The Morrow, a 203-room hotel with three new venues from Michelin-starred chef Nicholas Stefanelli, is on track to open in NoMa this fall, its developers announced this week.
Located on Third and M streets, Northeast, beside the neighborhood’s Metro station, the hotel is being built on the former site of Central Armature Works, an electrical manufacturing business that operated for a century. Those industrial roots and the history of the surrounding neighborhood influenced the hotel’s aesthetic, says Lauren Rottet, president of Rottet Studio, which designed its communal spaces and guest rooms. She says the design will incorporate wood and stone, and a color palette that evokes what “you see as the sun rises and sets.” She says her team was inspired by old photos of the neighborhood, depicting homes with windows open, and the hustle and bustle of its residents. “It’s about fun and food and camaraderie and ‘come on in,'” she explains.
Nicholas Stefanelli, chef and owner of Officina, the new Philotimo, and Michelin-starred Masseria, is behind a few reasons current-day neighbors might want to venture inside. He’ll open a modern French brasserie on the ground floor called Le Clou, plus a cocktail bar with live music called Vesper, and a rooftop lounge called Upstairs at The Morrow.
Stefanelli has recently been traveling in France, doing research for Le Clou. “I’m really here for understanding the sights and the smells and the tastes and the flavors,” he says, by phone from Burgundy. “And being able to help with that storytelling process.”
The Morrow is part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. It was designed by architecture firm Shalom Baranes and developed by Trammell Crow and MetLife Investment Management. Here’s a look at the design.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
