PROFILE
THE FIXER
Deftly delivering details
DEVELOPER HARRY HARRIS HAS A KNACK FOR MANAGING DETAILS AS PARTNERS CREATE PRIVATE- MEMBER HOTELS AND CLUBS .
Contributed BY PIPPA ISBELL
Harry Harris is a man whose passion has found its time . Casually dressed , sitting quietly with a coffee and a crossword in the rooftop poolside terrace of The Curtain , London ’ s latest private members ’ club and hotel in the heart of trendy , diverse Shoreditch , he blends right in .
His passion is for creating distinctive places and his style suits the current trend for all things community – co-working , co-living , curated socializing and a certain vibe , rooted in the local area . “ Hotels and clubs have always been in my blood . They ’ re part of me ,” says the founder of the development company , SUSD .
The Curtain , for which Harris found the site , assembled the debt and was the developer , is the first London management venture for Gansevoort Hotel Group , and Michael Achenbaum has overseen every design detail . The name comes from its proximity to the Curtain Theatre , an Elizabethan playhouse built in 1577 and the premier venue for Shakespeare ’ s theater company . Its remains were discovered in 2012 .
Opened in October 2017 , it is a hotel , restaurant , live music venue and private members club . It has 120 rooms and suites , a 24-hour gym , treatment rooms and 6,000 square feet of event space , including a ballroom and a screening room .
" Restaurant " somewhat undersells the food and beverage offer , which is an offshoot of Harlem ’ s famed Red Rooster from acclaimed chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson . Open to the public , it ’ s faithful to the original , offering Southern soulfood with cornbread and fried yardbird and a weekly Gospel Brunch .
“ He is incredibly knowledgeable about the construction and development process in London ,” Michael Achenbaum says of Harris . “ We had a lot of fun doing this together ; it was certainly not the easiest of development deals . Harry did the best in very difficult conditions . For us to be friends and even to be able to laugh about it says a lot about the way he handles himself .
“ The way he ’ s been able to work through numerous roadblocks , some governmental , some private sector … It ’ s not easy to develop in NYC but London has been particularly instructive about the things that can pop up – ordnance insurance , Museum of London inspections , things that you just don ’ t run into in New York . Working through some very specific kinds of issues , you need guidance from someone who ’ s done it before , and Harry fit the bill .”
April 2018 hotelsmag . com 47