CIVILIAN Hotel - Broadway's Newest Star

Rockwell Group and Focus Lighting Create a Show-stopping Attraction in New York's Theater District

By Vilma Barr

The Civilian Hotel is a hotel and dining destination that draws its own visual drama from 41 neighboring theaters in New York’s iconic Broadway district. From its marquee at 305 West Forty-eighth Street to its Starchild Rooftop Bar and Lounge on the top and twenty-seventh floor, Civilian interprets the nearby fabled stages with its own style, a collaboration by The Rockwell Group and Focus Lighting, both based in New York City.

The design architect for the 203-room building was Gene Kaufman Architects. David Rockwell and associates created the interiors with Focus Lighting, led by designer Juan Pedro Lira. (Mr. Rockwell’s comments on Civilian appear below.)

Lighting designer Lira, known to colleagues as JP, and his team were responsible for the facility’s architectural lighting, for fixtures rated at 2,700˚K. Accent lighting for the numerous theatrical exhibits emphasize the displays of theater props and costume pieces such as those exhibited in the Blue Room.

Photo Credit: Rockwell Group

“We served as consultants for the custom decorative lighting which was designed by the Rockwell Group,” says Lira. “Mock-ups were reviewed to check the output of the LEDs and the effects on the object or space being lit,” he pointed out. Museum-type lighting was employed for the shallow profiles of display cases.

“There are 41 circular wood-mounted wall sconces in the Rosevale Kitchen dining room, each with a sketch of the façade or interior of the surrounding theaters,” Lira describes. Soft lighting behind each white glass shade creates a visual rhythm through the space. Overhead is a room-spanning chandelier formed by a double row of white lamps on a black metal frame. A wall-mounted upholstered panel above the red velvet banquets is defined by a glow of lighting along top and bottom.

In the adjoining Rosevale Lounge, Focus balanced the two levels of illumination: at the arch tops of the triple wall units; and the ceiling-suspended metal shade fixtures over the bar. Circular and rectangular tables are identified with beams of light.

Photo Credit: Rockwell Group

A black metal spiral staircase at the second floor level, not unlike stairs typically found backstage in traditional performing theaters, is draped in cascading fabric levels, similar to a curtain framing a stage. Lira gave dimension to its deeply gathered vertical panel element and the draped swags with degrees of light and shadow, and the additional effect on this scene with gold tassel pulls.

Photo Credit: Rockwell Group

“The Civilian,” observes Lira,” is David’s pet project.” Now heading a 250-person firm with offices in Los Angeles and Madrid, Spain, Rockwell’s international reputation spans theater and architecture. He has been involved in settings for nearly 70 stage shows, nominated for and receiving Tony citations. His firm’s broad practice has garnered an award-winning list of hospitality and resort projects.

Throughout his dual career, Rockwell has been guided by the vision that, just like putting on a stage show, a room only comes to life when there are people to witness it. “Theater isn’t alive without an audience, and that’s also true of architecture, particularly hotels. That’s what we are seeing at the Civilian,” he affirms.

Q&A w/David Rockwell, founder and President, Rockwell Group, architect and designers of the Civilian Hotel (Mr. Rockwell’s responses transmitted via email).

1. dl: Had you worked previously with Civilian Hotel developer Jason Pomeranc on other projects before Civilian?

DR: We first worked together on Kittichai, which was located on the ground floor of the Thompson Hotel in Soho, back in 2004.

2. dl: When did you first become interested in theater and theater design?

DR: I spent the early part of my childhood living in Deal, New Jersey. My mother ran a community theater there and cast me in a number of productions. At home, my four brothers and I turned our garage into a fantasy clubhouse. We transformed it over and over again, from a bunny farm for Easter to a haunted house on Halloween. That might have been the first clue that transforming spaces would be a passion of mine.

3. dl: When did your interest in lighting design become an important aspect of your design interpretations? At Syracuse University, or at the Architectural Association of London?

DR: I worked as an intern for the lighting designer Roger Morgan when I was 19. He took me under his wing and made me his assistant draftsman. Working for Roger helped me realize that I could pursue and combine my passions for architecture and theater. In all of our work, we used lighting to tell stories. For example, we spend a lot of time thinking about entrances and how guests move throughout a space. Lighting can add a momentary sensation at the entry, which sets the tone for the rest of the experience even before you step inside. Though short-lived, it’s a memorable encounter that feels elevated. At Civilian, the runway-like vestibule has an abstract interpretation of marquee lighting.

Photo Credit: Rockwell Group

4. dl: Did your concept for the interior precede that of Gene Kaufman Architects for the building’s structure?

DR: The building’s construction documents were almost complete. We looked for opportunities within the original footprint and expanded the ground floor restaurant and added the lower level’s brick façade.

5. dl: Of the lighting fixtures used for Civilian, are there any custom or specialized production designs?

DR: There are several custom lighting fixtures throughout that we developed. Notably, in the Rosevale Kitchen, 41 round custom brass sconces that feature sketches of the 41 Broadway theaters by an expansive list of prominent set designers including Derek McLane, Es Devlin, Scott Pask, Tony Walton, and Mimi Lien. Inspired by the late Tony Walton’s theater drawings found in a Playbill, we reached out to each designer personally, and while the sketches highlight each artist’s individual style, together they create a cohesive family.

6. dl: Did you and your team envision patrons and guests at Civilian not unlike actors in a stage set? Does the design “reach out” to the users of the various spaces the way stage actors connect with their audience?

DR: For me, theater was, and is, a microcosm for so many of my emerging interests that became focused in practicing design. That is design as a social experience, a means of communication, as collaborative process to create an aesthetic universe only limited by imagination. Design, like theater, is driven by a narrative. I would say that at Civilian, we hoped the design would embrace the audience, and transport them to a very specific and special world. We achieved that through every material and architectural element, from the dressing-room-like guestrooms, to the lounge and bar inspired by the “back of house,” with its patina and moody lighting, to the Olio Collection, which features permanent and rotating works by emerging and established theater creatives.

7. dl: You have made previous references to the John Soane Museum and Civilian as a comparison of the design of an interior as a narrative to relate to the viewer.

DR: One of the things I love the most about Sir John Soane’s house in London is how personal his art collection was, and how he arranged and juxtaposed that wide-ranging collection in order to tell his own narrative, from architectural models to antiquities. With Civilian, we created the Olio Collection, which is also like a cabinet of curiosities in a way. It’s a first of its kind curated art program with permanent and rotating works by emerging and established theater creatives.

The collection is woven throughout the hotel in a very deliberate way that reinforces the narrative. It is like a character in and of itself, an “insider” who is taking the guest by the hand and guiding them on a very personal and intimate tour through Broadway. ■