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Natirar
Peapack-Gladstone, NJ

Architecture
Adaptive Re-use
230,000 SF

Sonja Bijelić, AIA
(Designed while an Associate Principal at
RMJM Hillier in a joint venture with Rockwell Group)

Completed in 1912 as a home for Walter and Catherine “Kate” Macy Ladd, is an historic 500-acre estate designed by the noted Boston architect Guy Lowell. At its heart are a Jacobean-style brick manor house, a carriage house, and several outbuildings that command sweeping vistas over Somerset County.

Purchased from the Ladd family by the King of Morocco in 1983, the estate was acquired by Somerset County in 2002 in an open space initiative. The County signed a long term lease for 90 acres of the property with Warren Township businessman Robert Wojtowicz to open the first Virgin Spa in America.

Spread over 14 separate structures on the estate, the design of the Virgin Spa at Natirar sets a tone for the immersion into corporeal and spiritual renewal. The addition and renovation/restoration of the early 20th century Manor House into a 55-suite hotel, lounge and dining room, and 225-seat banquet facility create a lavish retreat and allows guests to share in the sense of history and elegance that is at the estate’s core. Guests are encouraged to gather on the south side terrace, and enjoy expansive views of the estate, fields, and countryside below.

The design converts the existing carriage house and garage complex into a 110-seat, five-star restaurant, culinary institute, and wine cellar.

Additional guest amenities include spa facility, indoor and outdoor pool, a two-lane bowling alley, ten cottage suites and a 24-seat private screening room.

The project is currently under construction.