This New Luxury Hotel in Manhattan Celebrates Gilded Age New York

As part of a decade-long transformation, New York City's rapidly changing NoMad neighborhood (North of Madison Square Park) has experienced a hotel surge, most recently adding a Virgin Hotel and the city’s second Ritz-Carlton. Opening on October 16 is the 153-room Fifth Avenue Hotel, housed in a historic bank building alongside a new 24-story glass tower. This flagship property of the Flâneur Hospitality group is one of the few independently owned boutique hotels in the area, drawing inspiration from the Gilded Age era when the avenue was lined with the opulent mansions of financiers and industrialists.

On the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 28th Street once stood the magnificent 19th-century estate of socialite Charlotte Goodridge, renowned for her extravagant parties. In 1907, this estate was replaced by a striking brick and limestone bank, designed in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. Even if you don't recognize the firm by name, you are likely familiar with its legacy, which includes iconic structures like the Brooklyn Museum, the original Pennsylvania Station, the Columbia University campus, and the Washington Square Park arch.

Hotel founder Alex Ohebshalom’s family purchased the building nearly fifty years ago. In the last decade, as he reimagined it into a luxury hotel, he aimed to “honor the legacy and lifestyle of those like Ms. Goodridge, who hosted grand gatherings on Fifth Avenue.” Instead of replicating the elegant exteriors, the new hotel draws on the property’s residential history and “is designed to feel like stepping into the private home of a world traveler,” Ohebshalom shares with Dinogo.

Ohebshalom drew inspiration from his extensive travels. He highlights the “rich, vibrant colors and beautifully intricate textures” of Morocco, Laos, and Myanmar as key influences on the hotel’s eclectic design palette. To bring his vision to life, he collaborated with designer Martin Brudnizki, whom he discovered while staying at one of his properties in Miami. “I admired how he made public spaces feel vibrant and residential,” Ohebshalom notes about the Stockholm-born designer, whose work is featured at the Beekman and Hôtel Barrière Fouquet’s New York. “It felt whimsical, like being in a jewel box.”

Behind the hotel’s limestone façade lies a maximalist explosion of colors and textures, reflecting the extravagant spirit of the late 19th-century Gilded Age. Expect jewel-toned chandeliers adorned with crystal baubles resembling fruits, flowers, and melting candies; arched green windows that act as room dividers; striking rugs featuring oversized floral designs or tiger stripes; inlaid bar carts with lizard-shaped handles; and vanities painted inside with colorful Chinese dragons.

Equally impressive is the hotel's art collection, featuring works by notable 20th-century American photographers like William Klein, Gordon Parks, and Melvin Sokolsky, as well as glazed Venetian ceramic masks by Spanish artist Jaime Hayon. Additionally, a deconstructed portrait of Baudelaire by American mixed-media collage artist Michael Mapes adorns the walls, crafted from vintage stamps, dried fruits and flowers, gel capsules, and miniature photographs.

Ohebshalom describes the collection as a modern-day cabinet of curiosities, designed to ignite imagination and provoke conversation, wonder, and delight. “Close inspection is rewarded as one takes the time to appreciate the details,” he adds. One of his favorite pieces is a specially commissioned tapestry by California-based multimedia artist Pae White, titled Bugz & Drugs, which illustrates ladybugs, dragonflies, and grasshoppers flitting around plants like poppies and cannabis.

In the wood-paneled Portrait Bar, adorned with portraits from artists like Queens-based photographer Alanna Airitam, guests can enjoy both modern and classic cocktails (bar director Darryl Chan describes the St. James in London as “afternoon tea meets English milk punch”) alongside an elevated snack menu, featuring crispy oysters with celery root remoulade. For a more substantial meal, make a reservation at Café Carmellini, helmed by celebrated New York City chef Andrew Carmellini of Locanda Verde and The Dutch fame. The French-Italian menu includes lavish dishes like rabbit cacciatore and lobster cannelloni with caviar.

Ohebshalom envisions that the exquisite menu will encourage guests to “slow down and savor the moment,” which reflects his goal for the entire experience at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. As he puts it, “That’s our interpretation of sublime luxury.” Starting at $895