The private lifestyle club will set up shop on the lower levels of a building that is being renovated to house Aramark’s new headquarters. The 75,000-sq. ft. facility will feature 14 hotel rooms, 10,000-sq. ft. of event space, bowling lanes, billiards, co-working space, private movie theater, and a 20,000-sq. ft. fitness center with an indoor lap pool, rock-climbing wall and fitness studios.
Fitler Club, a private lifestyle club with an indoor pool, a boutique hotel, a high-end restaurant, and a bowling alley will open in Philadelphia in 2019, Curbed Philadelphia reported.
David Gutstadt, the brains behind Fitler Club, announced at a hard-hat tour his plans to bring the high-end club to the former Marketplace Design Center on the Schuylkill River. The club will set up shop on the lower levels of the building, which is currently in the middle of an overbuild renovation that will also be the home of Aramark’s new headquarters, Curbed reported.
“I’ve been in hospitality for 20 years,” said Gutstadt, “and I continuously would come back here and say, ‘Why don’t we have these great things?’ You’ve got all these amazing companies and an influx of youth, energy, and empty nesters—and we have a very active population in terms of boutique fitness. So the customers are here, but there’s no outlet to put all of these things together.”
Enter Fitler Club, an idea that has been in the works for about a year, Gutstadt says. He likens it to places like the international private membership club Soho House and the co-working giant WeWork, but says his club aims to blend all of those services into one, Curbed reported.
Gutstadt wouldn’t divulge membership rates, but said, “they will be very competitive with other similar offerings,” Curbed reported.
To design the more than 75,000 sq. ft. of space, Gutstadt brought on Los Angeles-based design firm MRad to create the feel of a high-end club with a homey atmosphere, Curbed reported.
“We want people to feel comfortable, but also like they’re walking into a very unique space,” says MRad’s Matthew Rosenberg. “We really tried to pull the history of Philly into it, so it’s very rich and has a lot of structure. But we’re based in LA, so we really wanted to bring some of that influence in here, as well.”
The club will feature 14 hotel rooms, including two guest suites and three junior suites. The smallest room will clock in at 400 sq. ft. The facility’s 10,000 sq. ft. of event space will include a 4,600-sq. ft. Art Deco-style ballroom. Next to that will be what Gutstadt is calling the Trophy Room, which will include the bowling lanes, billiards, and ping-pong tables. There will also be co-working spaces, private offices, and boardrooms, Curbed reported.
A private movie theater will seat somewhere between 45 and 50 movie-goers and will show first-run films, Eagles games, and other private screenings. The lower level will have a 20,000-sq. ft. fitness center with a three-lane indoor lap pool and hot- and cold-plunge baths. There will also be a rock-climbing wall and pilates, yoga, and cycling studios, Curbed reported.
Rounding out the lifestyle club will be a large restaurant with Jeff Benjamin, who founded the Vetri Family, and chef Kevin Sbraga at the helm. The restaurant and private dining room will have big views of the Schuylkill River Trail and the University City skyline, plus access to an 800-sq. ft. terrace, Curbed reported.
When it opens, Fitler Club will join another private lifestyle club across the river in the FMC Tower, Level 28, Curbed reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.