The 55-story London N.Y.C., formerly the Rihga Royal Hotel, captures a heightened sense of the architectural mythology of New York, its history and context. The resulting skyscraper, though inspired by New York skyscrapers from the 1920’s and 1930’s, does not pay homage to any one in particular, but instead references the entire tradition of pre-war skyscrapers in Manhattan. In the process, its materials and architectural form invoke what New Yorkers and visitors love most about the architecture of the city.

The dominant design concern of the London’s architectural form is that, although it rises from a fairly solid and uniform granite base, it grows lighter and more attenuated as its rose-colored masonry mass is gradually peeled away in a series of setbacks in the mid-section and the top. This attenuation is complemented by the vertical thrust of the organization of the bay windows. The hotel is topped by a crenellated lantern at its summit, giving the London a strong architectural identity.

The textured, faceted undulations of the façade are not merely ornamental. Because this tower occupies a mid- block site which is between 6th and 7th Avenue, with a tall office building directly across from it, bay windows not only give a wonderful sense of vertical scale, but also open up the hotel’s suites to sunlit views up and down West 54th Street.

Having recently undergone a major renovation by the Blackstone Group, the London is unique among New York hotels in containing only suites, rather than single rooms. There are 514 suites in all, the majority of which are 530 square feet with the larger suites on the upper floors. Each of these suites has a living room with French doors that open into the bedrooms. In this way, it can also be used for business meetings and for entertainment. The designer of the London’s interior was David Collins and the hotel includes a restaurant by Gordon Ramsay.