“We wanted to capture a little of that vibe and magic, and be a place that’s a little bit mysterious, a little bit romantic — something that doesn’t feel like it was just newly opened, but had lived in the city for a long time,” Cooper explains. “There’s definitely a narrative of new versus old, and…we’re doing the development hopefully in the right way and being sensitive to that and celebrating the people that were there and have been there, or are from there. We’re highlighting and celebrating those people.”

The building’s narrowness worked well for The Siren’s concept, which incorporates a wide variety of room types; Heckman describes the hotel as “democratic.”

“Because there are small bunk bed rooms up to penthouse suites with dining rooms in them,” he explains. “The idea is to make the place accessible to a wide range of people. We’re sensitive to what we’re labeled, a luxury hotel, because there’s certainly luxurious, romantic, well thought-out elements to the hotel and it is beautiful, but it’s also not meant to be just an exclusive space.”

-Kristen Tauer