NEW YORK, New York - (November 10, 1997) -- Diana Agrest,
Architects and The Hillier Group have been selected to overhaul a 70-year-old
landmark hotel in Tampa, Florida. The historic 20-story Floridan
Hotel,
located on North Florida Avenue, will be restored to its original elegance,
which marks a new milestone in the revitalization of Tampa's north end.
A new parking garage will also be designed and constructed for the hotel
and public use.
The Floridan Hotel is the only grand hotel left standing from Tampa's
1920's land boom. The vacant hotel was designed and built in 1927
by Francis J. Kennard and Son, Architects, and is a Georgian Revival, Beaux
Arts landmark.
"This project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the revitalization
of downtown Tampa," says Diana Agrest, AIA. "Our challenge will be to match
the hotel's historic nature with the new construction of a parking garage,
which we intend to treat as a piece of significant architecture."
Adds Gerard F.X. Geier II, Managing
Principal of Hillier, New York, "We are proud to be part of this historic
moment for the City of Tampa. Our team has hit the ground running
to ensure a visually appealing project which will be completed on time
and within budget."
The 200,000-square-foot Floridan Hotel will receive a complete interior
and exterior renovation. In an effort to create more spacious guest
rooms, Agrest and Hillier will reduce the 316-room hotel to 225 rooms.
The plan also calls for an expansive formal lobby, as well as restaurants,
meeting rooms, and a rooftop health spa with a lap pool. A
new 350-car parking garage will be constructed adjacent to the hotel.
Design work began in July and the project is scheduled for completion
in Winter '98. The hotel is owned by Capital L.L.C. located
in Tampa. Floridan Parking Group L.L.C. also located in Tampa owns the
parking
garage. The project team includes Diana Agrest, Design
principal, and, from Hillier, Project Principal Guy Geier, Project
Architect Maria Suri and Designer Sharon Eshet.
Diana Agrest, Architects is a full-service urban design, architecture and interior design firm located in New York City, and is known for its unique design quality and concepts. Diana Agrest, AIA has been in practice for 16 years. As a small firm, Diana Agrest, Architects frequently associates with larger firms.
The Hillier Group is a full-service architecture and interior design firm with offices in New York City; Princeton, New Jersey; Philadelphia; Dallas; Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C. and Sydney, Australia. The firm has worked in forty-one states and eighteen foreign countries and has won more than 200 awards in recognition of design excellence.