Private lifestyle Fitler Club opens in Philadelphia

The Fitler Club, a private lifestyle club that includes a boutique hotel, has opened in Philadelphia, further blurring the line between social space and hotel.

David Gutstadt, the founder, worked with Fitler Club design director Amanda Potter to create the "work/stay/play" hub’s Modernist ambiance. The pair worked with M-Rad, the Los Angeles architecture and design studio headed by Matthew Rosenberg. Other collaborations on the club’s interiors include partnerships with Studio Frazar out of New York City, and local firm Fury Design Inc.

In the making of the property, the project involved gutting the interior of Philadelphia’s former Marketplace Design Center while retaining historic details on the exterior. The result gives nods to Philadelphia’s history.

Measuring 136,000 square feet, Fitler Club has a 14-room hotel (The Rooms), gym and spa (The Field House), 34,000 square feet of workspace and private office suites (The Study), and a cinema-quality screening room with 50 seats. For dining, Fitler Club has The Dining Room—a restaurant helmed by Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri—and three bars.

The event space includes a game room with a two-lane bowling alley, billiards and arcade games.  There is also a custom, walnut $10,000 ping-pong table by Sean Woolsey, while the bowling balls resemble giant billiard balls.

A 20,000-square-foot private swim club is slated to open next year on the roof of an adjacent building.

The club will also team with Philadelphia arts organizations and artists. The club will offer residencies to artists in exchange for work that will become part of the club’s environment. West Philadelphia artist King Saladeen will create a bespoke mural inside Fitler Club’s Field House. Other artworks in the property will include Joseph Beuys’ La rivoluzione siamo Noi; Charles Gaines’ Numbers and Trees, Alex Katz’s Suite of 3, and Adam Pendleton’s 36-piece Our Ideas.

Fitler Club will also work with Philadelphia arts collective, Tiny Room for Elephants to curate a miniature gallery and mural inside a photo-booth room in the club’s event space.  The first gallery show will be by Philadelphia artist Flygirrl.

Fitler Club is located at 2400 Market St., steps from 30th Street Station, Philadelphia’s main rail hub.

Photo credit: Annie Schlechter