The return to office has been slow and uneven, but some New York developers of high-end buildings are hoping elite private clubs can lure workers back, Forbes reports.
”The future of workspace design is about creating a destination,” Tom Vecchione, principal at the architecture and interior design firm Vocon, said to Forbes. “We can see the line between traditional workplaces and classic residential development blurring. The design for work needs to include wellness and that hospitality or a home-away-from-home feel.”
To that end, some landlords are thinking outside the cube. One Willoughby Square in Brooklyn includes amenities such as a coffee lounge, outdoor balcony, banquette seating, covered outdoor space and a custom bar.
The Lever Club (Brookfield Properties, Getty)
Meanwhile, the Lever House in midtown Manhattan boasts the Lever Club, an exclusive, 15,000-square-foot private club that has a members-only lounge, restaurant and conference space. Lever, designed by architecture firm Marmol Radziner, is a selling point to companies and their high-level executives, Callie Haines, executive vice president and head of New York for the office business of Brookfield Properties, told the outlet.
The landmarked 550 Madison has a full-floor private club — with a billiards room and dining table, along with a library — for office tenants and their employees, the outlet reported. The space once housed AT&T’s headquarters.
550 Madison (550 Madison, Getty)
New York has no shortage of private clubs, including one that will essentially serve as a co-working space for the wealthy. In August, Edmond Safra and restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz announced they are taking the 37th floor of Boston Properties’ GM Building for its private club, Colette.
Shares in the club will cost $125,000 — though members can resell their shares — with annual dues of $36,000, with membership capped at 300.
In November, a portion of the Jane Hotel at 113 Jane Street in the West Village was converted into a private club.
The ballroom was turned into a members-only restaurant, under the SVB banner, while the rooftop bar became an outdoor lounge.
— Ted Glanzer