DLJ hired architect Ron Castellano to design its conversion to a 113-room luxury boutique hotel, now called Nine Orchard after its street address. State and federal historic tax credits formed a key part of the financing plan, and Castellano asked Culhane to consult on the project.
Castellano and Culhane were able to show that the five-story building next door, which DLJ also purchased, was structurally compromised. This paved the way for the smaller building’s demolition, and the team constructed an appropriately scaled addition in its place. As for the S. Jarmulowsky Bank Building, the group dove into a 10-year odyssey of rehabilitation and reconstruction, guided by original drawings as well as historic photos of the exteriors and the banking hall, and other Rouse & Goldstone buildings. “There’s a lot of stuff that was just missing,” Castellano says.
Dozens of local artisans and fabricators worked on the project, including KNS Building Restoration, which repaired the facade’s original limestone and brick and much of its terra cotta. Tennessee pink marble for the banking hall’s floors and Italian marble for its walls came from the same locations as the original marble.
Completed in 2021, the hotel once again draws eyes to the neighborhood’s skyline, thanks to its imposing scale and the finishing touch of the copper-roofed dome. Despite its grandeur, Castellano says the building has a quiet presence: “It’s like this sleeping giant.” —Meghan Drueding
