Hotel Riverview Could Regain Its Sea Legs

The businessmen behind the Bowery Hotel are planning a new luxury boutique hotel in the West Village, according to documents filed with the city and people briefed on the project.

Hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode, who run the Waverly Inn and Gemma restaurants, and the Maritime Hotel on West 16th Street, presented their plans to transform the Hotel Riverview at 113 Jane St. to Community Board 2's business committee last week. The committee unanimously approved their application for a hotel liquor license; the final full community board vote is tomorrow night.

The building, which houses the popular Cuban restaurant Socialista, was once the American Seaman's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute. Sailors who survived the sinking of the Titanic stayed there, according to a New York Times article from 1912.

Messrs. MacPherson and Goode want to restore the landmarked building to its original look, which entails stripping away a layer of red paint to show the original stone façade and rebuilding an octagonal cupola on the roof.

"The main thing will be the cupola," one of the historic consultants for the project, Bill Higgins of Higgins, Quasebarth, & Partners, said.
The hoteliers' plans for the building include a hotel with a bar in a lounge on the first floor, a restaurant on the second floor, and a roof terrace with another small bar and views of the Hudson River, a community organizer who attended the meeting, Zella Jones, said.
Also, some rooms would have private sunning areas on the roof, she said.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has already approved a permit for interior alterations on the first floor, a spokeswoman, Elisabeth de Bourbon, said.

Permission of the commission is required for projects where interior renovations may affect the outward appearance of the building.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings, Carly Sullivan, said the developers gave notice on November 27 that they will be presenting plans for renovations. An application for a Certificate of No Harassment, which is required for renovations, was filed November 7 with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, according to records.

Messrs. MacPherson and Goode and the current owners of the Hotel Riverview declined to comment for this article.

Following its incarnation as a home for sailors, the building was turned into the Jane West Hotel and the Hotel Riverview, as it is now called.