Progress Report: Sam Chang’s Delancey Holiday Inn

Starchitect Gene Kaufman made a huge splash yesterday with news that he will helm the forthcoming “restorative” renovation of the landmarked Hotel Chelsea. But what about his other project which resides much closer to home – Sam Chang’s Holiday Inn.

Heavy-duty construction at the 150 Delancey worksite really started picking up a couple months ago with the arrival of cranes and steel-bearing flatbeds. In the two intervening months, the towering truck has returned for consecutive weekends, resulting in a new erector-set structure rising roughly seven stories. The sun-blocking Lower East Side skyline now has its newest member, joining the ranks of Blue, Ludlow Residence, the Ludlow, and 38 Delancey (not to mention the stalled projects!).

Upon completion – December 2012, according to the “what’s going on here” sign – this umpteenth neighborhood hotel will include 134 guest rooms across eight stories.  However, initial plans were reportedly scaled back to cut costs.  For instance, reducing dining areas inside resulted in savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.