Rockwell Group Announces Olio, A New Hotel In New York's Theater District Opening In 2020

Rockwell Group, the architecture and design firm founded by David Rockwell, Tony Award-winning set designer and architect, today announced the anticipated May 2020 opening of Olio, a 27-story, 116-room hotel located on West 48th Street near 8th Avenue in the heart of New York's theater district. Olio will feature a first-of-its-kind curated art program with permanent and rotating works of art by emerging and established theater creatives.

"Olio pays homage to and celebrates the vibrancy of New York City's theater district. Like Broadway, which is constantly reinventing itself, the hotel's art program will present new exhibitions every six months showcasing artwork from theater artists of all disciplines. Ultimately, our goal is to imbue Olio with a strong sense of both theatricality and hospitality. The concept celebrates the many facets of Broadway productions, and honors the iconic bygone theater haunts such as The Polish Tea Room, Stork Club, and Ted Hook's Backstage," said David Rockwell, founder and President, Rockwell Group and Olio partner.

The hotel will serve as a gathering place and respite for travelers, locals, and the theater community to meet, socialize, collaborate, and celebrate. Both in name and design, Olio references Broadway's iconic theaters, with marquee-inspired lighting, dramatic curtains, transformative set and stage-like elements, raw industrial materials reminiscent of backstage life and dressing room-inspired guestrooms. Olio is a natural continuum of Rockwell Group's diverse portfolio of work designing lauded hotels, restaurants, cultural, and performing arts institutions, as well as set designs for more than 60 shows both on and off Broadway.

At the heart of this exciting new hotel concept is Olio's art program, co-curated by renowned theater creatives. The program will contain permanent and temporary exhibits in the hotel's public spaces-including its restaurant, secret garden, second floor balcony bar library, and rooftop bar-that will rotate every six months. Selected pieces from each exhibit will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting both The Actors Fund and The American Theatre Wing.

For Olio's inaugural exhibition in 2020, Rockwell has tapped two-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer Christine Jones, Tony Award-winning costume designer Ann Roth, and nine-time Tony Award-winning lighting designer Jules Fisher to co-curate the inaugural exhibition.

Six-time Tony Award winning costume designer William Ivey Long, three-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer Robin Wagner, and Tony Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell will serve on the second curatorial committee for an exhibition opening early 2021.

The team of curators will invite fellow artists to contribute sketches, design concepts, models, still photos, costume pieces, digital art, and other items showcasing their design work as well as original art pieces that explore other facets of their artistic expression for Olio's permanent and temporary art collections. Each curator will contribute their sketches and design concepts as well. Rockwell will serve as the creative director for the art program, selecting future curators to participate.

Three-time Tony Award winning scenic designer Tony Walton will be contributing sketches of each of the 41 Broadway theaters that will be incorporated into custom light fixtures in Olio's public spaces. In addition, the work of veteran Broadway photographers, including Joan Marcus, Matt Murphy and Bruce Glikas, will be featured in the hotel.

Finally, Olio's second floor will be the home of the Stage Door Canteen, a bar and lounge, that will feature pop-up performances. Inspired by early 20th century cabarets, the Stage Door Canteen will allow emerging artists to present new theater work in various stages of development to an audience in an intimate and engaging setting.

Additional news about Olio and the various programs celebrating the theater community will be announced in the coming months.

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