Hyatt at The Bellevue Announces Renovations
April 12, 2016
The iconic Hyatt at The Bellevue, located along the world-famous Avenue of the Arts in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, will unveil a multimillion-dollar renovation this spring including revitalized guest rooms and a selection of public spaces.
The new design is a modern interpretation of classic Philadelphia that explores the rich political, artistic, theatrical and musical history of the city. Drawing on inspiration from the hotel’s iconic location on the celebrated Avenue of the Arts, the rooms will feature a contemporary take on 18th century furnishings, as well as art from local Philadelphia painters and photographers. The designers collaborated with artistic and cultural organizations in the area, in particular Opera Philadelphia, Walnut Street Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet, bringing specific elements from each institute into the interior design. Each floor will be themed differently with beautifully drawn costume and scenic design renderings from the archives of the opera, theatre and ballet adorning the hallways, taking guests on a historical journey through the building.
The 172 spacious and well-appointed guest rooms and suites will range in size from 350 to 830 sf and feature an earthy palette with pops of bright color. The rooms will showcase an array of modern interpretations of classic silhouettes in varying textures and materials such as feature chairs reminiscent of classic Sheraton armchairs, transom panel mirrors, TV panels inspired by vintage folding screens as well as sleek stone and wood furnishings.
The renovated foyers, halls and elevator lobbies on each floor will serve as a historical journey through the property, with each floor themed around a different costume or set design from Opera Philadelphia, Walnut Street Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet, a collaborative process which took two years to come to fruition. In addition to the costume design sketches that line the corridors on each floor, the halls and elevator lobbies also will contain authentic Philadelphia landscape photography by local photographer Mark Fields, period-inspired chairs and silhouettes of the Founding Fathers updated with pops of hot pink such as Ben Franklin wearing pink spectacles and Thomas Jefferson wearing a pink bow to keep his wig in place. Connecting all floors is the celebrated standout marble and hand-worked iron elliptical staircase, which adds a grandiose charm.
The first floor of guest rooms, the 12th floor, will feature a behind-the-scenes look at the costume department of Opera Philadelphia with framed intricate hand drawings highlighting the fashion worn in productions of Die Fledermaus (2005) and The Magic Flute (2001).
The theme of the 14th floor will be Pennsylvania Ballet’s Swan Lake featuring sketches of the stunning costumes both as enlarged intricate details as well as a full zoomed out picture. The walls will also feature archival photography of the Philadelphia-born Grace Kelly, providing insight into her world as an actress and the Princess of Monaco.
The 15th floor will showcase design boards from Opera Philadelphia’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges (2009) alongside the completed drawings and the 16th floor from Walnut Street Theatre will be dedicated to costume designer Hilary Corbett and will offer a glimpse of the wardrobes from Sherlock Homes and the Speckled Band (1990) and The Show Off (1991).
The 17th floor and final floor of guest rooms will exhibit set designs featured in A Flea in Her Ear (1983) as well as costume illustrations of Les Misérables (2008) by costume designer Colleen Grady, both produced at the Walnut Street Theatre.
“Our renovation was all about creating an identity and a distinct personality for this iconic hotel,” said General Manager Pina Purpero. “This innovative, artistic design does a great job of celebrating our ideal location on Avenue of the Arts, paying tribute to Philadelphia’s storied history but with a contemporary interpretation and creating a warm and inviting environment for guests to enjoy our varied offerings and experiences.”
The Hyatt at The Bellevue also boasts more than 30,000 sf of flexible function space including the romantic Rose Garden Ballroom, and the Grand Ballroom which features original lighting designed by Thomas Edison, and the most celebrated marble and hand-worked iron elliptical staircase in the city.