April 1, 2013
Madison Square Park Clock Tower Goes Dark
The Madison Square Park clock tower on top of the old MetLife building has gone dark. But fear not; Curbed NY is reporting that it is only temporary.
The building is being converted into a Marriott brand New York Edition Hotel. A Marriott rep told Curbed that they are “in the process of completely restoring/upgrading the exterior of the building including all of the infrastructure inside (electrical, etc.). This process will take some time, of course, but the result will be a state-of-the-art, almost brand-new building. There is no set time table for the completion but it will likely be around the opening of the hotel, in 2014.”
The New York Edition Hotel hotel is being developed in conjunction with hotel/cultural icon Ian Schrager. They are being very quiet about the details of the project, but it has been reported that the hotel will contain 355 rooms and feature a banquet space, restaurant and spa. They’ll also have a “clock machine room” which will allow guests to operate the clock tower.
Marriott has also confirmed that once the New York Edition Hotel is open, the lights will “largely look the same.”