In an area emerging as a hub of boutique and small hotels, a Hotel Monaco is slated to open by 2009 in downtown Baltimore's historic B&O Building at Charles and Baltimore streets, part of a $60 million project by Philadelphia-based ARCWheeler.
The developer settled on the purchase of the 13-story, century-old beaux-arts building yesterday for $20 million from seller Baltimore and Charles Associates LLC. The former headquarters of the defunct Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co., with a classical lobby designed with twin marble staircases, stained glass panels and a crystal chandelier, was built as the city's tallest structure in 1906 at what was then the city's most prominent commercial intersection.
Besides the 208-room boutique hotel, to be operated by San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group on the top seven floors, plans calls for renovation of 60,000 square feet of office space on four floors. The developer will also refurbish the marble lobby and add a day spa and restaurant, which would also be operated by Kimpton. The hotel will include 15,000 square feet of meeting space and offer valet parking.
FOR THE RECORD - Because of incorrect information provided to The Sun, a listing of hotels under construction downtown gave the wrong address for Staybridge Suites. The correct address is 101 N. Charles St.
THE SUN REGRETS THE ERROR
Kimpton Hotel operates luxury boutique hotels through the United States and Canada, and characteristically each has a different name and decor drawing on local flavor. Hotel Monacos are typically developed in historically significant buildings, such as an old bank in Salt Lake City, a former department store in Portland, Ore., and, in Washington, the city's former general post office, built in 1839 by the architect who designed the Washington Monument. Guest rooms feature brightly colored patterns to create an energetic environment, said Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer of Kimpton.
"The Monaco was inspired by the notion of a world traveler who went on exotic journeys all over the globe and collected artifacts on those travels that he brought back and decorated the home with all these globally inspired pieces," Leondakis said.
"It's very playful. There's a sense of whimsy in the interplay of color and pattern," Leondakis said.
The B&O Building, once headquarters to one of Baltimore's most important companies, will again play a role in the city's economic development, said John Voneiff, a partner with ARCWheeler.
"This is going to end up being the center of boutique hotels," Voneiff said. "You will have a concentration of hotels" along Charles, Calvert and Redwood streets.
