Philadelphia’s 'Grande Dame' reopens with a dazzling French twist

There’s no city in America where the country’s history is displayed as proudly as in Philadelphia, which is home to some of the USA’s most important landmarks and artefacts and is poised to host a year-long series of events celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary next year. In a timely fashion, the Bellevue Hotel – founded more than 120 years ago and very much part of the city’s historic fabric – has just undergone a major renovation.

Staying power: the Bellevue Hotel

Lovingly referred to as the Grande Dame of downtown, the hotel is located on South Broad Street, just a few blocks south of City Hall and a few blocks east of Rittenhouse Square. The building was completed in 1904 by GW & WD Hewitt in the French Renaissance style and features a sculptural mansard roof, a soaring lobby and an impressive atrium. Despite several renovations throughout its lifetime, many original details have fortunately remained intact, although some required uncovering.

New York-based studio Ward + Gray used these elements to guide a redesign of the hotel’s communal areas and guest rooms, creating ‘a modern interpretation of the classical bones’, according to co-founder Staver Gray. ‘It’s rare to work on a building with this much architectural interest,’ she says, adding that the project involved ‘an exercise in preserving the existing, then complementing this with architectural gestures that feel traditional.’

In the vast lobby, a new reception desk is placed below a striking carved clock. ‘It’s the first thing you see as you emerge from the elevator, and it becomes the heart of the lobby,’ says Christie Ward, the other half of Ward + Gray.

Huge crystal chandeliers were swapped for contemporary Venetian glass versions, while custom fluted glass partitions and full-height velvet curtains draw the eye up to the ornate ceiling and demarcate more intimate areas, such as the lobby bar.

The hotel’s previously underused atrium is reimagined as an outdoor Parisian café, where guests can enjoy morning coffee, late-night cocktails, and everything in between. Its walls are painted a deep green hue that matches mosaic tiles discovered under a drab grey carpet. Decorative awnings, trellis and custom glass lanterns have also been added to evoke an al fresco scene. Elsewhere, the hotel’s all-day restaurant Pergola evokes a similar en plein air vibe on the 19th floor, and the Sporting Club includes a full fitness centre, a four-lane lap pool, an NBA-sized court and more.

The 184 guest rooms and suites were previously stripped of original details, so Ward + Gray strived to return them to glory. The studio reintroduced mouldings, wainscoting, fireplace surrounds, and built-in millwork elements in a French Renaissance style and a warm, feminine colour scheme. ‘We wanted to make those spaces feel like the Bellevue Hotel again,’ Ward explains.

The Presidential Suite was designed in collaboration with Tony Machado from Lucid, the in-house studio of hotel specialists Highgate. Spanning nearly 2,000 sq ft, this opulent space was approached like a chic Parisian apartment using both custom and locally sourced vintage furniture.

From an entry adorned with hand-painted wallpaper to a light and airy living area, three sets of French doors then open to the ‘orangerie’. Here, Belgian bluestone floor tiles and a fabric canopy ceiling ‘create a garden feel, even though you’re still very much inside,’ says Ward. Meanwhile, a moody aubergine-coloured ceiling and a stone-topped table add gravitas to the dining room, whose antique wall panels ‘had to be disassembled and put together again like a puzzle.’

Preserving the Bellevue Hotel’s old-world charm and retaining its familiarity for returning guests, while introducing a fresh yet heritage-appropriate flair, makes perfect sense in a city that fully embraces its historical pride. Ward + Gray has skillfully managed to place the eminent past of this much-loved Philadelphia landmark front and centre.

The Bellevue Hotel is located at 200 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States.

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