Residents call it an architectural gem worth saving, but the Landmark Preservation Commission did not agree. Now, the Hotel Deauville is secured by plywood, chains, and locks.
"If you look at where it sits, it belongs here. It's a building from the beginning of the 1900s. It's a beautiful example of Beaux Art," said Mario Messina, president of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association.
Built in 1901 by Buchman and Fox, the Hotel Deauville was originally known as the Hatfield House. The seven-story hotel was once one of the taller buildings near Park Avenue and East 29th Street. And it may have been more than a hotel. Historical newspaper advertisements show the Hatfield House once offered a "magnificent studio" apartment on the top floor, featuring woodwork finished by Tiffany & Co.
When the hotel closed in 2017, neighbors tried unsuccessfully to have it designated as a landmark.
In a statement, the Landmark Preservation Commission explained, "LPC recently evaluated the Hotel Deauville, originally known as the Hatfield House, at 103 East 29th Street, and after carefully reviewing the building's architectural and historical qualities, determined that it does not rise to the level of significance necessary for consideration as a potential individual landmark."
Signs of interior demolition are evident, and neighbors worry about the future of their beloved building.
"I am not, we are not against new development. But, for example, in a case like this, why not reuse? Why not use the structure and build on it, make something that is more cohesive with the neighborhood?" said Messina.
The building's management and owners did not immediately respond to inquiries about the building's future. Current permits show demolition work authorized for the interior, which means the hand-operated copper elevator and decorative staircase could already be gone.
Work is also authorized for the storefront area also, but there is no sign that changes are underway for the exterior.
"I sincerely hope that they preserve the outside structure of the building," Messina said.
But renderings published by an Austrian architecture firm, Arkan Zeytinoglu Architects, on its website show plans for a 120-room hotel in the place of the 7-story Hatfield House, raising questions about what is planned for a development.
"Inside, they want to modernize it. There is nothing wrong with that. They want to raise it up, fine. But within certain kind of parameters, number 1, and number 2, in a cohesive way with what is the style of the buildings surrounding it and the style of the buildings with what it sits on," said Messina.
There was not an immediate response the architecture firm. With the application to landmark the building already denied, neighbors have limited options left. They hope to meet with the developer to talk about the fate of the building before it becomes a memory.
"We believe that a piece of architecture such as this needs to be preserved, needs to be part of New York. It has been part of New York for over 100 years," said Messina.