The 72,000sq ft (6,689sq m) Governors Island European-style hydrotherapy spa planned for New York has gained approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to proceed, bringing it one step closer to construction.

The Governors Island project, located a short ferry-ride away from Manhattan and Brooklyn, includes three landmark buildings designed by architecture firm Rogers & Poor. The buildings, which were once used as officers’ quarters, date from the early 1900s, and feature Collegiate Gothic architecture.

New York architect Bob Henry is working on the project in conjunction with Milan-based QC Terme, which operates nine historical spa properties in Europe. This is QC Terme’s first US project.

“It’s accessible, affordable European elegance, unlike anything in North America,” Henry told CLAD. “It’s done on such a large and gracious scale.”

The entire island is being developed as an inclusive recreational island for New York City, to include bike paths, children’s areas, hiking and biking trails – and the 72,000sq ft spa, which will also include 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) of outdoor space with views of New York City and Wall Street.

“It’s designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive,” added Henry. “It will become a real destination for all the Boroughs – someplace where everybody wants to go.”

The spa will include body and facial treatments, relaxation rooms, yoga classes, indoor and outdoor pools, hydrotherapy pools, salt inhalation rooms and a cafe and restaurant. It will offer both co-ed and gender-specific areas, and guests will pay an “affordable day rate” to access the facilities.

Henry said he expects that on busy weekends, the spa will welcome 800 to 1,000 guests – who will arrive from Brooklyn or South Manhattan via a wooden Italian water taxi that passes the Statue of Liberty.

“It’s creating a destination, and also a really exciting procession to get there,” said Henry.

70,000sq ft hydrotherapy wellness campus planned for Manhattan