The Whitney Museum of American Art moved downtown in May after a splash opening that drew First Lady Michelle Obama. Trading the Upper East Side for the meatpacking district, the 220,000-square-foot contemporary art museum designed by architect Renzo Piano has double the exhibition space of its previous home. Among the spaces available for events are a 6,200-square-foot lobby, a 170-seat theater, a black box theater, and a spacious outdoor gallery. It’s also home to the restaurant Untitled from Union Square Hospitality Group. The museum is seeking LEED Gold certification and incorporated a number of sustainable features such as a cogeneration plant to reduce energy usage, a green roof, and a storm water detention tank to reduce storm water runoff. During construction, one-fifth of the construction materials were recycled.
Located in Brooklyn’s North Williamsburg neighborhood, the William Vale has a rarity for a New York hotel: a 15,000-square-foot rooftop public park. Vale Park is on an elevated promenade at the hotel, which is in a building that has 40,000 square feet of retail and office space on the lower levels. The 21-story hotel, which opened in August, has 183 rooms and the 60-foot-long Vale Pool space, which offers light snacks and cocktails. For other dining options, the hotel has a 150-seat Southern Italian restaurant named Leuca that has private dining for 26 guests; the Westlight rooftop bar serving rare spirits and craft cocktails; and a Mister Dips food truck. NoHo Hospitality Group handles all food and beverage services for the hotel. For meetings and events, there is the 4,096-square-foot Vale Ballroom, which has 23-foot ceilings and banquet-style seating for 315 seated guests. The hotel has several other private and semiprivate event locations for groups of as many as 500 guests.
Sandwiched between Chelsea and the meatpacking district, 1 OAK (short for One of a Kind) was the site of Rihanna’s Met Gala after-party. Boasting a rotation of renowned DJs and surprise performances, the New York flagship of the venue brand plays host to a variety of stars. It is owned by the Butter Group, with catering by Iron Chef and Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter Midtown and design by Roy Nachum. It can accommodate as many as 375 people for reception-style events.
