The Pierre is a luxury hotel located at 2
East 61st Street, at the intersection of that street with
Fifth Avenue, 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, facing
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
. Designed by
Schultze & Weaver Schultze & Weaver was an architecture firm established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.
History
Leonard B. Schultze was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1877. He was educated at the Cit ...
, the hotel opened in 1930 with 100+ employees, now with over a thousand. In 2005, the hotel was acquired by
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business conglom ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Standing tall,
it is located within the
Upper East Side Historic District as designated in 1981 by 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 ...
.
History
Charles Pierre Casalasco left his father's restaurant in
Ajaccio,
Corsica, where he had started as a busboy, assumed Charles Pierre as his full professional name, and began work at the Hotel Anglais in
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
.
Charles Pierre went on to study ''
haute cuisine
''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...
'' in Paris, and he later traveled to London where he met the American restaurateur,
Louis Sherry
Louis Sherry (1855 in St. Albans, Vermont – 1926) was an American restaurateur, caterer, confectioner and hotelier during the Gilded Age and early 20th century. His name is typically associated with an upscale brand of candy and ice cream, and ...
, who offered him a position. After Pierre arrived in New York as a 25-year-old immigrant, he made his first mark as first assistant at Sherry's Restaurant and became professionally acquainted with members of the
Social Register
The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...
, as well as newer millionaires like
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...
and the
Vanderbilts
The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...
. After nine years at Sherry's, Pierre left, first for the
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addi ...
on Madison Avenue at 46th Street, then opening his own restaurant on 45th Street immediately west of Fifth Avenue, and finally at Pierre's on Park at 230 Park Avenue.
![The Pierre Rotunda 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/The_Pierre_Rotunda_2018.jpg)
At the height of his success, dissatisfied with the increasing democratization of public manners, Pierre sold his restaurant and entered a joint venture with a group of Wall Street financiers, "among them
Otto H. Kahn, Finley J. Shepherd (who had married
Helen Gould),
Edward F. Hutton,
Walter P. Chrysler, and
Robert Livingston Gerry, Sr. (the son of
Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry (December 25, 1837 – February 18, 1927), usually called "Commodore" Gerry due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club from 1886 to 1892, was an American lawyer and reformer who was the grandson of U.S. Vice P ...
, lawyer, philanthropist and grandson of
Elbridge Gerry, the inventor of '
Gerrymandering
In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...
')".
The 714-room hotel that rose 41 stories on the site of the
Gerry mansion at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 61st Street allowed for unrestricted views of Central Park. It cost $15 million (approximately $ million in ) to build and opened to grand fanfare in October 1930 as The Pierre. The building was designed by the New York firm of
Schultze and Weaver Schultze & Weaver was an architecture firm established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.
History
Leonard B. Schultze was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1877. He was educated at the Cit ...
as a skyscraper that rises in a blond-brick shaft from a limestone-fronted
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
base. Its topmost floors render it an easily recognizable landmark on the New York skyline; they are modeled after
Mansart's
Royal Chapel at Versailles, a system of Corinthian pilasters and arch-headed windows, with octagonal ends, under a tall, slanted, copper roof that is pierced with bronze-finished bull's-eye
dormers. New York society turned out to attend the gala dinner that marked the opening of The Pierre; it was prepared by
Auguste Escoffier
Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...
, "the father of French chefs", who served as a guest chef at The Pierre in its early years.
As markets continued to collapse during the
Great Depression, The Pierre went into bankruptcy in 1932. The oilman,
J. Paul Getty, bought it for about $2.5 million in 1938 (approximately $ million in ) and subsequently sold many cooperative apartments in the building.
Beginning in 1948, New York City's ABC television and FM radio station (then called WJZ-TV Channel 7 and WJZ-FM 95.5, now WABC-TV and WPLJ) broadcast from a tower atop The Pierre, until moving to the Empire State Building a few years later.
President-elect
Richard M. Nixon stayed at The Pierre for several months in 1968-69 before moving to Washington, D.C.
The Pierre was the scene of the
Pierre Hotel robbery
The Pierre hotel robbery was a January 2, 1972 robbery at The Pierre in New York City. The robbery netted $3 million (worth $27 million today), and was organized by Samuel Nalo; Robert "Bobby" Comfort, an associate of the Rochester Crime Family; a ...
in 1972, organized by the
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as ...
. This robbery of $27 million would later be listed in the ''
Guinness Book of World Records'' as the largest, most successful hotel robbery in history.
Today, the hotel contains 189 guest accommodations, including 49 suites, of which 11 are grand suites. Dining options in the hotel include Perrine restaurant, The Rotunda and Two E Lounge.
Ownership
The Pierre came under the management of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in 1981. In its 75th anniversary year in 2005, The Pierre became a Taj Hotel as
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business conglom ...
, a global chain of fine luxury hotels and resorts, succeeded as the new lessee and operator. In 2010, Taj completed a $100 million top to bottom renovation of the hotel. Taj Hotels is part of India's
Tata Group
The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1868, it is India's largest conglomerate, with products and services in over 150 countries, and operations in 100 countries across six continents ...
.
In 1959, 75 apartments were sold to a cooperative of private residents, while The Pierre's owner at that time,
John Paul Getty, retained control of the hotel's services and guest rooms. Among the permanent residents at The Pierre have been
Elizabeth Taylor,
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
, Viacom entertainment-company chairman
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redst ...
,
Mohamed al-Fayed, then the owner of
Harrods, and the late designer
Yves Saint-Laurent. Thirteen of the apartments have since become "grand suites."
Triplex
A 16-room triplex co-op that occupies the top three floors was placed on the market in 2003, with a pricetag of $70 million. This apartment features five bedrooms, four terraces, a paneled library, a wine cellar, a black Belgian-marble staircase and the hotel's former ballroom with high ceilings. It was originally purchased by the hedge-fund manager
Martin Zweig, from publishing heiress
Mary Fairfax, in 1999 for $21.5 million. With its $70 million price tag payable in full at purchase, the co-op was listed in 2006 in ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine as the eighth-most expensive home in the world, fourth-most expensive home in the United States, and second-most expensive home in the Northeastern United States in 2006. It was again put on the market in 2013 at the asking price of $125 million.
The board of directors turned down two would-be buyers. The penthouse returned to the market in March 2013 for an asking price of $125 million. The price was adjusted to $95 million later that year. The triplex, which was refurbished, had its price adjusted down to $57 million in 2016. The triplex sold for $44 million in 2017.
In popular culture
The Pierre has frequently appeared as a setting in novels, films and in television series.
![Pierre Hotel from Central Park South](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Pierre_Hotel_from_Central_Park_South.jpg)
*1956: In the novel ''Seize the Day'' by Saul Bellow, Dr. Tamkin says he knows a man at the Pierre who orders a case of champagne every day with lunch, by way of illustrating for Tommy the potential income to be obtained from day-trading commodities.
*1956: In her novel ''
Chocolates for Breakfast'', Pamela Moore has the character Anthony Neville living out of a luxury suite at The Pierre, where Courtney and Janet often visit him.
*1979: The Pierre was referenced in the ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
Th ...
'' episode called "The Party" in season 7, in which the relatives of the main characters get together at the hotel.
*1990: The driver Marshall, played by
Ossie Davis
Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...
, recommends The Pierre over Plaza Hotel to Joe, played by
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, in the film ''
Joe Versus the Volcano''.
*1992: The tango scene with Al Pacino in the film ''
Scent of a Woman'' was shot in The Pierre's Cotillion Ballroom.
*1993: The Pierre was the main filming setting for the film ''
For the Love of Money
"For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album ''Ship Ahoy.'' Produced by Gamble and Huff for Phi ...
'' starring
Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...
as the concierge for the fictional Bradbury Hotel.
*1996: The Pierre again stood in as The Bradbury Hotel for a brief scene in ''
The Associate'' starring
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
as an investment adviser.
*1998: The Pierre's penthouse is the home of
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
' character, William Parrish, in the film ''
Meet Joe Black
''Meet Joe Black'' is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film directed and produced by Martin Brest, and starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani. The screenplay was written by Bo Goldman, Kevin Wade, Ron Osborn, and Jeff Reno, and ...
''.
*2004: In ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' episode "
In Camelot
"In Camelot" is the 59th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the seventh of the show's fifth season. Written by Terence Winter and directed by Steve Buscemi, it originally aired on April 18, 2004.
Starring
* James Gandolfini ...
,"
Fran Felstein tells
Tony Soprano
Anthony John Soprano is a fictional character and the antihero protagonist in the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially late ...
about President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
's invitation to a rendezvous at The Pierre, and how a steel workers strike aborted those plans.
*2007–2015: The Pierre has appeared or been mentioned in several episodes of ''
Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...
'', and briefly housed the newly formed "Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce" in room 435.
*2009: In the film ''
Grey Gardens
''Grey Gardens'' is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a ...
'',
Edith Bouvier "Little Edie" Beale has her
débutante
A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal ...
ball on New Year's Day, 1936 at The Pierre, a true story.
*2009–2010: The Pierre appears several times in episodes of ''
CSI:NY'' (Season 6, Episode 10: "Death House"; Season 7, Episode 2: "Unfriendly Chat").
*2010: In ''
Real Housewives of New York City
''The Real Housewives of New York City'' (abbreviated ''RHONY'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo (American TV network), Bravo on March 4, 2008. Developed as the second installment of ''The Real Housewives'' fran ...
'', cast member Ramona Singer had her commitment ceremony at The Pierre.
*2011: Aerial shots of The Pierre's penthouse exteriors were used as Arthur Bach's apartment in the film ''
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...
''.
*2015: The Pierre provided the backdrop for the awards ceremony scene in the film ''
Trainwreck'', in which the characters of
Amy Schumer
Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series ''Last Comic Standing'' ...
and
Bill Hader
William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...
argue.
*2017: The book ''The Pierre Hotel Affair'' by
Daniel Simone
Daniel Simone (born in New York City) is an American author who specializes in writing about sensational crimes in collaboration with one of the perpetrators or investigators of the actual event.
''The Lufthansa Heist''
Daniel Simone co-wrote ''T ...
is about the 1972 robbery that took place at The Pierre.
*2018: In the film ''
Ocean's 8
''Ocean's Eight'' (stylized onscreen as ''Ocean's 8'') is a 2018 American heist action thriller comedy film directed by Gary Ross and written by Ross and Olivia Milch. The film is both a continuation of and a spin-off from Steven Soderbergh's ...
'',
Anne Hathaway
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2 ...
gets ready in The Pierre's Presidential Suite for the
Met Gala
The Met Gala, or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It is popularly ...
, and goes on a date in the hotel's Rotunda.
See also
*
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
Wired New York ForumThe Pierre: 795 Fifth Ave.Detailed building information, building ratings and area maps
Manhattan Billionaire Hotels: The Pierre's Timeless Grand Suites- Forbes, May 8, 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre
Fifth Avenue
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces
The Leading Hotels of the World
Hotels established in 1930
Hotel buildings completed in 1930
Skyscraper hotels in Manhattan
Upper East Side
1930 establishments in New York City
Indian Hotels Company Limited