Hotel Lafayette (formerly Hotel Martin) was a hotel located on University Place in the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was founded by

Raymond Orteig Raymond Orteig (1870 – 6 June 1939) was a French American hotel owner in New York City in the early 20th century. He is best known for setting up the $25,000 Orteig Prize in 1919 for the first non-stop transatlantic flight between New York Ci ...

in 1902. The hotel was particularly known for its restaurant, the Café Lafayette, and drew its clientele from New York's French expatriates and the

bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

of Greenwich Village. John Reed described the hotel as "the real link between the old Village and the new, since it was the cradle of artistic life in New York." After Orteig's retirement in 1929, the 65-room hotel and its restaurant were run by his sons until its closure in 1949. The building was demolished in the late 1950s.

History

The Hotel Lafayette began its life as Hotel Martin. In 1883 Jean-Baptiste Martin, who had previously run a hotel in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

bought a small

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

on University Place run by Eugene Larru and opened it under the name Hotel de Panama. Three years later he changed its name to Hotel Martin. According to Martin, he decided on the name change because: "Panama gave people a bad impression. They associated it with fever and Spaniards, and neither were popular." In the ensuing years Martin took over the adjoining houses and built extensions until the small pension became a large building. A late 1880s advertisement for the Martin described it as "the only first-class French hotel in New York." In addition to the artists and writers of Greenwich Village, the Martin's clients over the years included the opera singers

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

and

Édouard de Reszke Édouard de Reszke (22 December 185325 May 1917) was a Polish bass from Warsaw. A member of the musical Reszke family, he was a successful opera singer, as were his brother Jean and his sister Josephine. He made his debut in ''Aida'' in Paris on ...

Pol Plançon Pol Henri Plançon (; 12 June 1851 – 11 August 1914) was a distinguished French operatic bass (''basse chantante''). He was one of the most acclaimed singers active during the 1880s, 1890s and early 20th century—a period often referred to as ...

and

Nelly Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, ...

as well as the painter

Théobald Chartran Théobald Chartran (20 July 1849 – 16 July 1907) was a classical French academic painter and portrait artist. Early life Chartran was born in Besançon, France on 20 July 1849. His father was Councilor at the Court of Appeals and he was the ne ...

, the violinist

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...

, and the French statesman

Jules Cambon Jules-Martin Cambon (5 April 1845 – 19 September 1935) was a French diplomat and brother to Paul Cambon. As the ambassador to Germany (1907–1914) he worked hard to secure a friendly détente. He was frustrated by French leaders such as Raym ...

. At the turn of the 20th century, Martin decided to open a restaurant on 26th Street near

Madison Square Park Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, fourth President of the United States. ...

and in 1902 sold the hotel's lease to

who had been the head-waiter at the Café Martin. Orteig immediately renamed it Hotel Lafayette after

General Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

, the French aristocrat and military officer who had fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. However, for many years the Lafayette remained informally known as "Old Martin's". Orteig retained the Hotel Martin's French restaurant which had its own entrance on the corner of University Place and 9th Street. Rechristened Café Lafayette, it had a tile floor and marble-topped tables, some of which were placed outside on warm days and was stocked with foreign newspapers and board games. Adjoining it were a more formal restaurant where an orchestra played in the evening and several private dining rooms. Orteig subscribed to the Paris weekly ''Brasserie Universelle'' and introduced its latest dishes in his restaurant. The Lafayette was particularly known for its mixed

hors d'oeuvre An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...

squab In culinary terminology, squab is an immature domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old, or its meat. The meat is widely described as tastes like chicken, tasting like dark chicken. The term is probably of Scandinavian origin; the Swedish w ...

casserole A casserole ( French: diminutive of , from Provençal 'pan') is a normally large deep pan or bowl a casserole is anything in a casserole pan. Hot or cold History Baked dishes have existed for thousands of years. Early casserole recipes ...

filet mignon Filet mignon (; ; ) is a cut of meat taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, or psoas major of a cow. In French, it mostly refers to cuts of pork tenderloin. The tenderloin runs along both sides of the spine, and is usually butchered as ...

in bearnaise sauce, and pears flamed in a secret blend of French

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

s. A bust of General Lafayette by

Houdon Jean-Antoine Houdon (; 20 March 1741 – 15 July 1828) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Houdon is famous for his portrait busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment. Houdon's subjects included De ...

was displayed in the hotel lobby, and from the late 1920s, the foyer was decorated with memorabilia from

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

's 1927 flight in the ''Spirit of St. Louis'' from New York to Paris. It was the first solo transatlantic flight and the first non-stop flight between North America and the European mainland. In the process Lindbergh won the

Orteig Prize The Orteig Prize was a reward offered to the first Allied aviator(s) to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice versa.Bak. Pages 28 and 29. Several famous aviators made unsuccessful attempts at the New York–Paris flight before the rela ...

. Raymond Orteig first became interested in aviation during World War I and its immediate aftermath when the Lafayette became a favorite gathering place for American and French airmen. The American flag which Lindbergh had carried on his flight had hung on the wall of the Café Lafayette until November 1941. At that point Orteig's son moved it to a private office in the hotel, explaining to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'': "Too many pros and cons. Particularly for a restaurant. The flag hung there since 1927 when Lindbergh was an aviator and everyone was proud of him. But now he's talking politics. And lately when people noticed the flag a discussion began." After his retirement in 1929, Orteig's three sons, Raymond Jr., Jean Blaise, and Evariste ran the Lafayette until its closure in 1949. Their father died in 1939.

Closure

The Lafayette's building was owned by the Sailors' Snug Harbor Trust. When the building's lease came up for renewal in 1949, the Orteig brothers were unable to negotiate terms with the Snug Harbor trustees which would have kept the Layfayette economically viable. The hotel and its restaurant closed on 31 March 1949, when the last dinner was served at the Café Lafayette. Among the last hotel guests to check out were the author

Elliot Paul Elliot Harold Paul (February 10, 1891 – April 7, 1958) was an American journalist and writer. Biography Paul was born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Harold Henry Paul and Lucy Greenleaf Doucette. He graduated from Malden ...

and the artist

Niles Spencer Niles Spencer (16 May 1893 – 15 May 1952) was an American painter of the Precisionist School who specialized in depicting urban and industrial landscapes. His works are in the permanent collections of several major museums including the Metr ...

. Among the last-night diners who had filled the café were actor Winston Ross, cartoonist Dorothy McKay, producer

Gilbert Miller } Gilbert Heron Miller (July 3, 1884 – January 3, 1969) was an American theatrical producer. Born in New York City, he was the son of English-born theatrical producer Henry Miller and Bijou Heron, a former child actress. Raised and educated in ...

, and Lady Hubert Wilkins who was writing an article on the Lafayette's closure for

Australian Consolidated Press Are Media is an Australian media company that was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 2010s ...

. That evening several of the café's habitués bought items from the hotel, including its

barber pole A barber's pole is a type of sign used by barbers to signify the place or shop where they perform their craft. The trade sign is, by a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, a staff or pole with a helix of colored stripes (often red and wh ...

. The remainder of the Lafayette's fixtures and furnishings were sold during a three-day auction which began on 26 April. In October 1949,

New York University Law School New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

took out a short-term lease on the old Lafayette building to rehouse tenants from a nearby apartment house which they were planning to demolish to make way for a new law center. The Lafayette building itself was demolished in 1957 to make way for a 12-storey apartment building.

Notes

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= Chapin, Anna Alice (1917)
''Greenwich Village''
pp. 200–205. Dodd, Mead MacClennan, Nancy (1 April 1949)
"Lafayette's Doors Shut On 47 years"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. Batterberry, Michael and Batterberry, Ariane Ruskin (1999)
''On the Town in New York: The Landmark History of Eating, Drinking, and Entertainments from the American Revolution to the Food Revolution''
pp. 226–228; 315. Routledge. {{ISBN, 0415920205 Bak, Richard (2011). ''The Big Jump - Lindbergh and the Great Atlantic Air Race'', pp. 24–28. John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN, 1118043782 Cole, Wayne S. (1974). ''Charles A. Lindbergh and the Battle Against American Intervention in World War II'', P. 131. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. {{ISBN, 0151181683 s.n. (15 November 1941)
Orteig Shelves Lindbergh Relic"
''

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. s.n. (8 June 1939)
"Raymond Orteig, Hotel Man, Dies"
''

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. s.n. (27 April 1949)
"Auction Bidders Throng Lafayette"
''

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. Cox, Jim (2012)
''Musicmakers of Network Radio: 24 Entertainers, 1926–1962''
p. 271. McFarland. {{ISBN, 0786489626 Horn, Maurice and Marschall, Richard (1980). "McKay, Dorothy". ''The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons'', p. 375. Chelsea House. {{ISBN, 0877540888 s.n. (3 October 1949)
"N.Y.U. Takes Over Lafayette Hotel"
''

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. "Bohemian Flair Fades in Village"
''

''. Retrieved 20 September 2018 {{subscription. s.n. (1903)
''Where and How to Dine in New York''
pp. 151–152. Lewis, Scribner & Co.

External links

with copies of menus from the original Hotel Martin restaurant as well as Martin's later establishment on 26th street (theamericanmenu.com)
Hotel Lafayette menu from 14 July 1925
(The

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

digital collection)
Letter on Hotel Lafayette stationery
from

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

Serge Koussevitzky Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevit ...

, October 5, 1936 (

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

)
Photograph of habitués of the Cafe Lafayette on the day it closed
carrying the barber pole which had stood in front of the hotel's barbershop. Photo by Morris Warman for the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' (

Museum of the City of New York A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

) Defunct hotels in Manhattan Hotels established in 1902 Hotels disestablished in 1949 Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Buildings and structures demolished in 1957 Demolished hotels in New York City Defunct French restaurants in Manhattan