By Kareem Johnson
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — The famed Hotel Chelsea is set to undergo some renovations to make way for new retail space, an expanded lobby and a second restaurant, the Wall Street Journal reported.
New York developer Joseph Chetrit bought the hotel earlier this year, reoportedly for more $80 million. Chetrit was expected to turn the hotel into condominiums, but instead has opted to keep the Chelsea icon as a hotel, the paper said.
In an interview, architect Gene Kaufman said the renovation he's working on would be like a renovation.
"It would be subtle," Kaufman told the Journal.
Exterior renovations to the hotel, built in the 1880s are limited by its landmark status. However, Kaufman said that the building requires several updates, including halls, elevators, the heating and cooling systems, and public spaces, the paper reported.
Kaufman told the Journal that he plans to keep the 12-story building's unusual floor plans in the renovation. The the building contains oddly-shaped rooms without bathrooms, in addition to suites.
