319-321 West 38th Street. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architect
BY: MICHAEL YOUNG AND MATT PRUZNICK 8:00 AM ON AUGUST 3, 2024
Construction has topped out on 319-321 West 38th Street, a 26-story Best Western Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan. Designed by Gene Kaufman Architect and developed by 319 West 38th Steel LP, the 250-foot-tall structure will span 44,200 square feet with an undisclosed number of hotel rooms and a collection of amenities. The property stands on two adjoining interior plots between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.
The entire reinforced concrete superstructure was built since our last update in early February, when crews were still working below street level behind the façades of the two low-rise residential buildings that were incorporated into the podium of the tower. Recent photos show metal frame studs in the process of lining the edges of the floor plates ahead of the start of façade installation, which could begin later this summer.
The below Google Street View image details the look of the low-rise occupants of the property before work began.
The main rendering depicts the new tower rising even with the roof levels of its abutting neighbors. The bulk of the structure will be clad in red brick, matching the look of the original façades at street level, with a four-story section of gray metallic paneling in between. The fenestration is made up of wide industrial-style windows with black mullions. Though absent in the rendering, there is a cantilevering concrete platform just below the parapet that will likely serve as a balcony for an upper amenity space.
319-321 West 38th Street’s anticipated completion date is slated for summer 2025, as noted on site.