Nestled in the heart of New York City’s new hot spot, the Lower Manhattan District, is a new boutique hotel and residential tower, The Beekman, developed by GFI Capital. The unique set of buildings has raised the bar for luxury living.

The lower landmark structure holds the hotel and dates back to 1881; it’s one of Manhattan’s first skyscrapers. This nine-story historical site had been nearly abandoned and long forgotten. For its transformation, the hotel was carefully renovated and restored over the course of two years. The interior is beyond impressive, starting from retained historical features to the atrium’s majestic pyramidal skylight. In contrast, connected to the hotel is a modern soaring residential high rise with concrete facades, one which as a blank canvas begged for as much love as the rest of the edifices had been shown.

The Overall Murals team’s expertise in large scale paintings led them to spearhead this noteworthy project. Suspended nearly 600 feet in the air, amongst Manhattan’s tallest constructions, on several platforms, the crew took in the view while tattooing a cold grey concrete wall with a special concrete stain, promised to last forever. The result, which was designed by the buildings’ design firm GKV Architects, is a massive, over 150 foot tall optical illusion. The trompe l’oeil’s technical shadows and highlights of white and grey tones on the south wall gives dimension to an otherwise flat facade; mirroring the northern facing wall with its actual columns and cross beams. However, upon comparing the two, it’s hard to tell the difference.