Visitors to the Moonrise Hotel in The Loop will soon be able to choose between two dining destinations perched eight stories above Eclipse Restaurant at 6177 Delmar Blvd.
Situated on the east wing of the hotel, the new addition, called the New Moon Room, will house 2,100 square feet of lounge space that will open to the public on Wednesday, May 8. The space will also be available for private parties of up to 175 guests.
According to hotel owner Joe Edwards, the menu, which will focus on small plates created by executive chef Isaac Hardwict, is in the final stages of development. It will be distinct from the menu Hardwict offers downstairs at Eclipse. Edwards also noted that rooftop patrons will be able to move freely between the New Moon Room and the hotel’s other sky-high space, the Rooftop Terrace Bar.
The New Moon Room is more than just a rooftop hangout, however. It is the first restaurant roof in the U.S. made entirely of solar panels, according to a press release issued by St. Louis-based Microgrid Solar, the company that installed the panel canopy roof. “Unlike traditional solar modules, the glass panels that form the roof are frameless, translucent modules that take the place of a traditional roof, and which allow sunlight – and moonlight – to peek through,” said Microgrid Solar founder and CEO Rick Hunter.
The New Moon Room is water-tight and will be heated and cooled so that it can be enjoyed year-round. The new 25.6-kilowatt solar array is expected to produce approximately 33,000 kWh of electricity annually, enough to power the entire rooftop dining area and bar. This is the second solar application atop the Moonrise Hotel, as a 4kW solar awning was installed on the hotel’s original rooftop bar in 2011.
This article appears in April 2013.