All renderings via ODA Architecture
Five years since the completion of their Tribeca condo conversion at 93 Worth Street, the Eran Chan-led firm of ODA New York has quickly become one of the city’s architectural heavyweights. With successful projects like 15 Union Square West, 100 Norfolk and 251 First under their belt, the firm continues to produce a steady stream of provocative designs throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
This latest uncovering comes in at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood. Called the Bedford Hotel and addressed at 1550 Bedford Avenue, plans submitted to the DOB show the construction of a 5-story, 100-key in spanning 38,000 square feet of zoning area. Documents show the doughnut-shaped building will have a central courtyard and sloping rooflines, and amenities will include a banquet hall, a rooftop bar, and spaces for retail and restaurants.
Per city records, Yoel Goldman’s All Year Management picked up the 19,000-square-foot property in 2014 for $7.2 million. The site has sat vacant since the 2014 demolition of a Gulf gas station and adjoining Dunkin Donuts. All Year has tapped ODA for several other Brooklyn projects such as 54 Noll Street (123 Melrose), The Dean and 134 Vanderbilt Avenue.
Pre-existing gas station at the site (Google)
Drawings from approved ZD-1 diagram via NYC DOB
via NYC DOB
While ODA’s forward-looking design is pioneering for Crown Heights, the project still seeks to complement the neighborhood’s pre-war, masonry character. Rather than glass and gloss, the exterior is covered in a subdued black skin punctuated by a steady rhythm of punch-out windows facing both the street and central courtyard. The porous ground floor will be encircled by wide arches allowing passersby to peer in and move towards the central commons. ODA’s page on the project says, “Bedford Hotel adds to local activity with aesthetics and opportunities, creating a sense of belonging adorned with resilient greenery and a commitment to urban requalification.”
Lobby interior (ODA)
Renderings of the hotel interiors show that exterior’s defining arched openings will be prominent within. “Corridors and rooms hug residents and guests with curved edges that allude to the building’s bent shape, poetic notes that feel equally familiar and old world,” says ODA. The cozy lodgings will have walls sheathed in light-colored wood and have smart and discreet storage areas built within.
Typical hotel room (ODA)
Arched corridors and room entry (ODA Architecture)
The project’s location is light on hotel offerings and close to attractions such as the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Prospect Park, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Also close by are the countless eating and drinking options along Franklin and Nostrand Avenues. The site is one block from the 2,3, 4 and 5 line’s Franklin Avenue station and served by several bus lines.
The site is catty-corner to the controversial Bedford Union Armory Project, which was recently given the green light to be redeveloped as an affordable recreation center, space for non-profits, and 250 units of affordable housing. Across Eastern Parkway, two ground-up rental buildings are finishing construction at 1515 Bedford and 1525 Bedford Avenue.
The site is catty-corner to the controversial Bedford Union Armory Project, which was recently given the green light to be redeveloped as an affordable recreation center, space for non-profits, and 250 units of affordable housing. Across Eastern Parkway, two ground-up rental buildings are finishing construction at 1515 Bedford and 1525 Bedford Avenue.
Google Earth aerial showing location of 1550 Bedford Avenue (CityRealty)
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