August 28, 2007

US & Canada | US | Philadelphia

Artfully Yours, Philly

By Nicole Cotroneo

A gaggle of artists has just run wild at the Westin. But Room 414 isn't merely for ogling.

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What do you get when you sic 15 artists on one hotel suite, give them six weeks and $10,000? The “uwishunu” room at The Westin Philadelphia — the city’s “ultimate overnight experience.” Part of a recent $10 million property-wide makeover, local craftsmen designed every inch of room 414: bronze hand-shaped draw pulls, custom linens, artisanal soaps, and a “dream sequence” wall mural that sweeps across the bed’s headboard. Like a miniature museum, the new room will also feature a regular rotation of contemporary paintings and sculptures. But it’s not the only spot in the city bestowing brotherly love to the visual arts. For the first time in its 80-year history, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is expanding, starting with the September 15 opening of the Perelman Building, a refurbished Art Deco gem. Frank Gehry will orchestrate the next phase in the $500 million expansion, adding an exhibition hall below the plaza behind Rocky’s famous steps. With the plans still hush, it remains to be seen whether the subterranean structure will put a damper on the mastermind’s famous flare.