Photo: Angela H./Yelp
A petite apartment-hotel is coming to 405 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea.
The new 20,227-square-foot building, located between West 30th and 31st streets, will have 11 stories and 8 units, according to the plan exam application filed December 12th. The first floor will hold retail space, while six hotel rooms will be on the second through eighth floors. Two apartments will cap the building on floors 8 to 11. Raymond Chan Architect is the architect of record.
The developer, Utica Avenue Hotel LLC, purchased the property in February 2012 for $5.75 million, according to public records. Utica Avenue Hotel LLC appears to be affiliated with hotel chain Howard Johnson, The Real Deal reported.
The existing structure on the site is a three-story mixed building that’s home to D’aiuto’s, creator of the “Baby Watson” cheesecake. Established in 1924 by Italian immigrants Luca and Anna D’aiuto, the bakery once had five storefronts in New York, Capital New York reported. Today, the 405 Eighth Avenue store is the sole remaining outpost.
Around September, the bakery closed “for renovations,” as a Yelp user documented:
Photo: Jenny U./Yelp
When the building traded hands in 2012, the D’aiuto family asked that the new owner keep the business intact, Capital New York reported. Cheesecake-anchored hotel, maybe?
