Art can be used to engage audiences in target ways. The Ace hotel seeks to use art and creative expression to connect to the Pittsburgh community, despite its role as boutique accommodation for visitors and tourists. This might seem contradictory, but the Ace tries its best to achieve this balance. This unconventional mission is inspired by the hotel’s history. The founders of the Ace hotel chain originally started out as owners of a gallery space in Seattle. As more and more friends and artists came in from other cities who were in need of accommodation, they decided to open up a lodging space above the galleries to host their visitors (Clark). Eventually, this concept turned into a hotel that they hoped would appeal to other creatives. In 1999 the Ace was founded (Carone). Since then, they have kept art at the center of their focus and have used it as a medium to connect to the community around them.
Every Ace Hotel’s interiors are meant to reflect the culture and history of the city and neighborhood is in (“About Ace Hotel”). The use of artwork, interior design, and historical photographs are used to achieve this. In Pittsburgh’s East Liberty location, all the artwork that can be seen throughout the hotel’s restaurant, bar, and lobby space is locally sourced. Pennsylvania Dutch needlework is combined with rotating temporary art installations from local creatives. The interiors have an industrial yet cozy feel. Large windows light up the brightly colored space during the day and the lobby is transformed at night by candlelight. Many of the historical architectural features were left exposed, and ironwork throughout the space is a reference to the historically significant role Pittsburgh played in the American Steel Belt. Every private room has furniture made by local artisans, and a black and yellow tiled bathroom as a nod to Pittsburgh’s beloved sports culture. Archival photos of the former YMCA members by Teeny Harris, who was a famous African American photographer known for his portraits of Pittsburghers, line the staircase and give a visitor a sense of connection to the city’s history. Throughout the hotel, art is used to give the visitor a feeling of being an insider, as if they were staying with a hip, in-the-know local (Carone).
However, the East Liberty neighborhood where the hotel is located is undergoing period of oftentimes traumatic gentrification. Tech companies are moving in amidst the development of new luxury apartments, a Whole Foods, and indeed the Ace Hotel. They replace important neighborhood features such as restaurants, shops, and schools are often torn down, which has the potential to destroy centers of community life. Gentrification is traumatic to residents who are forced to move out as these new spaces are developed and rent and property tax go up. This is particularly resonant in East Liberty as the neighborhood has experienced generations of housing displacement. This history starting with discriminatory redlining policies in the mid 20th century which saw racial segregation of areas that often left majority black neighborhoods without important resources (Rutan 23).
Hotels often are viewed as unapproachable, elitist spaces and certainly not places meant for local residents, and in a neighborhood like East Liberty this is no different. In the introduction to Molly Berger's critical monograph Hotel Dreams: Luxury, Technology, and Urban Ambition in America, she writes about luxury hotels: “design and décor set out to convey a class-bound ethos of extravagance, beauty, and exclusiveness that expressed whom the hotel meant to attract and serve as its clientele” (Berger 1). Berger is making the point that interior design and artwork can be used to express very specific things to a visitor. In pursuit of attracting customers by projecting a sense of luxury unachievable at home, hotels can oftentimes make people feel uncomfortable or like they don’t belong in the exclusive environment. In the Ace hotel, the intent is different. They are seeking to create a welcoming and comfortable space. But is it really possible to overcome the intimidating reputation set by past hotels that seems to be ingrained in American conceptions of what a hotel really is?
To really get an idea of how the Ace Hotel engages the local community, you have to look a little deeper than what a tourist might see and experience during their visit. The Ace hotel event coordinator, Aaron Clark, says “nobody at the Ace denies that the hotel is a gentrifying force- but we work hard every day to make sure that we have the most positive impact possible”. The work that Clark and others at the Ace Hotel set out to do is supporting local people through giving them space and budget for events. The majority of the hotel’s event budget is set aside specifically for these community events (Clark). Anyone is welcome to approach the hotel with an idea, although they always try to prioritize events that support minority groups in their community. They make it clear to people that this opportunity is available by establishing connections with other neighborhood organizations and community leaders (Clark).
These community events have been so successful, that many happen on a regular basis. If you go to the event calendar on the Ace Hotel’s website, you will find it filled with a diverse array of events from dance parties to yoga sessions. The hotel has the capacity to host many different events and therefore serve the community in many different ways.
Every Monday, the Ace hosts a free DJ night called “In the Weeds” where local artists are featured. Four different groups each have a residency for one week of the month to perform. The first Monday of each month girlFx, a female and non-binary identifying group of artists, preform in conjunction with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Musical Instrument Lending Library (“Events and Spaces”). This public library lends people instruments, and the Ace Hotel and girlFx work together to give these aspiring musicians both a space to preform and music lessons using the library resources (Clark). This is important because it makes music accessible to everyone at no coast while also supporting the Queer community.
On a bi-monthly basis, the Bridge Series meets at the Ace hotel. They are an organization that brings the Pittsburgh literary community together for readings and discussions to highlight important issues. A donation of five dollars is suggested, and then all proceeds will go towards a Pittsburgh organization of the group’s choice that reflects that evenings chosen theme. Previous topics have included literacy, health care, gun violence, sexual violence, disability rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive rights, Black representation in/by the media, and women in politics (“Events and Spaces”). This event uses art and creativity to support so many marginalized groups across Pittsburgh while bringing people together and building community.
In a Vice article titled The LGBTQ Guide to Pittsburgh, author Ezra Marcus praises the Ace Hotel, saying it “has become a safe space and breeding ground for people to party and feel comfortable. The Pittsburgh location mostly employs LGBTQIA people and Ace as a company has given real agency to their employees to make it a place they are proud to go” (Marcus). It seems possible that the Ace hotel just might have achieved their goal, at least for the time being, and become a new center for community action, life, and growth. What’s more, by building personal relationships the Ace hotel overcomes their intimidating façade.
Works Cited:
“About Ace Hotel.” Ace Hotel. https://www.acehotel.com/about. Accessed 6 Dec. 2019.
Berger, Molly W. Hotel Dreams: Luxury, Technology, and Urban Ambition in America, 1829-1929. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2011. (1-10)
Carone, Patrick. “Here's How Ace Hotels Pioneered the 'boutique Hotel' Category”. Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/338209. Accessed 6 Dec. 2019.
Clark, Aaron. Personal interview. 27 November, 2019.
“Events and Spaces.” Ace Hotel. https://www.acehotel.com/pittsburgh/events-and-spaces/calendar/. Accessed 6 Dec.2019
Rutan, Devin. “Legacies of the Residential Security Maps: Measuring the Persistent Effects of Redlining in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania”. 2016.