GKA designs Midtown East hotels for McSam and Portuguese Pestana Groups

Manhattan, NY Gene Kaufman Architect (GKA) will expand his Midtown East portfolio with hotels designed for the McSam Hotel Group and the Portuguese Pestana Group. Both properties are located on East 39^th St.

With the exception of a Hilton Garden Inn at 206 East 52^nd St., the firm’s previous East Side projects have been located in NoMad, Turtle Bay and Murray Hill.

The 62,000 s/f McSam project will rise at 16 East 39^th St. between Madison and Fifth Aves. Resting on two adjacent plots, at 14 and 16 East 39^th St., the 22-story, 162-room hotel will have two lounge/restaurant venues, one on the rooftop and one on the ground floor, and a rear courtyard. The interiors will be designed by Paul Vega’s VLDG, Inc.

Further east, at 23 East 39^th St., between Madison and Park Aves., will be a 40,000 s/f Pestana hotel with 27 floors and 96 rooms.

GKA founder and principal Gene Kaufman said, “These two projects are particularly interesting because of the development and construction issues involved. Assembling lots in this part of town can be challenging, and 16 East 39^th St. involved a complex engineering work-around requiring the removal of a large section of a neighboring structure that wrapped around the original building on our site.”

The hotels will be located within walking distance of many tourist locations, including the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal, and the Empire State and Chrysler buildings.