148-key boutique enjoys broad support from community organizations including Jazz House Kids, Montclair State University and Montclair Art Museum.The MC will be the first full-service hotel to open in Montclair, NJ, since the Hotel Montclair, which closed in 1938. The 120,000 square foot, eight-story boutique hotel will have 148 rooms and suites. Features will include a covered porte-cochere entryway with valet parking, a lobby library, a gourmet farm-to-table restaurant, event space, meeting rooms and fitness center. An express elevator will take visitors up to a rooftop bar offering views of Manhattan to the east and the Eagle Rock Reservation to the west. The hotel will be located at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road on the western end of Montclair¹s central business district. The project includes 13,000 square feet of corporate offices, conference and meeting room space.
The Pinnacle Companies met with the Montclair Historic Preservation Commission last week to discuss plans for The MC hotel, an eight-story full-service boutique hotel at Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Road in downtown Montclair. When opened, the 148-room hotel will become part of the Autograph Collection, Marriott International's exclusive portfolio of independent hotels.
"Although the Historic Preservation Commission's review and commentary is purely advisory, since the hotel property and the overall CentroVerde project are not part of the Township's historic preservation zone, we were pleased to meet with the HPC last night, and appreciate that they accommodated us timing-wise, so there are not further delays with The MC," said Reuben Twersky, vice president of development and project manager for The Pinnacle Companies, developer of The MC and surrounding CentroVerde mixed use development.
"In terms of the scale of the building, the design, and the eight stories plus rooftop bar, we are 100% in compliance with the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan," continued Twersky. "The Township¹s Plan is the product of nearly two years of public meetings and input to replace two shuttered car dealerships that closed in 2007, and provides for a cleanup of environmental contamination resulting from the former tenants."
The MC's design incorporates multiple set backs and step backs and multiple variations in materials designed to make the building fit in with the streetscape of downtown Montclair. The hotel design includes a pedestrian-friendly entrance on Bloomfield Avenue, a public plaza on the corner of Bloomfield and Orange and a new restaurant and bar. It will extend Montclair¹s business center further west, increasing the economic vitality of the Township.
"Architecturally, the most exciting thing about The MC's design is the two-story public atrium, which adds heart and soul to the community and celebrates the public aspect of the building as a true meeting place," said Michael Maturo, president, DYAMI Architecture, the architect of record and design architect for The MC. "In keeping with the Gateway theme of the Township¹s plan, we sculpted the atrium to make it the focus of the building design and opened up the hotel's entire first floor to the public."
The hotel's transparent public atrium on Bloomfield Avenue is designed to welcome pedestrians from the street that can gather for informal meetings, meals and beverages, while hotel guests will enter the building from a circular drive off Orange Road.
Local music and arts directors agree.
"The arrival of The MC hotel is absolutely critical for Montclair to reach its true potential as a destination city," said Melissa Walker, president & founder, Jazz House Kids and producer of the Montclair Jazz Festival. "From a cultural standpoint and as an economic driver, The MC will improve our ability to attract celebrated artists, enthusiastic fans and special events to our neighborhood."
Montclair State University leaders agree too.
"The MC hotel will provide a tremendous high-quality resource for our university that has been missing from the Montclair community for decades," said Jack Shannon, vice president for university advancement, Montclair State University, New Jersey's second largest university with 20,000 students. "The MC will allow us to provide local accommodations for our students and families, visiting faculty and staff, national and international speakers, and out-of-town attendees for our growing number of conferences, performances and other special events."
And, with the Montclair Art Museum just a block away, expect more great - and groundbreaking - things to happen
"The Museum is very excited about The MC hotel, which will bring new energy to a corridor along Bloomfield Avenue in the process of revival. Our area is so key because it lies near the western entrance into town and gives many people their first impression of Montclair," said Lora Urbanelli, director of the Montclair Art Museum. "Over the past two years we've been installing art on our grounds to create a more welcoming setting, and having the new hotel just two blocks from us will enhance that effort. We also look forward to welcoming visitors that the hotel will bring to the museum!"
Pinnacle is positioned to lead the way for a new, modern path for business and visitors in Montclair.
"We are very excited to work with all factions of the Montclair community to create a central hub of activity with the new hotel and public spaces," said Brian Stolar, president and CEO, The Pinnacle Companies.
