MONTCLAIR, NJ—The Pinnacle Companies has plans to open The MC here, which will become part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection.
The property will be a $35-million, 120,000-sq.-ft., eight-story, full-service boutique hotel. Amenities will include a farm-to-table restaurant, a rooftop bar, front-door valet parking and a six-story, full-service parking garage with solar power and an automated parking system. The property will feature an outdoor plaza connected to a two-story round atrium with 30-ft. high glass walls, which will be open year-round to the public. The property will also feature 13,000 sq. ft. of corporate offices, conference and meeting space.
“The hotel’s original, one-of-a-kind design—complete with an urban rooftop amenity that engages the skyline—will complement Montclair’s organic street life,” stated Chris Lessard, president and CEO, Lessard Design, the project’s master development architect. “The tremendous public spaces surrounding the base of the project are a culmination of the Township’s master plan to create a new gateway to downtown Montclair.”
The hotel’s art program, which will be run in partnership with the Montclair Township, will feature exhibitions throughout the lobby and public areas, including a sculpture on the public plaza.
“Our design strategy celebrates Montclair’s distinctive culture, diversity and artistry—a perfect fit with the Autograph Collection’s unique, one-of-a-kind properties,” said David Ashen, principal, Dash Design, the hotel’s interior design and branding firm. “With a casual sense of luxury and an eclectic vibe, the property aims to be a destination point for the community with a range of social gathering spots.”
Groundbreaking for the hotel is anticipated during the fourth quarter of 2014. Construction will take approximately 15 months, and the hotel is expected to open in early 2016.
“The addition of this hotel property to downtown Montclair complements the vision for our mixed-use property, Valley & Bloom, and adds a vital amenity for the community at large,” stated James Driscoll, SVP of development, LCOR, co-developer of Valley & Bloom, the first phase of the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan.