The 71-key Flatiron Hotel is an adaptive reuse of the Flatiron building, Asheville, NC’s iconic downtown landmark. The new hotel within the Flatiron building aspires to fulfill the building’s historic purpose of signaling to the world that Asheville is a place of consequence. The Flatiron Hotel project will draw inspiration from the original “Lost Generation” of the roaring twenties and connect that bygone era with a mobile creative class looking for an escape true to Asheville’s prohibition-era spirit.
“The goal of the design of the hotel is to marry the ornate nature of the Flat Iron building with a more causal feel of the city,” said Carrie Dessertine, founder, Mey & Co. “The building’s bones are so lovely and elaborate but we want to make the property approachable and more modern. The design challenge is to try to find a visual language that allows the original beauty of the building to shine through and have our new interventions complement and not overpower. We are inspired by the bohemian culture that fills the streets of Asheville and we hope to create a space that compliments the city.”
Within the Flatiron Hotel, guests and locals will find a restaurant featuring a wood-fired oven and craft cocktail bar on the ground floor, a rooftop bar with peerless views of the smoky mountains to the west, and, in the tradition of the Flatiron’s nascent era, one may or may not find a hidden speakeasy somewhere within.
“The building was completed in 1927 as a symbol of Asheville’s prosperity prior to the crash of the late 1920s. It was built as an optimistic symbol of Asheville’s growth. The exterior detailing is stylistically Beaux-Arts. The limestone and copper building base convey prominence. As a cousin to the NYC Flat Iron building, it was meant to define Asheville as a significant urban center of the South,” Dessertine said.
Located on Battery Park Ave., the hotel, where it meets the charming, shop-lined Wall St., will be a short two and a half block walk to the city’s famous and historic Grove Arcade; in proximity to all the best dining, drinking and entertainment that the city of Asheville has to offer; and a short drive to Biltmore Estate and Blue Ridge mountain hiking trails.
“I think the use of pattern will surprise guests,” Dessertine noted. “In order to not fall flat and not be able to match the ornate details of the original building and materials, we have added into the properties’ design several overlaid patterns and graphic moves. Textured wallcoverings and patterned tile add a new additional layer of design to the building. The rooftop bar especially pivots from the palette to lean into that specific area’s history as the broadcasting center of WWNC.”
The Flatiron Building was acquired by Flatiron Preservation Group LLC in 2019 shortly after the City of Asheville had approved its conversion into a hotel.
Tags: Carrie Dessertine, Mey & Co., Flatiron Hotel, Indigo Road Hospitality Group, Flatiron Preservation Group LLC
