Media Contact:
Stephanie Tan
stephanie@dadagoldberg.com
212.673.3232
HISTORIC SAN FRANCISCO LANDMARK TO REOPEN AS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL
New York (XX 2015) – Stonehill & Taylor is currently transforming and rebranding the historic
Powell Hotel in San Francisco as a new independent boutique hotel. To be renamed The Axiom
once reopened in September 2015, the hotel will have 152 rooms and new public spaces, geared
to the business travelers of the “tech generation.”
Originally built in 1908, the hotel is located next to Hallidie Square, whose namesake Andrew
Smith Hallidie invented the steel cables that power the San Francisco cable car system. Inspired
by this historic connection and the energy of invention both in history and modern day, the
design team focused their inspiration around the world “Pulse” and on the energy of the city.
The design will capture the pulse of the history as well as the modern day pulse and energy of
the city. Inspired by the hidden cables running under the city, which emerge to help connect
people to each other, the team explored the designs of “Hidden”, “Emerge”, and “Connect” to
supplement the concept of Pulse.
As a memorable entrance experience, Stonehill & Taylor designed a hidden tunnel of light that
guests walk through to enter the hotel and emerge into the main lobby area. The lobby is
designed as the “Hallidie Library” featuring books and curiosities that reference back to the
famous San Franciscan. Light plays a large role in the design of the hotel overall. In the lobby,
for example, a large deconstructed chandelier spans the double height lobby. A technology
station in the mezzanine allows guests to interact with the iPads and place digital drink orders
from the lobby bar.
Contemporary art serves as a way to merge the pulse of the old and new in the hotel. Glitch art
- art that depicts modern day technological glitches over historic style paintings is displayed
throughout the public spaces. The hotel’s light wells are revamped with art installations created
by a local artist.
Guest corridors have an industrial feel, with exposed-pipe ceilings painted black and factory
style lighting fixtures. Unexpected pops of color, such as magenta lining the in the interior of
the casegoods, bring a certain element of surprise to the room design. Modern art in the rooms
is juxtaposed with traditional applied molding on the walls and bronze fixtures to create a
harmonious mix of the old and new. The cable theme continues in the guestrooms, with the
lights running on cables from the ceiling.
About Stonehill & Taylor
Media Contact:
Stephanie Tan
stephanie@dadagoldberg.com
212.673.3232
Stonehill & Taylor is an architecture and interior design firm based in New York City. The firm
uses a collaborative approach to produce unique design stories. Its successful projects range
from interiors, new building construction, renovations and historic preservation including: The
Ace Hotel, Novotel Times Square, Refinery Hotel and The Paramount Hotel’s Diamond
Horseshoe. Stonehill & Taylor is at the forefront of sustainable design, developing projects that
are conscious of their impact on local communities and the world. The firm designed the first
LEED Gold hotel in New York, The Crosby Street Hotel, another with The NoMad and was
responsible for the most recent renovation of Hyatt Regency Minneapolis using locally-made
goods. For more information, visit: www.stonehilltaylor.com