Regent Wall Street Hotel, With Its Grand Ballroom, Will Close by Ronald Drenger The majestic Regent Wall Street hotel will close its doors on Jan. 16, its owners announced last month, and will likely be converted to apartments. It was unclear what will become of the building’s grand ballroom, a city landmark that has been the site of scores of star-studded banquets and weddings as well as community events. The 144-room hotel, with rates starting at $300 a night, opened in December 1999, and is believed to have struggled financially since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. “I think it’s a tremendous blow for Lower Manhattan,” Madelyn Wils, chairwoman of Community Board 1, said at last month’s board meeting. “It’s a tremendous blow to tourism, and a tremendous blow to residents.” Wils said that the hotel would be developed into condominiums but that the community board “will try to get the developers to keep the ballroom as a public space.” The spectacular 12,000-square-foot ballroom, which can accommodate 2,000 people, has hosted the Liza Minnelli-David Gest wedding, a birthday party for Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, GQ’s Man of the Year awards and parties for the Tribeca Film Festival. Downtown groups such as Community Board 1 and Wall Street Rising held their gala fundraisers in the room and Millennium High School had an orientation there for new students and parents. On Oct. 3, 2001, more than a thousand Lower Manhattan residents, many displaced from their homes, gathered in the ballroom to hear news about recovery efforts after the Trade Center attack. Matthew Traub, a spokesman for the hotel’s owners, confirmed late last month that conversion to residential was one option being considered for the property, but said that no final decision had been made on the building or the ballroom. “We are absolutely committed to seeing that any new use maintains the dignity and beauty of this structure consistent with the needs of the community,” Traub said in a statement. The Regent’s home, at 55 Wall Street, is a designated city landmark that takes up the entire block between William and Hanover streets. Built in 1842 and designed by Isaiah Rogers, it once served as the New York Merchants Exchange, the New York Customs House and a banking hall. Several major Financial District buildings are being converted to luxury apartments, including 63 Wall Street and 15 Broad Street.