Hotel Martinique
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The Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton is a 532-room hotel at 53 West 32nd Street (also known as 1260-1266 Broadway) in
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 designed by
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (February 6, 1847 – March 13, 1918) was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper." Life and career Hardenbergh was born in ...
and built by William R. H. Martin, who headed the
Rogers Peet Rogers Peet was a men's clothing company founded on November 6, 1874. Rogers Peet introduced several innovations into the men's wear business: they attached tags to garments giving fabric composition, they marked garments with price tags (the establ ...
business, in a
French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define th ...
style. The Martinique was developed in three sections between 1897 and 1911. The hotel is a
New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
and is part of the
Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...
. As completed, the hotel had 600 rooms. The hotel occupies an irregular site with facades along
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
to the west, 33rd Street to the north, and 32nd Street to the south. On all three sides, the facade is made of glazed brick,
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
, and limestone, with balconies, cartouches, and
sash windows A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History T ...
. It is crowned by a large green
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
and has decorated
dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
windows. Inside the hotel were various ornately decorated public rooms, including a lobby, cafe, and dining rooms at ground level; a grill room in the basement; and ballrooms on the second floor. The modern-day hotel contains two restaurants and some exhibition space. Martin acquired land for the hotel between 1892 and 1895. The first section of the hotel on 33rd Street opened in 1898 and originally operated as an
apartment hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel, or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "check ...
. The Martinique was expanded twice, in 1901–1903 and 1907–1911. Martin sold the hotel in 1919 to T. Coleman du Pont of the Greeley Square Company in 1919. Louis Markel's 56 East 59th Street Corporation acquired the hotel in 1929 and lost it to foreclosure two years later. Frank W. Kridel operated the hotel from 1939 to 1954, when he sold the building to Robert Selby and Eugene Moses. From 1973 until the end of 1988, the Martinique was a welfare hotel housing hundreds of families. The welfare hotel gained a negative reputation across the U.S. and was the setting for
Jonathan Kozol Jonathan Kozol (born September 5, 1936) is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Education and experience Born to Harry Kozol and Ruth (Massell) Kozol, Jonat ...
's 1988 study, ''Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America''. Developer Harold Thurman leased the building from the owners in 1989, and he reopened it under a
Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...
franchise in October 1998. The hotel switched to the
Radisson Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn by Radisso ...
chain in 2005 and joined Hilton's Curio Collection division in 2019. After the Martinique went into foreclosure in 2020, Burnett Equities bought the hotel and reopened it in late 2021.


Site

The Martinique New York is on the east side of
Herald Square Herald Square is a major commercial intersection in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue (officially Avenue of the Americas), and 34th Street. Named for the now-defunct ''New ...
in the
Koreatown A Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have ...
and
Midtown South Midtown South is a macro-neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, generally characterized as constituting the southern portion of Midtown Manhattan. Midtown Manhattan hosts over 700,000 daily employees as a busy hub for workers, ...
neighborhoods 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 ...
in
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 ...
. The building has a
frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...
along
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
to the west, 33rd Street to the north, and 32nd Street to the south. The hotel was built on lots at West 33rd and 32nd Streets, and also the northeast corner of Broadway and 32nd Street. The irregularly shaped
land lot In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in ...
covers , with a frontage of on Broadway and a depth of between 33rd and 34th Streets. The hotel comprises two 17-story structures on Broadway and 32nd Street, as well as a six-story wing on 33rd Street. The building shares the
city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...
with the
Hotel Pierrepont Hotel Pierrepont was an establishment located at 43"Hotel Strangely Robbed", ''The New York Times'', November 28, 1908, pg. 1. West 32nd Street (Manhattan), 32nd Street between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Fifth Avenue (Manhattan), Fifth Avenu ...
to the east. Other nearby structures include the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
to the northeast, Herald Towers to the north,
Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is the Flagship#Retailing, flagship of Macy's department store, as well as the Macy's, Inc. corporate headquarters, on Herald Square in Manhattan, New York City. The buildi ...
to the northwest,
Manhattan Mall Manhattan Mall is an inactive indoor shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade wit ...
to the west, and the Hotel Pierrepont to the south. The 12-story 165-room Hotel Alcazar, at one time adjoined the Hotel Martinique on the north side of 34th Street, east of Broadway. The Martinique also wrapped around a 20-story hotel at the southeast corner of Broadway and 33rd Street. An entrance to the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
's 34th Street–Herald Square station and to the
PATH A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desire p ...
system's adjacent 33rd Street station is directly outside the hotel, within
Greeley Square Herald Square is a major commercial intersection in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue (officially Avenue of the Americas), and 34th Street. Named for the now-defunct '' N ...
.


Architecture

The hotel is variously described as being 16, 17, or 19 stories high. The design "capitalized on the openness of Greeley Square" (now
Herald Square Herald Square is a major commercial intersection in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue (officially Avenue of the Americas), and 34th Street. Named for the now-defunct ''New ...
). A 1918 publication stated: "New York is noted for its beautiful buildings, and the Martinique is no exception". The building is a
New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
and is also part of the
Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...
. The hotel was constructed in three sections. The original building on 33rd Street was erected in 1897–1898, followed by an extension to the middle of the Broadway frontage erected in 1901–1903. The section at the corner of 32nd Street and Broadway, including the entire 32nd Street frontage, was erected in 1909–1911. The original hotel measured wide, while the annex on Broadway measured wide. The 1911 addition was of French Renaissance design, carried out in a general way in the interior though there was a slight leaning toward the Spanish in the exterior details. The addition and the older structure were connected with a large courtyard between the two buildings, forming an angle at this point.


Facade

The facade is clad with glazed brick, terracotta, and limestone. The 32nd Street elevation of the facade is divided vertically into nine
bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
, while the Broadway elevation is six bays wide and the 33rd Street elevation is five bays wide. On all three elevations, the ground story is clad with rusticated limestone blocks and contains storefronts, while the upper stories are faced in terracotta and brick. The facade also contains aluminum
sash windows A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History T ...
. When built, the hotel featured "rusticated stonework balconies and prominent cartouches on all three of its facades". The eastern elevation, which faces nearby buildings, contains a cladding of plain brick. The facade is crowned by a large green
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
and has decorated
dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
windows.


32nd Street elevation

The southern elevation on 32nd Street is the building's primary facade and dates to the 1911 expansion. This elevation is laid out symmetrically, and the five central bays are placed within a slightly projecting pavilion. The main entrance is on 32nd Street, through a three-bay-wide marble doorway at the center of the ground level, which is topped by a projecting marquee. Directly above the marquee is a frieze with the name "Hotel Martinique", as well as an escutcheon on either side of the frieze. The outermost ground-level bays contain windows or doors. The 2nd through 4th stories contain a rusticated stone facade with nine windows on each story. Each of the windows contains an iron railing in front of it. In the center and outermost bays of the central pavilion, the windows on the 2nd and 3rd stories are separated horizontally by decorative
spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
panels and flanked by vertical moldings, and there are broken pediments and crests above the 3rd-story windows. In the five center bays, the remaining windows are plainly decorated, and a molded frieze runs above the 2nd-story windows. In the four outermost bays, the 2nd-story windows are topped by geometric
lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
, while those on the 3rd story are topped by broken pediments and crests. Above all of the 4th-story windows are
voussoirs A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...
, which are flanked by brackets that support a balcony on the 5th story. The balcony itself contains a cast-iron balustrade. On the 5th through 11th stories, most windows contain plain sills and are surrounded by eared terracotta frames. The 5th-story windows contain
volutes A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an Ion ...
above them, and the central 6th-story window is ornately decorated with shields and a pediment. Some of the 8th- and 10th-story windows contain balconettes. A Greek key molding runs above the 11th story. There are terracotta shells flanking the windows on the 12th and 13th stories; the 13th-story windows are also topped by double keystones and contain sills with volutes below them. Large brackets support a balcony on the 14th story. The windows on the 14th story are plain in design and are topped by a
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
with a stone balcony. The 15th story is within the mansard roof and contains projecting dormer windows, which are flanked by volutes and topped by finials. The center section of the mansard contains a square tower, which rises above the roof and supports a water tank. There are round windows within this square tower.


Other elevations

At the corner of Broadway and 32nd Street is a one-bay-wide
chamfered A chamfer or is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces. Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...
corner, which separates the Broadway and 32nd Street elevations. The three southern bays on Broadway were built as part of the 1911 expansion and are spaced widely, similar to the 32nd Street elevation. The three northern bays, constructed as part of the 1903 expansion, are more narrowly spaced and slightly project from the facade. The ground level contains storefronts and windows. Otherwise, the Broadway elevation is designed in a very similar manner to the outer bays of the 32nd Street elevation. The main differences are that, on the sixth story, the center window of the northern section is flanked by a pair of shields. In addition, the roof is slightly asymmetrical, with a square tower rising from the northern section. The 33rd Street elevation is part of the original hotel and contains many of the same decorative elements as the later 32nd Street and Broadway elevations. The ground level has been converted to storefronts, but the remaining stories have the same design as on the other elevations. The center three bays project slightly from the facade. The window openings in the central bay are wider than in the other bays, although the center bay's windows have been sealed up. The central 6th-story opening contains a balconette, as well as a large entablature above it, decorated with a shield and cornucopia. The 2nd, 4th, 8th, and 10th stories also contain balconettes. Above the mansard roof is a central tower with a dormer, which in turn is flanked by a pair of smaller dormer windows.


Interior


Ground floor

The ground floor contains a large lobby, known as the concourse. The space contained an Italian Renaissance-style ceiling as well as inlaid floor tiles. The walls were of Greek Skyros marble in gray and yellow with light-purple veining, and a similar color scheme was used on the
coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also c ...
, from which chandeliers were suspended. Within the lobby is a spiral staircase dating from 1907, as well as an antique clock. The clock was manufactured by
King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
's personal clockmaker, H. T. Crawford, for English statesman
Ralph Winwood Sir Ralph Winwood (c. 1563 – 27 October 1617) was an English diplomat and statesman to the Jacobean court. Early life Ralph Winwood was born the son of Richard Winwood at Aynhoe in Northamptonshire, and was educated at St John's College, O ...
in 1691. The hotel's developer, William R. H. Martin, had purchased the clock from Mrs. Elizabeth C. Cole when the hotel was under construction. The lobby is still extant but has been redecorated in yellow and blue . After the 1911 expansion, a corridor extended between the lobby on 32nd Street and a foyer on 33rd Street. The main public rooms were designed in a style that, according to contemporary sources, was inspired by the
Galerie d'Apollon The Galerie d'Apollon is a large and iconic room of the Louvre Palace, on the first (upper) floor of a wing known as the Petite Galerie. Its current setup was first designed in the 1660s. It has been part of the Louvre Museum since the 1790s, was ...
in the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. The Broadway Cafe was to the left (west) of the lobby and could be accessed both from Broadway and from the corridor between 32nd and 33rd Streets. The cafe contained walls of light-colored, artificial stone, and its ceiling was treated in the Italian Renaissance style, ornamented in low relief. It was ornamented with Italian-marble columns as well as Pompeiian-style wall panels. A 1910 brochure stated: "The Gentlemen’s Broadway Cafe is a veritable architectural gem. The walls and columns of Italian marble give to this room a richness which is completed by Pompeiian panels of unquestioned merit." The
Louis XIV style The Louis XIV style or ''Louis Quatorze'' ( , ), also called French classicism, was the style of architecture and decorative arts intended to glorify King Louis XIV and his reign. It featured majesty, harmony and regularity. It became the officia ...
dining room was to the right (east) of the lobby. It had Circassian-walnut paneling and gold panels on the walls. There were eight gold panels, which contained three-quarter length, life-size depictions of four men and four women, painted by Irving Wiles and Carroll Beckwith. In addition, the dining room had rose-and-gold draperies. There was also a "Dutch room" with terracotta floors, hand-carved wainscoting on the walls, and murals depicting "quaint and picturesque Holland scenes". The modern-day hotel is served by two restaurants; the ''Petit Poulet'' serves French bistro cuisine, while the ''Martinique Cafe'' caters in international and American cuisine.


Other public rooms

Just underneath the Broadway Cafe, down a flight of marble stairs, was the Grill, decorated in a modern German style. It was accessed by a marble staircase and elevators, which led to a small vestibule with white tiles. The Grill room was decorated in red and orange, and the floor was made of red tiles. The walls and piers were made of a material resembling
Caen stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...
; the walls were also wainscoted in dark oak and contained decorative lighting sconces. The
vaulted ceiling In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
consisted of a large arch spanning most of the room, as well as smaller arches that led off the main arch. There were reliefs of
arabesques The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
along the grill room's ceiling, which ran along the ceiling's rubs, as well as a pair of wrought-iron chandeliers that were colored to match the design of the ceiling. Leading off the grill room was a large
humidor A humidor is a humidity-controlled box or room used primarily for storing cigars, cigarettes, cannabis, or pipe tobacco. Either too much or too little humidity can be harmful to tobacco products; a humidor's primary function is to maintain a ste ...
, as well as kitchens and serving pantries. The second story included a foyer that led to a tea room and banquet room. The foyer was decorated in the
Louis XIV style The Louis XIV style or ''Louis Quatorze'' ( , ), also called French classicism, was the style of architecture and decorative arts intended to glorify King Louis XIV and his reign. It featured majesty, harmony and regularity. It became the officia ...
, with carved, dark oak woodwork and walls completely covered in period tapestries. Within the foyer, there were carved wooden doors with inlaid paneled mirrors. The tea room had artificial stone walls covered with painted-green wooden grillages; the skylight over the entire room was concealed by rafters and grillage with entwined vines. Adjoining the tea room was the Flemish-style banquet room, furnished in dark oak. A mezzanine, overlooking the hotel's ground-level corridor, contained space for the hotel's orchestra, as well as reading and writing rooms. The hotel also contained ornate bronze elevator doors.


Rooms

The Martinique has 532 rooms. After the hotel's two annexes were completed, in 1910, it had 600 guestrooms and 400 bathrooms. When the hotel opened, all of the rooms faced the street, even though there were no light courts to provide natural illumination inside the building. The hotel also contained water filters and soundproof partitions. Originally, guests could have their breakfast delivered directly to their rooms. The suites facing the corner of Broadway and 32nd Street contained elliptical parlors. In 2006, the hotel had of convention space, which included a grand ballroom, an executive boardroom, and breakout rooms. As of 2021, the hotel has of event space in 14 rooms, which can fit 500 people.


History

When the Martinique Hotel was developed at the end of the 19th century, many commercial structures were being developed around Herald Square. Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift northward along Broadway, from
Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
and
Madison Square 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. ...
to Herald Square and eventually
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, during the first decade of the 20th century. One block to the east, new department store buildings were quickly being developed on
Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...
. Because of growing demand for these theaters and department stores, numerous hotels were developed on Broadway between Madison Square and Times Square during the late 19th and early 20th century, including the Martinique. The opening of
Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...
,
Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is the Flagship#Retailing, flagship of Macy's department store, as well as the Macy's, Inc. corporate headquarters, on Herald Square in Manhattan, New York City. The buildi ...
, and the
Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) is a rapid transit system in the northeastern New Jersey cities of Newark, Harrison, Jersey City, and Hoboken, as well as Lower and Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is operated as a wholly owned subsid ...
's 33rd Street Terminal in the 1900s further spurred growth immediately around Herald Square.


Original hotel


Development and early years

The hotel was developed by William R. H. Martin, who headed the
Rogers Peet Rogers Peet was a men's clothing company founded on November 6, 1874. Rogers Peet introduced several innovations into the men's wear business: they attached tags to garments giving fabric composition, they marked garments with price tags (the establ ...
business and named the hotel after himself. Martin had opened a store at 1260 Broadway in 1890, several years before companies such as
Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...
and
Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
opened their stores in the area. Martin had purchased the first part of the plot in 1892 and expanded it in 1893 and 1895; he then hired
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (February 6, 1847 – March 13, 1918) was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper." Life and career Hardenbergh was born in ...
to design a French Renaissance-style hotel on the site. Hardenbergh filed plans for the new hotel in July 1897. The hotel, located at 54–58 West 33rd Street, was planned to be 16 stories high and was budgeted at $400,000. The Hotel Martinique was originally intended as an
apartment hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel, or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "check ...
. A floor plan of the Martinique was included in a contemporary real-estate journal article about apartment hotels. The uptown store of Rogers Peet was in the same building. Martin began running a series of short ads to introduce his house, the ads appearing several times a week in the ''Sun'' and ''Times''. Although the hotel opened in 1898 as a speculative investment, it instantly became popular. The ''Real Estate Record and Guide'' wrote in April 1899 that "the Martinique has a waiting list of 65 names, and that at least one suite of two rooms and bath, rented at $500, has been sublet at $1,200." The success of the Martinique prompted another developer to construct an apartment hotel on a neighboring site. Soon after the Martinique opened, Martin converted the Martinique to a transient hotel; even this did not provide enough room for the growing demand of the neighborhood. Mary L. George, who owned the neighboring lots at 1266 and 1268 Broadway, leased the site to Martin. George then filed plans for a 16-story annex for the Martinique Hotel in November 1900, to be designed by Hardenbergh. ''The Construction News'' wrote in 1901 that the annex "is said to be the first hotel building in the world to use fireproof wood throughout". The first annex was completed around 1903. In June 1905, Martin rehired Hardenbergh to design an annex on the northeast corner of Broadway and 32nd Street, which at the time was occupied by the Rogers Peet store at 1260 Broadway. The new annex was to measure on Broadway and on 32nd Street. That November, Martin bought several adjacent row houses at 42–52 West 33rd Street. A set of restaurants and a cafe opened within the hotel in 1906; at the time, William Taylor and Sons were the managers. Work on the planned annex stalled for two years because Martin wished to relocate the Rogers Peet store to the
Marbridge Building The Marbridge Building is an office building at 1328 Broadway, on the east side of Sixth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets in Herald Square, Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1909, an 11-story structure, utilized in part by men's clothie ...
, which he was constructing two blocks north, before beginning work on the annex. Hardenbergh filed plans for the second annex in October 1907, and the Rogers Peet store moved to the first three stories of the Marbridge Building. The firm of Moran and Jones designed 388 rooms in the new annex. The expansion opened on December 21, 1910, at which point daily room rates ranged from $3.50 to $6.00 and up. Walter Chandler managed the newly expanded hotel, which could accommodate 1,200 diners and 1,000 transient guests in 600 guestrooms.


1910s to 1930s

The development of the second annex had coincided with the opening of Penn Station and the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad terminal. To attract visitors from Penn Station, the hotel's managers transported guests' baggage to and from the station free of charge. In the 1910s, the hotel housed some long-term residents, such as physician Cornelia A. Walker and former New York deputy attorney general
Job E. Hedges Job Elmer Hedges (May 10, 1862 – February 22, 1925) was an American attorney and Republican political activist from New York. He was most notable for being the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 1912. Biography Jo ...
. The hotel also hosted such events as the New York State Bankers' Association's annual meetings, as well as luncheons for local civic group Broadway Association. The Martinique was initially licensed to serve liquor at night, but the city government revoked this license in 1913. The hotel was the first in New York City to obtain a cabaret license; among its performers was vaudevillian Gus Edwards. The
Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...
room served as the venue for the Gus Edwards Revue's "1918 Version of a Night with Omar Khayyam", a twice-nightly performance. T. Coleman du Pont of the Greeley Square Company, which operated the neighboring McAlpin Hotel, bought the Martinique from the Martin family in October 1919. The Martinique was renamed the McAlpin Annex the same month. The hotel's manager Frank E. Jago restored the Hotel Martinique's original name in May 1921, saying that the McAlpin Annex name had created confusion. The Pennsylvania Drug Company leased a storefront on the southern side of the ground story the same year, within the space originally occupied by the dining room. As a result, a new restaurant was built on the northern side of the ground story. By the 1920s, the entertainment district around Herald Square had largely relocated northward to Times Square. Harry F. Young, a climber who was scaling the hotel for a film, fell nine stories to his death in 1923, prompting the
New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
to ban "street exhibitions of a foolhardy character in climbing the outer walks of buildings by human beings". Frank A. Duggan took over as the hotel's manager in May 1928. The 56 East 59th Street Corporation, led by Louis Markel, bought the hotel from the Greeley Square Company that November. Markel headed the Martinique Hotel Corporation, which officially took title to the hotel at the beginning of January 1929. Markel planned to spend $250,000 remodeling the hotel. In August 1930, the media reported that a Chicago-based department store was considering paying $9 million for the Martinique and neighboring structures, then redeveloping the site. However, two companies signed long-term leases for storefronts in the hotel the following month, preventing the department store's development for the time being. The
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...
foreclosed on a mortgage loan for the Martinique in December 1931, claiming that the hotel's owners had not made mortgage payments for two years. A foreclosure auction for the hotel was scheduled for May 1933. The same month, Metropolitan Life bid $500,000, taking ownership of the building and most of the site. Metropolitan Life also took over the previous owners' lease of a parcel of land on Broadway, which had belonged to Mary J. George. Metropolitan Life hired Francis Keally in 1936 to design a renovation of the ground-floor restaurant, converting part of the restaurant into a bar. George Bernard, a retired women's apparel dealer, acquired the plot of land on Broadway from the executor of Mary George's estate in 1937 for $152,000.


1940s to 1970s

Metropolitan Life leased the hotel in 1939 to a syndicate headed by Frank W. Kridel. The hotel was undergoing an extensive renovation at the time of the sale, which included a refurbishment of the guestrooms. The hotel continued to host events in the 1940s, such as meetings of the
American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...
and the New York State Committee on Discrimination in Housing. Kridel's syndicate bought the hotel in 1944, subject to a $1.3 million mortgage. By then, the hotel and the underlying land was valued at $2.25 million. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, German saboteurs
Richard Quirin Richard Quirin (26 April 1908 – 8 August 1942) was a German agent executed as a spy for Nazi Germany in World War II. He was one of eight agents involved in Operation Pastorius, and gave his name to the Supreme Court decision on the trial, '' ...
and Heinrich Harm Heinck, notorious for their involvement in
Operation Pastorius Operation Pastorius was a failed Nazi Germany, German Espionage, intelligence plan for sabotage inside the United States during World War II. The operation was staged in June, 1942 and was to be directed against strategic American economic tar ...
, stayed at the Hotel Martinique, against the recommendation of German spy
George John Dasch George John Dasch (7 February 1903 – 1992) was a German agent who landed on American soil during World War II. He helped to destroy Nazi Germany's espionage program in the United States by defecting to the American cause, but was tried and ...
. In September 1947, the Martinique's managers attempted to raise the rent for its permanent guests by 30 percent. The
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
initially ruled against the hotel's managers in early 1948, but the Appellate Division subsequently reversed the Supreme Court's ban. Kridel continued to manage the hotel until September 1954, when he sold the building to Robert Selby and Eugene Moses; the hotel was then assessed at $1.8 million. The new owners took title to the hotel the next month and began planning a renovation of the property. In anticipation of the opening of the
New York Coliseum The New York Coliseum was a convention center that stood at Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, from 1956 to 2000. It was designed by architects Leon Levy and Lionel Levy in a modified International Style, and included both a low b ...
, the Heritage Hotel Group announced plans in early 1956 to renovate the hotel for $1 million. The work involved renovating all guestrooms, adding air conditioning throughout the hotel, and restoring the ballrooms. About 300 of the hotel's 650 rooms were being completed before mid--1956.


Homeless shelter

Tourism in New York City had suffered during the 1960s and 1970s, leading many hotel operators to convert their hotels into apartment buildings. In 1972 or 1973, the
American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
and the
government of New York City The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the ...
started using the Martinique as a
homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...
for families. Over the next two decades, the New York City government spent over $1 million per year to use the hotel as a shelter. Initially, the Martinique was a temporary shelter, housing families for only a short period of time. Over the years, the hotel typically housed families who could not be assigned to shelters in their own boroughs due to overcrowding, as well as those displaced by fire. The hotel became infamous as a homeless shelter.
United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
said the Martinique became "a national symbol of the helplessness and squalor faced by those too poor to afford housing", while local newspaper ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' wrote: "The Martinique is a building that reeks of despair and of broken dreams. It is often called a symbol of the city's inability to deal with the homeless population." The reverend of the nearby Church of St. Francis of Assisi said in 1974 that the hotel housed 300 families, along with 175 "discharges from mental hospitals, addicts, and alcoholics". ''The Washington Post'' estimated in 1987 that one-sixth of the city's 12,000 homeless children lived at the Martinique, even though the hotel lacked basic facilities such as kitchens in each room. By December 1985, the Martinique housed over 1,400 children in 389 families; eighteen months later, there were 438 families. According to a 1986 analysis, families stayed at the Martinique for an average of 16 months. The author
Jonathan Kozol Jonathan Kozol (born September 5, 1936) is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Education and experience Born to Harry Kozol and Ruth (Massell) Kozol, Jonat ...
analyzed conditions at the Martinique for his 1988 book ''Rachel and Her Children'', a study of homeless families. According to Kozol, it cost $2,000 per month for a room housing a family of four and $3,000 per month for a family of six. The federal government paid 50 percent of this cost, while the state and city governments paid 25 percent each. Children who lived at the hotel had no dedicated play area; ''
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 ...
'' wrote in 1983 that "the stench of urine and marijuana is everywhere". As a result, the hotel's children often used drugs, shoplifted, and harassed bystanders in Herald Square. In 1986,
Manhattan Community Board 5 Manhattan Community Board 5 is a New York City community board, part of the local government apparatus of the city, with the responsibility for the neighborhoods of Midtown, Times Square, most of the Theater District, the Diamond District, the ...
provided funding to convert the hotel's former ballroom (which had been used as storage space since 1956) into a play area for the children who were housed there. Around the same time, state officials received complaints that families at the Martinique occupied "cramped, subdivided rooms without bathrooms rfurniture". The city government ultimately fined the hotel's owners in 1988 after finding that the guestrooms had been divided into cubicles of as small as . The hotel lacked in-room telephones, heat, running water, or elevator service, and the facade had become extremely shabby. The hotel's owners also removed asbestos from the lobby in 1987, but city officials had not authorized the work. After the administration of U.S. president Ronald Reagan threatened to withdraw $70 million in federal funding, in 1988, mayor
Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
announced that he would close 46 welfare hotels within two years. The first of these hotels to close was the Martinique, which stopped accepting guests at the beginning of September 1988. Subsequently, the New York City government began relocating 443 families from the hotel. The hotel had been closed by the end of December 1988, and the last homeless families had left the Martinique by the beginning of the next month. The displaced families were relocated to permanent apartments in other shelters; units in
New York City Housing Authority The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the U ...
developments; apartments that the city government had renovated; or their own accommodations. The hotel's owners were banned from demolishing the hotel or converting it to another use because of a New York City law that sought to preserve
single room occupancy Single room occupancy (more commonly abbreviated to SRO) is a form of housing that is typically aimed at residents with low or minimal incomes who rent small, furnished single rooms with a bed, chair, and sometimes a small desk. SRO units are ren ...
hotels. The owners, who wished to market the space to Koreatown merchants, sought an exemption from the law.


Reopening as hotel


Thurman operation

Developer Harold Thurman leased the building from Seasons Affiliates for 99 years in 1989, with plans to reopen the Martinique Hotel as a franchise of the
Days Inn Days Inn is a hotel chain headquartered in the United States. It was founded in 1970 by Cecil B. Day, who opened the first location in Tybee Island, Georgia. The brand is now a part of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, headquartered in Parsippan ...
chain. The Martinique sat vacant through the mid-1990s, even as Thurman gradually renovated the interior. By 1994, the renovation had stalled because of increasing costs, and the owner and lessee were involved in a legal dispute over the Martinique's renovation. For several years, Thurman struggled to obtain financing for the hotel. In 1996, Thurman announced plans to operate the shuttered Martinique as a 530-room
Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...
hotel as part of a franchise agreement. Preservationists expressed concerns that Holiday Inn would significantly modify the hotel's facade. The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
designated the hotel as a New York City landmark on May 5, 1998. The Martinique reopened in October 1998 as the Holiday Inn Martinique on Broadway. At the time, rooms were being marketed at $215 to $295 per month, in what ''USA Today'' described as "a vivid manifestation of New York City's about-face". Carlson Hotels took over the hotel in 2005 and announced plans to renovate it as part of the
Radisson Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn by Radisso ...
chain. The hotel was rebranded as the Radisson Hotel Martinique on July 1, 2006, and the guest rooms were extensively renovated. Carlson proposed adding of meeting space in the hotel. In addition, a bistro and a supper club opened within the hotel, supplementing a cafe and an Asian restaurant that already operated within the Martinique. In 2018, the hotel's lessees Herald Hotel Associates decided to instead partner with
Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide, Hilton. The original company was founded by C ...
, saying that the Radisson partnership was not as profitable as Herald Hotels had desired. The Hilton partnership included a $40 million renovation of the Martinique. The hotel joined Hilton's Curio Collection division on February 1, 2019, and was renamed the Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton.


COVID-19 closure and sale

The hotel was forced to close in March 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York City The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...
, and the operators laid off many of the hotel's 176 workers. As a result of the pandemic, the hotel filed for
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...
bankruptcy protection in September 2020. When Thurman died at the end of 2020, the hotel's operators defaulted on their mortgage. By early the following year, Herald Hotel was seeking to sell its lease of the Martinique Hotel, which was scheduled to run for another 68 years. However, the hotel had trouble attracting buyers because the lease was expensive, the building was a landmark, and the hotel required $15 million in repairs to its facade. Burnett Equities, a firm based in
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, bought the hotel in November 2021 for $55.5 million. Burnett Equities president Andy Burnett renegotiated the terms of the land lease following a dinner with the landowner's daughter, and he leased out of empty storefront space to three restaurants. The hotel reopened the next month, with 200 rooms. Burnett Equities hired Steven Kratchman Architect, which had been renovating the hotel for the past 15 years, as the hotel's
architect of record Architect of record is the architect or architecture firm whose name appears on a building permit issued for a specific project on which that architect or firm performed services. Building permits are issued by a government agency with the authorit ...
in 2022. Burnett then restarted the renovation project, expanding the retail space from six to seven storefronts, as well as completing renovations to the guestrooms and the lower section of the facade. ''Crain's New York'' wrote at the time: "The parts of the Martinique that have held on across more than a century—the tiles, the baroque molding and the marble stairs—will continue to stand the test of time."


Association with golf

The hotel's history has a long association with the history of golf in the United States. The
Professional Golfers' Association of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 men and women members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish ...
(PGA) was established at the hotel on April 10, 1916, where 35 charter members and 78 golf professionals formed to create what was then the world's largest working sports organization. The Radisson Martinique is regularly the venue for announcing the American
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...
team; as in 2008, when
Paul Azinger Paul William Azinger (born January 6, 1960) is an American professional golfer and TV golf He won twelve times on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 1993 PGA Championship. He spent almost 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official ...
announced the names of four team members. On August 31, 2011, the PGA Gallery at the Radisson Martinique was inaugurated, marking PGA's 95th anniversary.


See also

* List of buildings and structures on Broadway in Manhattan *
List of hotels in New York City The following is a list of some notable hotels in New York City. Number of hotels Most of the hotels are represented by the Hotel Association of New York City trade organization. As of 2016, the organization had 270 members, representing 75,000 r ...
*
List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * *


External links

*
Curio Collection Website
{{Broadway (Manhattan) 1897 establishments in New York City Broadway (Manhattan) French Renaissance architecture Hotel buildings completed in 1897 Hotels established in 1897 Hotels established in 1998 Hotels in Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Historic Hotels of America