22 The Queens Courier • SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Reveling in Ravel Hotel’s expansion BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com One of Long Island City’s luxury hotels is getting a $10 million facelift. The Ravel Hotel, located at 8-08 Queens Plaza South, announced construction had started on its renovation and expansion plan which will add a new 10-story building adjacent to its current six-story hotel. The two will be connected by a walkover bridge. “We are very excited about this transformation as we make our mark on Long Island City,” said Ravi Patel, owner of The Ravel Hotel. “Our focus is to bring both our guests and neighbors a great space to stay, eat, celebrate or simply unwind. We look forward to this new chapter and to the continued success of our property and the neighborhood.” The new building, called The Estate at Ravel, will have more than 45,000 square feet of catering and meeting areas, 54 additional guest rooms, two bridal suites and 35,000 square feet of outdoor space and landscaped gardens. On the third floor, guests will find an indoor/outdoor space with a reflecting pool which changes into an ice skating rink in the winter. All outdoor spaces have views of the 59th Street Bridge, East River and Manhattan skyline. Each of the new rooms will feature a private outdoor space, low platform beds and bathrooms with walk-in showers. The bridal suites will include wraparound terraces, an outdoor pool table, a moveable bed that can be rolled out to the terrace and a staircase leading to the penthouse pool area. The new building will also include a brand The Estate at Ravel, an expansion of The Ravel Hotel, will bring the community and hotel guests various brand new amenities including an ice skating rink, outdoor park space, a catering hall and ballroom. new ballroom on the ground floor that can fit up to 400 guests. In order to accommodate outdoor guests together with hotel patrons, members of the community will be allowed to purchase a membership for the hotel which will allow them access to the various amenities. “There are tremendous benefits not just for hotel guests but the community as well,” said Patel. “It kind of gives it a cool close community and exclusive feel.” Rendering Courtesy Tonny Saada Keeping the outdoor spaces, dining and shopping facilities private to members allows the facility to build a “close knit community,” said Patel. The plan is being led by boutique firm TSID. Construction will not affect any current hotel, restaurant or event operations. Phase one of the plan is expected to be completed by May of 2014 and full construction is slated to be finished by winter of 2014. LaGuardia Library gets an upgrade BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com LaGuardia Community College’s library is getting a modern update to provide students and faculty with more room to research and learn. Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer gathered with students and school administration on Thursday, September 19 to announce he had secured $2 million in funds to renovate and update the first floor of the institute’s library. The funding will improve the space and also bring an open plan to give faculty and students better access. “LaGuardia Community College has continued to play a tremendous role in the lives of countless New York City residents for over four decades,” said Van Bramer. “By investing in LaGuardia’s infrastructure it will provide students and faculty with a state-of-the-art facility that will expand the availability of educational resources offered at the library.” During the renovations, which are expected to be completed by the fall of 2016, 17,000 square feet of the library’s 31,000-square-foot first floor will be rebuilt and the remaining space will be upgraded. Students and faculty will be able to walk through a new entrance into an open space where natural light will be allowed to shine into the building. Among the upgrades and renovations are expanded circulation, reference and periodical areas. There will also be a new 1,600-square-foot information commons to help visitors access information with printed materials and Photo Courtesy of Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer announced on September 19 he had secured $2 million in funding to renovate and upgrade the first floor of the LaGuardia Community College library. technology. The library will also feature four brand new 800-square-foot open study rooms and a 450-square-foot meeting room. Two new 1,200-square-foot access computer labs will be added to the current 750-square-foot lab. “The renovation of the first floor will be a great gift for our students, who have always used the library and depend on us for help, resources and study spaces,” said Jane Devine, LaGuardia’s chief librarian. “This is a wonderful way for us to say to them, ‘thank you for your support.’” No Aluminaire House in historic district BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com Sunnyside Gardens residents and local officials are saying no to an aluminum exhibition house and residential development looking for a new site to call home. The Aluminaire House – an all-aluminum, historic home built in 1931 for a New York City exhibition – is proposed to be relocated to the corner of 39th Avenue and 50th Street in the landmarked district of Sunnyside Gardens. The house would be surrounded by an eight-unit apartment building which property owner Harry Otterman is also looking to construct. Although architects Michael Schwarting and Frances Campani of Campani and Schwarting Architects, who run the Aluminaire House Foundation, believe the house would be a “positive contribution to the cultural milieu of the historic district,” many of those opposed say the structure is out of character with the neighborhood’s brick homes. “The Aluminaire House is wrong for our neighborhood and quite frankly the town housing is all inconsistent with the historic district,” said Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who lives in the area. “The consistency in the colors and in the materials is essential to what creates that sense of place, and while the Aluminaire House is terrific and interesting, it is not the right neighborhood for it.” The nearly 23’ wide by 29’ deep aluminum house was dismantled and is currently in storage on Long Island. If constructed in Sunnyside Gardens, it would serve as a museum and gallery open to the public. Yet, many residents do not believe a museum is appropriate for the area and would only promote vandalism. The Sunnyside Gardens property was previously used as an outdoor nursery and playground, one of the few Depression Era play areas left in the city. The property was sold in 2007 after it became a part of the historic district. Residents hope to bring the park back to life to be used by future generations. “The playground has been used by the community for generations, just as it was intended, and it can continue to serve for the community as a play area and community garden,” said Herbert Reynolds of the Sunnyside Gardens Preservation Alliance. “It the Aluminaire House would deserve a far better future with more forethought than to force it upon our neighborhood where it’s not only out of place, but it’s simply unwanted by the great majority of our neighbors.” The City’s Historic Districts Council met with Campani and Schwarting Architects on September 12 and did not support the plan. On September 19, Community Board 2 voted against the proposal to bring both the Aluminaire house and the residential development to the neighborhood stating it “contrasts to the surrounding community.” Although the opposition from the community has been heard, Schwarting said they are still looking to bring the Aluminaire House to the area and will wait to see what the Landmarks Preservation Commission decides on October 15. “We understand the community is concerned, but I feel that everyone had already made up their mind and I was not able to convince them that this will be a very positive contribution to the neighborhood visually and culturally,” said Schwarting. “It will not be an ugly duckling that everyone is worried about once it is there. We will see what Landmarks thinks.”
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