York’s landmark Crown Building.
The principal designer of Denniston International specialises in 'ultra-luxury' hospitality design, having worked around the world with companies such as Banyan Tree, Mandarin Oriental and One&Only.
He has previously collaborated with Aman for resorts in Venice, the Indonesian island of Moyo and Sveti Stefan islet in Montenegro – with designs that focus on merging local cultural elements and traditions with a romantic theme.
For Aman New York, he has been handed a brief to “bridge the harmonious ethos of Aman in the heart of one of the most bustling metropolises in the world”.
The Crown Building, overlooking Central Park, was built at 730 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in 1921. Now, the landmark – designed by Warren and Wetmore, architects of the Helmsley Building and Grand Central Terminal – is set to undergo a transformation.
Gathy has planned a double-height Sky Lobby, 83 guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, a wine library, a subterranean jazz club, a 10th-floor wraparound Garden Terrace and an exclusive collection of 20 custom-designed private homes, representing the first urban Aman Residences.
A five-story, 14,000sq ft (1,300sq m) park view penthouse will be nestled into the building’s ornamental gilded crown.
The hotel will feature an elevated three-story 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) Aman spa, with a 25m indoor swimming pool bordered by alcoves of double daybeds and fire pits.
Two Spa Houses will have spacious double treatment rooms, a sauna and steam rooms complemented by hot and cold plunge pools, and an outdoor terrace.
“It’s with great pleasure that we introduce Jean-Michel’s transcendent design and pioneering vision in restoring one of Manhattan’s most storied buildings back to its original splendour,” said Vladislav Doronin, chair and CEO of Aman.
“A long-time Aman collaborator, Jean-Michel has redefined hospitality with his trailblazing designs.”
Gathy added: “The design of Aman New York will reflect the brand’s commitment to creating luxurious havens of space and seclusion while paying homage to the building’s stately architecture and momentous history.”
