Last year Robert De Niro's Greenwich Hotel ran afoul of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission over a penthouse on top of building. The best suite in the TriBeCa hotel has caused controversy because the commission says that the penthouse does not match the design that they approved in 2004. Last year De Niro appeared at a panel hearing to ask commission members to give him a break and not make he and his partners remove the suite (at an estimated $1.5 million cost) and start over. At the time De Niro said that they worked on the project a long time and tried their best to make it fit into the historic neighborhood. The NY Post reports that De Niro had told the commission that he would update the penthouse façade to match detailed brick used on rest of the building's exterior.

It's been over a year and the building hasn't been corrected. De Niro's business partners and a team of architects were supposed to appear before the commission last week to address the delay. There is no official deadline for getting the project finished but the commission isn't giving up on getting the building fixed in a way that makes the neighborhood happy.

Just in time for spring in New York City, Thompson Hotels has opened Smyth in TriBeCa. The boutique hotel offers 100 guestrooms in a newly-constructed building on West Broadway and Chambers Street. The name comes from "the anonymity of Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and is meant to provide an urban refuge for the hip. The lobby was designed by Yabu Pushelberg and staff uniforms were created by Helmut Lang.The rooms are decorated in rich wine tones with walnut paneling and chrome-accented furniture and marble bathrooms. Rooms also feature Kiehl's products, robes by Frette and linens by Sferra as well as an in-room pantry stocked with Dean & Deluca snacks and naughties from Kiki de Montparnasse. Art by John Sparagana adorns each guest room and paintings by self taught Argentinean artist, Santiago Rubino, are featured in the lobby's interior.

Restaurateur Frederick Lesort is behind the Lobby Bar and the Smyth has a 24-hour room service menu. The Jour et Nuit Restaurant & Lounge will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, with an espresso bar offering sandwiches and pastries during the day and cured meats with alcoholic beverages at night. The lower level Cellar Cocktail Lounge offers a hideaway to sample unique cocktails. Rates start at $275 for a standard room, $575 for a king suite, and $3,500 for the penthouse.

Another big spender joins the celebrity foreclosure follies. This time it's Roc-A-Fella Records company co-founder Damon Dash and his wife, fashion designer Rachel Roy. The high-profile pair could lose two of their Manhattan apartments. Eastern Savings Bank says the couple owe $7.3 million on the properties and were supposed to make hefty monthly payments of $78,500 but haven't done so since January. Dash has a $100,000 federal tax lien on the properties and reportedly owes the city of New York $2 million in back taxes. Damon Dash is allegedly has a $50 million fortune amassed from his hip-hop empire.

Robert De Niro's Greenwich Hotel in New York only opened in April but it has hit a variety of snags including getting zero stars for its Ago restaurant by NY Times critic Frank Bruni, The most recent problem involves the hotels lavish rooftop penthouse. The best suite in the $43 million hotel has run a foul of the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission which says that the penthouse does not match the design that they approved in 2004.

On Tuesday De Niro appeared at a panel hearing to ask commission members to give him a break and not make he and his partners remove the suite (an estimated $1.5 million cost) and start over. De Niro said that they worked on the project a long time and tried their best to make it fit into the historic neighborhood. At the panel fellow celebrity and neighbor, actor/director Ed Burns testified that the architecture is beautiful.

The penthouse has a mansard roof and other decorative details which, according to Nadezhda Williams of the Historic Districts Council, make it seem more residential and out of style with the other more industrial buildings in the area. She is calling to have the penthouse called for in De Niro's plans to be built instead. No decision was reached on Tuesday but they will discuss the hotel at a future meeting and may consider less drastic measures such as changing the exterior o the penthouse from stucco to glass and metal.

Rates at the hotel have varied. They were originally supposed to start at $775 but now it looks like you can get in for $525 a night which is pretty reasonable for New York City.

Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood is more known for its restaurants and enviable loft real estate than for its hotels but that is set to change with a bunch of new hotels including Robert DeNiro's Greenwich. One that is already open is the Duane Street Hotel which opened a couple of months ago. This six-story hotel has 45 rooms with a bright and breezy modern style that seems pulled from your friendly local Ikea or one of the lofts in the neighborhood. The rooms have hardwood floors, which is a lovely touch, and large windows to flood the rooms with light. The bathrooms are slate with chrome and marble fixtures. The hotel was designed by noted architectural firm Gene Kaufman Associates and interior designer Paul Vega to be a cozy neighborhood enclave. Amenities include in-room spa services from Euphoria Spa, floral arrangements from Floratech in all 45 rooms, complimentary chocolates from Jacques Torres, and in-room dining from top-rated local restaurants. The Duane Street Hotel is also home to 'beca Restaurant which will offers American/Mediterranean food as well as Italian coffee and both European and Japanese tea service. The restaurant will provide room service for the hotel. Room rates at the Duane Street Hotel begin at $300.

Limited edition homes? That's the pitch for the new 34 Leonard loft project in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood. 34 Leonard Street is a building of 16 loft-style homes with open floor plans and walls of windows offering urban and park views. The lobby will be dominated by an art installation from Jennifer Steinkamp, which will be a three-dimensional visual illusion of translucent glass with embedded leaves, sculptured wood benches and artisan crafted limestone walls. The development's units are designed to accommodate art collections, and art expert Carol Dorksy will offer advice to potential buyers interested in starting or expanding their art collections. Other amenities include a wine cellar that can provide storage of 300 bottles per unit, a grill and bar area on the roof deck, a sunbathing area with an outdoor shower, a pet spa, fitness center, storage and a round-the-clock doorman.

GlobeSt.com reports that the approximate construction cost for the project is $45 million. The 16 homes include, one, two and three bedroom residences as well as a 3,086-square-foot penthouse that has a 2,215-square-foot wrap-around terrace. No presales yet but there are 150 people on the waiting list to pick up the homes, which range from $2 million to $8 million for the penthouse.
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This loft in TrBecCa in New York City isn't just the perfect place to hang art it actually comes with its own, an original mural by 1980s art star Keith Haring. The home is a 8,000 square foot triplex. The listing pics are slim and mainly showcase the main massive 45' x 45' entertaining space which has 26'+/- ceilings, arched windows, fireplace and cast iron columns. the steel staircase leads up to a mezzanine/libarary area and a bedroom wing that includes a large master with his and her baths, huge dressing room, 2nd bedroom with bath and possible 3rd bedroom. Downstairs there is also a dining room opens to private patio and an eat-in-kitchen as well as a game room/media room, climate controlled wine storage and tasting room, gym/office and staff room. It is listed at $16.995 million.