Loft 523

Loft 523 is a boutique hotel located at 523 Gravier Street in New Orleans, Louisiana,^[1] in the New Orleans Central Business District.^[2] The building was erected in the 1880s^[3] as a carriage and dry-goods warehouse,^[4] and it was purchased and renovated by real-estate developer Sean Cummings.^[3] It features eighteen loft style guestrooms, three of which are penthouses.^[4]

Exterior view of Loft 523, February 2011

Minimalist design

Loft 523's style has been described by Frommers as "Jetsons-futuristic-meets-New York City-minimalist fantasy", incorporating modern design, as well as elements that reference the building's origins.^[4] A desk in the lobby was made from cypress beams salvaged from the renovation, and the rooms feature stained concrete floors and doors clad in hand-hammered copper.^[2] Elements of the original structure can be seen throughout the building, including exposed plasterwork, cast-iron columns, and raw timber beams.^[1] Revealing elements of its history as a warehouse, many of the rooms have twelve-foot ceilings and full-length windows.^[5]

The rooms are designed to resemble loft apartments, rather than traditional hotel rooms, and they are numbered apartment-style (1A, 2B, etc.) Furniture and fixtures include Agape "Spoon" tubs,^[5] Fortuny floor lamps,^[2] and platform beds by local craftsman Shane Porter. Two of the penthouses have rooftop aquatic Zen gardens.^[3]