The Radical

Suomi Design Works’ ensuing concept for The Radical embraces the raw brick and board-formed concrete of the remaining structures, as well as existing street art within, as a palette upon which a story and design are built out following the history, and histrionics, of the Kent family themselves.

Michael Suomi, President of Suomi Design Works, has assembled a team of unique creatives to collaborate on creating The Radical, including movie set designer Kris Moran, who is known for her work on Wes Anderson films including The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom, and most recently the 2019 award winning Joker.

The project features 70 hotel rooms, and five venues including a coffee shop, fine dining restaurant, ice cream kiosk, rooftop bar, and a bar hidden in the building's core. The design concept embraces a legacy of collection, exposed mechanical systems, in-situ artwork, raw finishes, and the unexpected. Suomi’s team is custom designed all the furnishings and lighting and feature the craftwork of local artists and fabricators throughout, mixed with salvaged vintage architectural artifacts. To offset the hard existing finishes, Suomi worked with Broadway theater stage curtain fabricator I. Weiss to craft layered prosceniums which define and allow for the transformation of central public spaces.

The property’s guest rooms embrace the building’s original street art and are decidedly luxurious, both formal and raw, featuring large sculptural furniture with high-touch finishes. Baths are designed as they would have been circa 1923, reminiscent of the opulence of the nearby Biltmore Estate. Within the guestrooms, reunion-inspired elements include period canopied beds, vintage Soviet bakelite bath caddies, rich lacquered finishes, locally made ceramics, exposed concrete ceilings, and Lucite curiosity cabinets filled with family heirlooms.