When the Gramercy Park Hotel's new rooftop bar opens, what time does it close? The answer was settled in March, long before most neighbors could see the rooftop from the street. At a hearing before the full board of the State Liquor Authority on March 12, neighbors negotiated binding stipulations with the hotel's operator, MCR. Under the first one, the "Roll-A-Cover" on the rooftop venue closes at 10:00 PM.
That is the pattern on the blocks around the park. Three long-awaited projects sit at its edges: the hotel at 2 Lexington Avenue, Maialino's new home at 67 Irving Place, and a 20-story condominium going up at 38 Gramercy Park East. Their stated timelines run from fall 2026 to spring 2028, so they will arrive one at a time. For each one, the terms neighbors will live with are being set during construction, through liquor license hearings, court calendars, and developer updates sent through the Gramercy Park Block Association.
The hotel's terms were negotiated before it opened
MCR, the operator that restored the TWA Hotel, took over the Gramercy Park Hotel through a 99-year lease. Its development affiliate, MORSE Development, is running the renovation, and Solil Management still owns the building and land. When MCR announced the project in August 2023, the scope covered the lobby, ground-floor restaurants and bars, 197 guestrooms and suites, and a 7,000-square-foot rooftop bar. The release said the hotel would reopen in 2025. That date slipped. In July 2026, Our Town reported that the hotel was scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2026.
The expanded bar program is what drew the most attention from those living closest to the building. In an April 16 letter to neighbors, Gramercy Park Block Association president Arlene Harrison described eleven months of organizing. Neighbors spoke at public hearings, paid for a professional traffic study, and pushed for a full State Liquor Authority hearing. The GPBA testified at five public hearings. Her letter lists what MCR agreed to:
- The rooftop venue's Roll-A-Cover closes at 10:00 PM.
- The hotel will review the neighbors' traffic study and help put its findings into practice.
- Sidewalk dining is limited in both seating capacity and hours.
- Capacity limits apply when the rooftop and cellar venues host events at the same time.
- No queuing on the public portion of the sidewalk.
- A direct line runs between the hotel and designated community liaisons, including the GPBA.
Harrison wrote that the hope was for the hotel under MCR to become "a centerpiece of community life in our historic residential neighborhood." The stipulations mean most of the hotel's evening hours on Lexington Avenue are already defined before the doors open.
The rooftop also has a court calendar
The rooftop drew a second set of rules from next door. 50 Gramercy Park North is a 17-story, 21-unit co-op that was part of the hotel for about 75 years. It was split off after Ian Schrager bought the property in 2004 and converted the park-facing section. A 2006 agreement between the two buildings gave the co-op rooftop access, along with room service and gym membership at the hotel.
According to Our Town, a new structure appeared on the hotel roof on May 18. The co-op sued on June 4, calling its rooftop access an "irrevocable and perpetual" right and describing the new space as a members-only social club. The hotel said the dining space will be open to the public. As an alternative, the hotel offered the co-op a private third-floor area. On July 13, Judge Anar Rathod Patel denied the co-op's request for an injunction and lifted the construction halt, Habitat Magazine reported.
That ruling let the work continue, but the case is still open. The court docket shows a status hearing held October 15 and a trial-scheduling conference set for April 20, 2027. The rooftop could be serving drinks under its 10 PM rule while the question of who else may use it is still before the court.
Construction has kept going in the meantime. The Block Association passed along a notice from the hotel's construction team about a one-day crane and concrete operation on Tuesday, August 25. The crane stood on Lexington Avenue in front of the entrance at Two Lexington Avenue, with a concrete truck beside it, to place concrete at the top of the building "as the Hotel's restoration continues."
Three projects, three timelines
The hotel is the first of three arrivals, and each has a different stated schedule:
| Project | Address | What is coming | Stated timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gramercy Park Hotel | 2 Lexington Avenue | 197 rooms, ground-floor restaurants and bars, a 7,000-square-foot rooftop bar | Fall 2026, per Our Town in July 2026 |
| Maialino | 67 Irving Place, near East 18th Street | Union Square Hospitality Group's Roman trattoria, on the ground floor of an 11-condo conversion | 2027, per Eater in November 2025 |
| 38 Gramercy Park East | Northeast corner of Gramercy Park East and East 21st Street | A 20-story condominium with 57 units | Spring 2028 completion, per New York YIMBY in May 2026 |
Maialino comes back around the corner
Maialino first opened inside the Gramercy Park Hotel in 2009, where it became known for its ricotta pancakes and cacio e pepe. It closed in 2020 when the hotel shut down. Danny Meyer had explored returning it to the reopening hotel, and Eater reported that the plan did not work out. Maialino is now headed to 67 Irving Place instead, in 2027.
67 Irving Place is a former printing factory that has been on the block since 1910. CIM Group developed the conversion, and Morris Adjmi Architects designed it as 11 condominiums with restaurant space on the ground floor. In Surface's February report, each home occupies a full floor. Meyer has lived in Gramercy since 1998, and his daughter Hallie opened Caffè Panna in the neighborhood.
For the neighborhood, the change is that the restaurant once tied to the hotel lobby will open two blocks south, as its own Irving Place storefront, on its own schedule.
38 Gramercy Park East is still pouring concrete
The third project is the furthest out and the most disruptive right now. Legion Investment Group is developing 38 Gramercy Park East with Gindi Capital as partner. Roman & Williams designed the building, and SLCE Architects is the architect of record. The site is also listed as 146 East 21st Street.
Construction updates have moved through the Block Association all season. In September, East 21st Street between Third Avenue and Gramercy Park closed from 8 AM to 6 PM on two weekends for water-main connections. In its October 12 update, relayed through the GPBA, the developer said pour timing depends on weather, inspections, site conditions, and concrete supply. The developer said it would try to give advance notice of especially disruptive or extended-hours work "when practical." Its estimate is that the bulk of heavy concrete work will wrap up toward the end of November, if conditions allow.
The same update covered the hydrant the site has been using. The developer expects to switch to permanent water service in the coming weeks. It attributes the leaks coming through the sidewalk to underground piping owned by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and DEP has not given a repair date. The GPBA asks neighbors to email the location, date, time, and photos of any problems to [email protected].
The park itself stays as it is. The Block Association's current guidance says Gramercy Park is not open to the public. Access is limited to eligible lot-owner residents, occupants, members, and congregants, during daylight or hours the Trustees designate.
What opened on the avenues this fall
While the three projects on the park's edges move through their 2026, 2027, and 2028 timelines, this fall's openings have been on Third Avenue and East 23rd Street.
Triona's served its last beer at its original Gramercy location on Monday, September 28, timed to a Monday Night Football game. Four days later, on Friday, October 2, it reopened next door at 190 Third Avenue as Triona's Vintage Sporting Club, Eater reported.
Bun Mee opened its first New York location on October 8 at 115 East 23rd Street, serving bánh mì, pho, bowls, salads, and specialty drinks, according to Patch. Founder Denise Tran told Patch that the McClave family's Vietnamese roots and family-run partnership made the collaboration feel familiar. The family plans two more New York locations.
Two arrivals sit at the neighborhood's southern and western edges. Lou Yau Kee returned on October 19 to the Time Out Market stall at 124 East 14th Street, at Irving Place, serving Singaporean comfort food including Hainan chicken rice, according to Eater. Amphora opened September 9 at 43 East 20th Street, Eater reported. The Flatiron NoMad Partnership describes it as a wine-led restaurant with a 2,500-label list, led by chef Jack Logue and wine director Chris Miller.
The next fixed dates on the park's calendar are the developer's end-of-November estimate for heavy concrete at 38 Gramercy Park East and the April 20, 2027 trial-scheduling conference over the hotel rooftop.
If you own near the park and want to talk through how the hotel's return, Maialino's move to Irving Place, and the new condominium on Gramercy Park East might affect your building and your timing, Heather Domi Team is glad to talk it through in confidence. Schedule a Consultation.
