New boutique hotel opens in Wilmington

The Quoin lobby, a 24-room boutique hotel located on Market St. in downtown Wilmington. | PHOTO COURTESY OF METHOD CO.

WILMINGTON – The Quoin, a new boutique hotel built out of a historic Market Street property, has officially opened to visitors.

Owned by prolific local developer Buccini/Pollin Group, the hotel at 519 Market St. is operated by Method Co., the Philadelphia-based hospitality company that also developed the project.

Housed in the historic Security Trust & Safe Deposit Company Building is 24 luxury hotel rooms, a lobby fireplace cafe and bar, a 155-seat ground floor restaurant with courtyard dining, a lower-level cocktail lounge, and Wilmington’s first rooftop bar and event space. The Quoin name is derived from the Old French word meaning “corner” or “angle,” a reference to its unique architecture and its place at a central stretch of the Market Street corridor.

“We are incredibly excited to build on all the momentum that is underway in the city of Wilmington and to be part of bringing one of the region’s most iconic buildings to life. The hospitality nature of our project, with a boutique hotel and several restaurant concepts, will offer different experiences to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike,” said Randall Cook, CEO and co-founder of Method Co., in a statement announcing the project earlier this year.

The Quoin entrance, formerly the Security Trust & Safe Deposit Company Building built in 1885. | PHOTO COURTESY OF METHOD CO.

While retaining the historic Romanesque exterior designed by famed 19th century Philadelphian architect Frank Furness, the hotel’s interior features a contemporary design “carefully considered by Method Studios in partnership with Stokes Architecture.”

“The project began with the careful refurbishment of the building’s historic interior, revealing its original structural bones and time-worn elegance allowing us to usher in a new, modern chapter. We kept the interior architecture simple and straightforward to further convey a sense of honesty and authenticity – the idea that every material, room and object has its own rich vocabulary. Method Co. is consciously seeking to raise the aesthetic from a faithful restoration to a fanciful reimagining, full of personalized touches that offer clues to the branding behind the interior design,” added Daniel Olsovsky, creative director at Method Co., in a statement.

The Quoin features a new restaurant, rooftop bar and lounge and craft cocktail lounge, all operated by Method Co.

The Quoin Restaurant focuses on fresh wood-fired fare in a space designed to honor the history and architecture of 1800s Wilmington. The restaurant has an open kitchen framed by a spacious dining room area outfitted with elegant wood paneling, custom mohair banquettes, and leather detailing.

The city’s only rooftop bar and lounge will play host to happy hours, social gatherings, and light fare, featuring a blend of indoor and outdoor areas.

Finally, the hotel’s Simmer Down craft cocktail lounge features the space’s original brick ceiling and a custom, room-spanning painted mural by the Rev. Michael Alan.

Method Co. comes to its first Delaware project after building a portfolio of hotels and restaurants on the East Coast and in the Midwest. It owns the Roost Apartment Hotel, an extended-stay brand that operates in Philadelphia, Tampa and Cleveland, as well as Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, an award-winning Italian restaurant and four-room boutique hotel in Philadelphia, among other properties.