Simultaneously, other parts of the building were being redesigned and built such as the hotel's systems and infrastructure, retail spaces, flooring, management office and hospitality spaces. The spokesperson notes that other renovations are in the works, but plans have not been solidified.

Paul Taylor of Stonehill & Taylor Architects and Planners, a New York City-based architecture and design atelier, oversaw the renovation initiative. "The classical music theme is an ideal foundation, suggesting the materials, rhythm, space, sequence and mood that went into the redesign of this property."

Taylor worked with hotelier Stephen Shapiro and collaborated with four artists on the redesign, choosing materials that also reflected the musical theme. Examples include the ebonized ash-covered walls of the 40-foot hallway, which are evocative of a Steinway piano, Taylor says. The lobby itself is paneled with fiddleback anigre in the same style and coloring as the back of a violin. Part of the redesign involved moving the original entrance door about 20 feet to the east to create a wider, more regal entryway.