NEW HAVEN — Conversion of the iconic Marcel Breuer designed Pirelli Tire Co. structure on Long Wharf to a hotel is on schedule, one of many building projects progressing in New Haven.
Bruce Becker, whose last foray into the city was the 36-floor 360 State Street apartment complex, said workers have been abating the asbestos insulation on the steel within the building since February and should be finished with this phase by August.
“We are making great progress,” the Westport architect and developer said. “We are just plugging away. There are a lot of challenges.”
The Brutalist structure, which Becker bought for $1.2 million in January from IKEA, was essentially abandoned for 20 years.
It was approved for a new life as a 165-unit hotel by the City Plan Commission in November 2018 as IKEA looked for a buyer with the idea of getting the regulatory issues taken care of as an enticement.
Becker said they are working on a design “that honors the architectural legacy of this sculptural masterpiece.”
The architect said the dramatic cantilevered building lets passers-by on Interstate 95 look through it to the city beyond.
He said the original design in 1968 was meant to signal the prominence of New Haven, to put New Haven on the map as a modern city.
Becker said he feels the building will make a better hotel than when it served as the headquarters of the Armstrong Rubber Company, before it was bought by the Italian tire company, Pirelli.
“The views are spectacular,” Becker said as the building looks to the harbor and waterfront on one side and an unobstructed city view on the other.
“No other hotel has water views,” he said.
Becker said his company is designing a boutique hotel with an independent “soft brand” that will be affiliated with a major chain. He said he wasn’t in a position to discuss the brand yet.
In addition to his love of the architecture itself, Becker said it is being designed as the first Passive House hotel in the country, a structure that will use very little energy. He said there will be no fossil fuel used for heating and cooling, with renewable energy generated on the site.
Becker said staying in such a storied building should appeal to visitors concerned about the environment, as well as those interested in architecture.
Becker estimated that it should be ready for patrons next summer. “Hopefully the timing is good,” he said, given that the hospitality industry has been a sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he just got through working on another mid-century modern structure, remodeling the former Bank of America building at 777 Main St. in Hartford, which reminded him of the Pirelli building.
mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
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