The Roosevelt Hotel was a hotel at 45 East
45th Street (between
Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
and
Vanderbilt Avenue
Vanderbilt Avenue is the name of three thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. They were named after Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), the builder of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
Br ...
) in the
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
neighborhood of
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 ...
. Named in honor of U.S. president
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, the hotel was developed by the
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...
and the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
and operated from 1924 to 2020. The 19-story structure was designed by
George B. Post & Son with an
Italian Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ...
-style facade, as well as interiors that resembled historical American buildings. The Roosevelt was one of several large hotels developed around
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
as part of
Terminal City.
The hotel building contains
setbacks to comply with the
1916 Zoning Resolution
The 1916 Zoning Resolution in New York City was the first citywide zoning code in the United States. The zoning resolution reflected both borough and local interests, and was proposed after the Equitable Building was erected in Lower Manhattan ...
, as well as
light court
In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or ...
s above the third story on Madison Avenue. The hotel was mostly constructed above Grand Central Terminal's railroad tracks, so different sets of columns were used for the lower and upper stories. The ground level largely contained stores, and the lobby, dining rooms, and other public rooms were one floor above ground. The third through 18th floors contained 1,025 rooms. When the Roosevelt opened, it contained several novel features, including a kennel for guests' pets, a child-care service, and an in-house doctor.
The Roosevelt Hotel opened on September 23, 1924, and was originally operated by New York United Hotels Inc., a subsidiary of the
United Hotels Company
United Hotels Company of America, also known as United Hotels Company, was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, with administrative offices in New York City. The company was foun ...
. After New York United Hotels went bankrupt in 1934, Roosevelt Hotels Inc. took over the hotel.
Hilton Hotels
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.
The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
took over management of the Roosevelt in 1943, eventually acquiring full ownership of the hotel, and sold it to the
Hotel Corporation of America in 1956 following an
antitrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
lawsuit. Realty Hotels, a holding company run by the New York Central, took over the hotel in 1964.
Paul Milstein
Paul Milstein (May 12, 1922 – August 9, 2010) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Milstein was born to a Jewish family[Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...]
(PIA) the following year. PIA and Prince
Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Faisal bin Khalid Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) (born 1954) is the former governor of Asir Region and a member of House of Saud.
Early life and education
Prince Faisal was born in Riyadh in 1954 ...
bought the hotel in 2000, and PIA then acquired Prince Faisal's ownership stake. In 2020, the hotel closed permanently due to continued financial losses associated with the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Site
The Roosevelt Hotel is at 45 East 45th Street in the
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
neighborhood of
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 occupies an entire city block bounded by
Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...
to the west, 46th Street to the north,
Vanderbilt Avenue
Vanderbilt Avenue is the name of three thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. They were named after Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), the builder of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
Br ...
to the east, and 45th Street to the south.
The land lot covers about with 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 ...
of on either avenue and on either street. Nearby buildings include
383 Madison Avenue
383 Madison Avenue, formerly known as the Bear Stearns Building, is a , 47-story skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, United States. Built in 2002 for financial services firm Bear Stearns, it was designed by archi ...
to the north,
245 Park Avenue
245 Park Avenue is a 648-ft (198 m) skyscraper in New York City, New York. It was completed in 1967, and contains on 48 floors. Shreve, Lamb and Harmon designed the structure, which is the 94th- tallest building in New York. The Building Owne ...
to the northeast, the
Helmsley Building
The Helmsley Building is a 35-story skyscraper at 230 Park Avenue between East 45th and 46th Streets in New York City, just north of Grand Central Terminal, in Midtown Manhattan. It was built in 1929 as the New York Central Building and was d ...
to the east, the
MetLife Building
The MetLife Building (also 200 Park Avenue and formerly the Pan Am Building) is a skyscraper at Park Avenue and 45th Street, north of Grand Central Terminal, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed in the Internation ...
and
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
to the southeast, and the
Yale Club of New York City Building to the southeast.
The hotel was built above
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
's railroad tracks.
It was one of several structures built above the railroad tracks during the early 20th century. Other such structures included the
Hotel Marguery
Hotel Marguery was the first of three buildings located at 270 Park Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was a six-building apartment hotel complex built in 1917 as part of Terminal City. It was demolished in 19 ...
to the north, the New York Central Building (now Helmsley Building) to the east, and the Yale Club and
Biltmore Hotel Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.
The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...
to the south.
Architecture
![Entrance to Roosevelt Hotel in NYC IMG 0888](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Entrance_to_Roosevelt_Hotel_in_NYC_IMG_0888.JPG)
The Roosevelt Hotel was designed by the architectural firm of
George B. Post
George Browne Post (December 15, 1837 – November 28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He was recognized as a master of modern American architecture as well as being instrumental in the birth of the skyscra ...
& Son for its original operator, the
United Hotels Company
United Hotels Company of America, also known as United Hotels Company, was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, with administrative offices in New York City. The company was foun ...
.
The hotel building is 19 stories high,
and there are also three basement levels.
Some contemporary sources describe the hotel as being 22 stories high, although this figure includes mezzanines and the ground story.
According to plans published by ''Architecture and Building'' magazine, the hotel building is tall.
Form and facade
The hotel building contains
setbacks to comply with the
1916 Zoning Resolution
The 1916 Zoning Resolution in New York City was the first citywide zoning code in the United States. The zoning resolution reflected both borough and local interests, and was proposed after the Equitable Building was erected in Lower Manhattan ...
;
it was the first major hotel in New York City to be developed after the resolution was enacted.
The first three stories of the hotel occupy nearly the entire site. To the west, on the Madison Avenue
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
of the facade, there are two
light court
In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or ...
s above the third story, and there is a setback above the 18th story. To the east, on the Vanderbilt Avenue elevation, there is a light court at the center, as well as setbacks above the 11th, 15th, and 18th stories.
On the 12th story, the rooms on the eastern wing contained
French doors
A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...
, which opened out onto
roof garden
A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...
s.
Many of the rooms on the 16th through 18th stories also opened onto roof gardens.
When the Roosevelt opened, it was characterized as having an
Italian Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ...
-style exterior.
The hotel has a facade of
Indiana limestone
Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...
with terracotta trim, while the main exterior walls are made of light colored brick.
The main entrance to the hotel was originally on 45th Street, though there were additional guest entrances on 46th Street and on Vanderbilt Avenue. Near the northern end of the Vanderbilt Avenue elevation was a service entrance.
The ground level contained storefronts on three sides.
The lowest horizontal
course
Course may refer to:
Directions or navigation
* Course (navigation), the path of travel
* Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
of the facade is made of black Belgian marble. The walls of the first story are made of grand antique marble from southern France, framing the storefronts.
One contemporary writer described the ground-level storefronts as one of the "novel and salient features" of the hotel.
Structural features
The structure uses of steel.
The frame could carry a total load of ,
and the strongest individual column in the superstructure was capable of carrying .
About two-thirds of the building's
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
sits above two levels of
Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...
tracks just north of Grand Central Terminal, rather than being attached to the bedrock itself.
To avoid interfering with the railroad tracks under the hotel, most of the pillars in the steel
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
are placed high above ground.
With few exceptions,
the hotel building and the tracks beneath it are supported by different frameworks.
The foundations of the hotel building are all constructed atop vibration-absorbing lead pads.
The first story includes several spaces designed without columns, such as the main lobby, palm court, dining room, and breakfast rooms.
The second story is surrounded by large
trusses
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...
, creating large
clear spans above the first story; the trusses are encased within thick partitions.
Each of the trusses carries up to .
Typically, the space between the trusses would have been usable only as storage space. By creating door openings between the trusses' diagonals, the hotel's structural engineers were able to add a full second story between the trusses.
The trusses also redistribute the loads from the upper stories, since different sets of columns are used above and below the second story.
The upper chords of each truss, corresponding to the second-story ceiling, contain footings for the upper-story columns, which rise 17 stories. The upper chords are divided into sections, each of which contains footings for two columns.
On the third through 18th floors, each story contains central corridors surrounded by guestrooms.
The slab-to-slab height of each story is ,
although the ceilings in each room are high.
The superstructure is divided into square modules, each with two guestrooms, two bathrooms, and two dressing rooms. There are steel columns at each corner of each guestroom, which are hidden within partitions. The side walls of each corridor contain
girders
A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ...
, which are also placed within partitions.
The easternmost portions of each story, as well as the exterior wall on Vanderbilt Avenue, are cantilevered past the outermost set of columns. There are additional girders just below each of the upper-story setbacks; these girders support the columns above the setbacks.
Mechanical features
Near the center of the hotel were six passenger elevators, five service elevators, and one freight elevator.
Garbage and laundry chutes were placed next to the service elevators.
The Roosevelt Hotel produced much of its own steam, in contrast to other buildings in the area, which purchased steam from the New York Central Railroad because they did not have space for mechanical equipment. The Roosevelt purchased high-pressure steam from the railroad, but the hotel generated its own low-pressure steam using exhaust from engine generators, compressors, and auxiliaries.
On the second floor,
there was a
telephone exchange
A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syst ...
with 75 trunk lines and a
telephone switchboard
A telephone switchboard was a device used to connect circuits of telephones to establish telephone calls between users or other switchboards, throughout the 20th century. The switchboard was an essential component of a manual telephone exchange, ...
with 98 lines.
The Roosevelt originally contained
teletype
A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Initia ...
machines, which at the time of the hotel's opening were a novelty.
When the hotel opened, its telephone booths were directly connected to the ventilation system; before air conditioning became popular, the ventilation system provided cool air to the booths during the summer.
Interior
The Roosevelt Hotel's interior was described as being in an "early American" style.
Many of the public rooms were intended to resemble 18th- and 19th-century buildings in the former
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of Kingdom of Great Britain, British Colony, colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Fo ...
.
For instance, the hotel included replicas of decorative details from 18th- and 19th-century mansions, such as
Homewood in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland;
the Octagon House
The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After the British destroyed the White House during the War of 1812, the house ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
; Gordon House in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
; and Gibbs House in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
.
The early American style was also chosen for practical reasons, as it was cheaper than any other architectural style, especially given the high costs of developing the hotel above the railroad tracks.
Unlike in most buildings in the U.S., the first floor was one story above the ground floor.
The Roosevelt had of meeting and exhibit space,
including two
ballroom
A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...
s and 17 additional meeting rooms ranging in size from . It had a business center, a
concierge
A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the errands of ...
,
fitness center
A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, health spa, and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise.
In recent years, the number of fitness and health ser ...
, safety deposit boxes, valet laundry, valet or self-parking, and 15 retail tenants.
The hotel originally had about , of which 69 percent was revenue-producing space such as storefronts, restaurants, and guestrooms. Some of the Roosevelt's "utility spaces" (such as the beauty parlor, barber shop, and Turkish bath) were placed above ground, rather than in the basement, as was common in older hotels.
Members of the public could visit the lobby even if they were not guests of the hotel,
and the lobby became a popular tourist attraction.
Basements
The hotel had three basements, which were excavated out of the underlying bedrock.
Due to the presence of the railroad tracks, the basement levels only cover the western portion of the site;
each basement level covered approximately .
The lowest level was the third basement, which contained a heating plant, engine room, fan room, and guest laundry.
The second basement contained a staff bakery, ice-making machines, and various storage rooms for housekeeping.
There was also a garbage-sorting room and an incineration room on the second basement.
The first basement included storage space for the ground-level storefronts, in addition to a kitchen, cafeteria, locker room, and service facilities for the hotel's staff.
There were separate dining rooms for male staff, female staff, and second officers on the first basement level.
The first basement formerly contained a passageway leading directly to Grand Central Terminal.
This passageway also connected the hotel 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
Grand Central–42nd Street station
The Grand Central–42nd Street station (also signed as 42nd Street–Grand Central) is a major station complex of the New York City Subway. Located in Midtown Manhattan at 42nd Street between Madison and Lexington Avenues, it serves trains o ...
via the terminal's corridors.
Additional passageways connected with other buildings such as the Biltmore and Commodore hotels, the Yale Club Building, the
Graybar Building
Graybar is an United States of America, American employee-owned corporation, based in Clayton, Missouri, Clayton, Missouri. It conducts a wholesale distribution business for electrical, communications and data networking products, and is a provi ...
, and the
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. At , it is the tallest brick building in the world with a steel fra ...
.
The entrance to the passageway was from the first story, next to the elevators.
The corridor was closed by the late 20th century, and the gate between the hotel and Grand Central Terminal was permanently locked by the beginning of the 21st century. A clothing store moved into the space formerly occupied by the passageway's entrance in 2008, and the corridor was sealed off around 2014.
Ground story
![Roosevelt Hotel ground floor plan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Roosevelt_Hotel_ground_floor_plan.png)
The ground level covered about and contained the shops, as well as a restaurant and pantry.
Immediately past the vestibule, a stairway ascended from the arcade to the first-floor lobby; this staircase was decorated with iron panels from
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...
.
An
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
led between the 45th Street entrance to the south and the 46th Street entrance to the north.
The arcade was decorated with
sidelight
A sidelight or sidelite in a building is a window, usually with a vertical emphasis, that flanks a door or a larger window. Sidelights are narrow, usually stationary and found immediately adjacent doorways.Barr, Peter.Illustrated Glossary, 19th ...
s, inspired by those in 18th- and 19th-century residence.
A small flight of stairs led up from the arcade's northern end to the 46th Street entrance.
Near the southern end of the ground story, another passageway led from the arcade east to the Vanderbilt Avenue entrance. A service lobby, at the northeast corner of the ground floor, led to the service and freight elevators.
Also at ground level were storefronts along Madison Avenue, 45th Street, and 46th Street.
There were 18 storefronts in total,
consisting of six on Madison Avenue, seven on 45th Street, and five on 46th Street. The storefronts on Madison Avenue and 45th Street could be accessed both from the street and from passageways inside the hotel.
The storefronts could also be accessed from the first story and the mezzanine due to the intricate floor layout.
East of the arcade was a vestibule leading to a grill room on Vanderbilt Avenue;
this vestibule was designed in a similar style to
St. Paul's Chapel
St. Paul's Chapel is a chapel building of Trinity Church, an episcopal parish, located at 209 Broadway, between Fulton Street and Vesey Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1766, it is the oldest surviving church building in Man ...
in
lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...
.
The grill room was at the center of the Vanderbilt Avenue elevation and contained a dance floor surrounded by a slightly raised dining area.
Originally known as the Vanderbilt Avenue Room
or the Mayflower Grill,
the grill room was subsequently known as the Roosevelt Grill, serving
American food
American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures an ...
and regional specialties for breakfast.
There was a pantry directly next to the grill room, below a kitchen on the first floor.
The pantry contained a serving counter built atop a structural beam, which could not be removed because it spanned a set of railroad tracks.
Before the hotel closed in 2020, the ground story also contained the Vander Bar, a
bistro
A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods ...
serving
craft beer
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
s.
First story and mezzanine
The first floor was the same size as the ground story
and contained most of the public rooms.
The main lobby was a double-height space,
which had
travertine
Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...
walls and pilasters, as well as a plaster
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 ...
painted in ivory and gold.
Leading west from the main lobby, a small set of stairs led up to a lounge overlooking Madison Avenue, on the western side of the first floor.
Known as the Madison Club Lounge,
it measured wide and was patterned after a house in
Coventry, Connecticut
Coventry ( ) is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 12,235 at the 2020 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public.
Coventry was in ...
.
The lounge was furnished in the
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
style.
An arcade led east of the main lobby, with a check room, porter's room, telephone room, and telegraph office.
North of the main lobby was a "working lobby", which contained a reception desk on the western wall and passenger elevators on the eastern wall.
To the north of the working lobby, a short flight of steps led up to a foyer for the Colonial Room, the hotel's breakfast room.
The foyer's northern wall contained a life-size portrait of Theodore Roosevelt at its center. There was another lounge west of the foyer, named the John Alden Room; it contained fireplace mantels topped by large paintings that depicted romantic scenes from
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
's poem ''
Evangeline
''Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie'' is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during t ...
''.
A palm room, main dining room, and dining terrace were on the south side of the first floor.
The palm room was a triple-height elliptical tea room just south of, and a few steps above, the lobby.
Designed in the
Adam style
The Adam style (or Adamesque and "Style of the Brothers Adam") is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and James (173 ...
,
the palm room was the only public room on the first floor not designed in an early American style.
Three steps led up from the palm room to the dining room, named for
Hendrik Hudson
Henry Hudson ( 1565 – disappeared 23 June 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the northeastern United States.
In 1607 and 16 ...
.
The main dining room was patterned after the mayor's office at
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is the Government of New York City, seat of New York City government, located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, Park R ...
.
The dining room was furnished in the
Chippendale style,
and it contained three murals by
N. C. Wyeth
Newell Convers Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), known as N. C. Wyeth, was an American painter and illustrator. He was the pupil of Howard Pyle and became one of America's most well-known illustrators. Wyeth created more than 3,000 ...
, which depicted Hudson's ship ''
Halve Maen
''Halve Maen'' (; en, Half Moon) was a Dutch East India Company '' vlieboot'' (similar to a carrack) that sailed into what is now New York Harbor in September 1609. She was commissioned by the VOC Chamber of Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic to ...
''.
To the north were a pair of breakfast rooms,
named for Pilgrim settlers
John Alden
John Alden (c. 1598 - September 12, 1687) was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, US. He was hired in Sou ...
and
Myles Standish
Myles Standish (c. 1584 – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonizer. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United States by the Pilgrims. Standish accompanied the Pilgrims on ...
.
The breakfast rooms were decorated with Colonial-style wallpaper and woodwork.
There was a kitchen on the eastern side of the first floor,
surrounded on three sides by the main dining room and breakfast rooms.
The kitchen was divided into multiple sections, including a dishwashing division, butcher's shop, refrigeration room, waiters' pantry, and room-service pantry.
The kitchen was directly above the ground-floor grill room and directly below the mezzanine-level ballrooms, allowing food to be delivered quickly to these rooms.
Dumbwaiters and stairs led to pantries at ground level and on the mezzanine.
There was a mezzanine level directly above the first floor, spanning .
At the mezzanine level, a balcony overlooked the main lobby on three sides;
it had an iron balustrade salvaged from an old residence on
Irving Place
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along its ...
in Manhattan.
This balcony was accessed by a lounge directly above the working lobby. Also at the mezzanine level were a gallery and assembly room on 46th Street, as well as a ballroom that faced Vanderbilt Avenue.
The double-height ballroom was originally known as the Colonial Ballroom;
it later became the Grand Ballroom, which could fit 400 guests.
The Colonial Ballroom included architectural details inspired by Southern mansions,
a movie projection screen,
and three
Arthur Crisp murals that depicted scenes from the fairy tale
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
.
Next to the Colonial Ballroom was the Terrace Ballroom,
which could fit 175 guests.
The north side of the mezzanine had six private dining rooms,
served by a pantry directly above the kitchen.
There was also a library dedicated in memory of
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
.
In addition, the west side of the mezzanine had a barber shop, a beauty parlor, and bathrooms.
Upper-story amenity spaces
The second floor covered
and was surrounded by the trusses above the first story.
It contained several small dining rooms and hotel offices.
The dining rooms were placed along both Madison Avenue and 46th Street, while the executive offices and accounting department faced Madison Avenue.
There was also a linen room, a fan room, and maids' dormitories on the second floor.
At the center of the second floor was a Turkish bath. The maids' dormitories were connected to the housekeeper's and assistant housekeeper's offices via a passageway under the Turkish bath.
Connecting with the Turkish bath were 50 guest booths,
which were furnished as dressing rooms
and were rented at a discount compared to the guestrooms.
The booths were intended for guests who only wanted to stay for a few hours, and they also provided temporary guest accommodations when no guestrooms were available.
Half of the booths contained cots.
On the far eastern end of the second floor, a balcony overlooked the ballroom on three sides.
The guestrooms started on the third story,
although part of this story contained a roof garden and ventilation fans for the upper stories.
The third floor also contained a health clinic, which consisted of separate waiting rooms for guests and servants, as well as restrooms, treatment rooms, and suites for doctors.
Above the 16th-story setback at the southeast corner of the building was a children's nursery,
which contained a play area known as the Teddy Bear Cave.
During sunny days, children were allowed to play on the adjacent rooftop.
This made the Roosevelt among the first hotels in New York City with a health club and childcare center.
The 19th floor covered .
It contained the hotel's paint, carpentry, print locksmith's, and electricians' departments, as well as dormitories for female staff.
There was also a "guest valet room", where guests could iron and dry-clean their clothes. Above the 19th story was storage space for furniture, as well as a water tank with a capacity of .
The rooftop also contained a dog kennel,
the first such facility at any hotel in New York City.
In 2008, the Mad46 bar opened on the hotel's roof, with its own entrance from the street.
Rooms
![Hotel Monthly v 33 (1925) Roosevelt Hotel p 41](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Hotel_Monthly_v_33_%281925%29_Roosevelt_Hotel_p_41.jpg)
The Roosevelt Hotel had been planned with 1,107 rooms
on the third through 18th stories, which covered a total area of .
By the time the hotel closed, it had 1,025 rooms,
although other sources cited the hotel as having 1,015 rooms.
On each of the guestroom stories, the elevators opened onto a elevator lobby with a floor clerk's desk.
Corridors connected the elevator lobby to the guestroom; each corridor measured wide, the standard width of a carpet at the time.
Rooms were arranged around the corridors on each story. Each room faced either the street or a light court, while the bathrooms in each room were placed near the corridor.
On average, single bedrooms measured , while twin bedrooms measured .
Originally, the rooms were decorated with molded wall panels; narrow metal trim, painted to match the tinted walls; and metal doors, finished in mahogany or walnut.
The wallpaper, draperies and curtains, mirrors, furniture, and color scheme were all generally designed in the Colonial style. The Lincoln Furniture Company manufactured the original walnut furniture, while Alexander Smith & Sons manufactured the green carpets in each room. Some of the rooms also contained period furniture designed in the Adam style or the
William and Mary style
What later came to be known as the William and Mary style is a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 in the Netherlands, the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Ireland and later, in England's Thirteen Colonies, American co ...
.
Each bathroom had ceramic tiles and mechanical ventilation, and about half of the guest bathrooms had shower heads; these were all novel features at the time of the hotel's construction.
By the 21st century, the rooms were decorated in a style reminiscent of 1920s architecture, with a red, gold, and white palette.
As built, the upper floors contained four "royal suites".
Each of these contained a drawing room; a dining room; three bedrooms with their own baths; a dressing room; a maids' room; and a pantry.
These royal suites were decorated in the Colonial style, with furniture, wallpaper,
four-poster beds, lights, and other furnishings.
The Presidential Suite had four bedrooms, a kitchen, formal living and dining areas, and a wrap-around terrace. This was the only unit in the hotel with a terrace.
History
In the 19th century, New York Central Railroad lines north of
Grand Central Depot
Grand Central Terminal is a major commuter rail terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, serving the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines. It is the most recent of three functionally similar buildings on the same ...
in
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
were served exclusively by
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s, and the rising traffic soon caused accumulations of smoke and soot in the
Park Avenue Tunnel
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
, the only approach to the depot. After a fatal crash in 1902, the New York state legislature passed a law to ban all steam trains in Manhattan by 1908. New York Central's vice president
William J. Wilgus
William J. Wilgus (1865–1949) was an American civil engineer. In 1902 he was responsible for the design and construction of New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Wilgus coined the term "taking wealth from the air" from his idea to lease the ...
proposed electrifying the line and building a new electric-train terminal underground,
a plan that was implemented almost in its entirety. The old Grand Central Depot was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal.
Construction on Grand Central Terminal started in 1903, and the new terminal was opened on February 2, 1913. Passenger traffic on the commuter lines into Grand Central more than doubled in the years following the terminal's completion.
The terminal spurred development in the surrounding area, particularly in Terminal City, a commercial and office district created above where the tracks were covered. Terminal City soon became Manhattan's most desirable commercial and office district.
A 1920 ''New York Times'' article said, "With its hotels, office buildings, apartments and underground Streets it not only is a wonderful railroad terminal, but also a great civic centre." The Roosevelt was one of several hotels developed in Terminal City, along with other hostelries such as the
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
, the
Biltmore, and the
Barclay Barclay may refer to:
People
* Barclay (surname)
* Clan Barclay
Places
* Barclay, Kansas
* Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County
* Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood
* Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County
* Barclay, ...
.
United Hotels and Roosevelt Hotels Inc. operation
Construction and opening
The New York State Realty and Terminal Company, a division of New York Central, leased the city block bounded by Madison Avenue, 46th Street, Vanderbilt Avenue, and 45th Street to the
United Hotels Company of America
United Hotels Company of America, also known as United Hotels Company, was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, with administrative offices in New York City. The company was foun ...
in June 1922. United Hotels had leased the site for 21 years, with options to renew the lease twice, and was planning a 15-story hotel there.
The building alone was projected to cost $8 million, while the land and furnishings were to cost another $10 million.
United Hotels announced the next month that the hotel would be named the Roosevelt and that it had awarded a general construction contract to the
Thompson–Starrett Company
Thompson–Starrett Co. was an American construction contracting and engineering firm based in New York City that operated from 1899 until 1968.
During the company's first 30 years, it was a pioneer in the construction of skyscrapers and one of ...
.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
businessman
Frank A. Dudley
Frank Alonzo Dudley (January 30, 1864 – September 21, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston He ...
oversaw the hotel's development,
along with F. W. Rockwell.
The hotel was named for
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, the former president of the United States who had died shortly before the hotel was announced.
The hotel's operators intended for it to be a tribute to the late president.
According to ''Hotel Monthly'' magazine, the Roosevelt name was not only intended "to keep away from the gorgeous and extravagant", it also justified why the interior design was patterned after colonial American mansions.
The Roosevelt was one of several large buildings developed around Grand Central Terminal in the early 1920s, along with other structures such as the
Pershing Square Building
The Pershing Square Building, also known as 125 Park Avenue or 100 East 42nd Street, is a 25-story office building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the eastern side of Park Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets, across from ...
and the
Bowery Savings Bank Building.
Construction started on November 18, 1922, when workers began demolishing the old Tiffany Studios.
At the time, the Roosevelt was one of several hotels with over 1,000 rooms that were being developed across the United States.
To finance the Roosevelt's construction, in December 1922, New York United Hotels Inc. received a $3.5 million loan.
Early the following year, New York United Hotels Inc. began issuing gold bonds for the same amount.
By early 1923, half of the storefronts had already been leased;
the tenants included several women's clothing shops.
The Roosevelt Hotel opened on September 23, 1924, with a party attended by 1,500 guests.
It had cost $12,000,000 () in total.
Edward Clinton Fogg was hired as the Roosevelt's first managing director.
Early years
In December 1925, various members of the
Roosevelt family
The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady, and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny ...
dedicated a plaque in the lobby, honoring Theodore Roosevelt;
the plaque depicted a
Ding Darling
Jay Norwood Darling (October 21, 1876 – February 12, 1962), better known as Ding Darling, was an American cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes. He was an important figure in the 20th century conservation movement and founded the National Wil ...
cartoon that had appeared in the ''New-York Tribune'' after the former president died.
To provide further financing for the Roosevelt, United Hotels issued $5.5 million in
debentures
In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowle ...
in early 1927.
Meanwhile,
Hugo Gernsback
Hugo Gernsback (; born Hugo Gernsbacher, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967) was a Luxembourgish–American editor and magazine publisher, whose publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publ ...
started the radio station
WRNY in June 1925
from a room on the Roosevelt's 18th floor.
WRNY's transmitter, originally located on the 18th floor, was moved to the roof in 1926.
WRNY relocated its transmitter to New Jersey in August 1929,
and the radio station moved its studios to 57th Street the next month.
United Hotels merged with
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.
The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and the gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attracti ...
in mid-1929, and
John McEntee Bowman
John McEntee Bowman (1875 – October 28, 1931) was a Canadian-born businessman, American hotelier and horseman, and the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp.- -
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowman began his American worki ...
took over the Roosevelt's operation.
By 1931, the Roosevelt Hotel had trouble paying rent on the site, and New York United Hotels notified the hotel's bondholders that it would not be able to pay interest on the bonds.
This prompted one bondholder to file a lawsuit in 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 ...
in April 1932, claiming that New York United Hotels was insolvent and asking the court to appoint a receiver for the Roosevelt Hotel.
New York United Hotels denied the allegations,
and a state court dismissed the case because it had been brought by a minority bondholder.
Within three months, 95 percent of New York United Hotels' bondholders had agreed to a reorganization plan for the hotel. The remaining bondholders sought a receiver for the hotel, but the New York Supreme Court again denied this petition.
The
Delaware Court of Chancery
The Delaware Court of Chancery is a court of equity in the American state of Delaware. It is one of Delaware's three constitutional courts, along with the Supreme Court and Superior Court. Since 2018, the court consists of seven judges. The chi ...
appointed three receivers for the hotel in December 1933,
and several men proposed reorganizing New York United Hotels Inc. later the same month.
The receivers paid an orchestra $2,500 per week to give daily performances in the grill room.
Three minor bondholders filed another bankruptcy petition against the Roosevelt in January 1934,
and a federal court approved a plan to reorganize the assets of New York United Hotels Inc.
A corporation called Roosevelt Hotels Inc. offered to buy the hotel for $25,000 in March 1934, saying that New York Central held the hotel's mortgage and that the leasehold was worthless because the hotel's rent was overdue.
Despite protests from bondholders, a federal judge approved Roosevelt Hotels Inc.'s bid, as there had not been any other offers for the hotel.
Shortly afterward, New York Central agreed to drop its
dispossession
Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortga ...
proceedings against New York United Hotels as part of the reorganization plan. The hotel company would replace all of its common stock, and the railroad would receive $1.3 million in new
debenture
In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowl ...
s.
Another dining room at the Roosevelt also opened in 1934.
Roosevelt Hotels Inc. signed a new lease for the hotel with the New York State Realty and Terminal Company in 1940.
Hilton management
Hilton Hotels
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.
The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...
took over management of the Roosevelt in June 1943, when
Conrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr. (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916 Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disil ...
bought the majority of the outstanding common stock in Roosevelt Hotel Inc.
The Roosevelt became the Hilton chain's first hotel east of Texas, although Conrad Hilton expressed interest in purchasing more hotels in New York City. Simultaneously, New York Central renewed Roosevelt Hotel Inc.'s lease for another 21 years.
Conrad Hilton called it "a fine hotel with grand spaces" and made the Roosevelt's Presidential Suite his home.
The hotel had a staff shortage by 1945, prompting hotel officials to request that guests make their own beds.
In November 1947, the Roosevelt added TV sets to 40 rooms on the seventh through ninth floors,
becoming the first hotel in the United States to provide permanent TVs in guestrooms.
Hilton Hotels appointed Frank G. Wangeman as the hotel's general manager in 1951.
Wangeman oversaw a $75,000 renovation of the hotel in mid-1952, adding by relocating a luncheon club from the 16th floor and consolidating some departments.
In addition, the hotel's employee dormitories were converted to guestrooms, as an increasing number of employees had their own residences.
The same year, the Realty Luncheon Club of New York moved into a clubhouse next to the Colonial Room.
Roosevelt Hotel Inc.'s minority shareholders agreed in October 1952 to sell their stakes to Hilton Hotels,
which purchased the hotel outright on December 31, 1952.
Edward L. Buckley, who subsequently took over as the Roosevelt's general manager, announced in 1955 that the guestrooms would be renovated for $200,000.
Hilton was installing air conditioners in all of the hotel's guestrooms by early 1956.
Hotel Corporation of America ownership
After Hilton Hotels purchased the
Statler Hotels
The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton (E. M.) Statler in Buffalo, New York.
Early ventures
In 1901, Buffalo hosted the ...
chain in 1954, it owned large hotels in many major cities, including the Roosevelt, the
Plaza
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, the
Waldorf-Astoria
The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...
, the
New Yorker
New Yorker or ''variant'' primarily refers to:
* A resident of the State of New York
** Demographics of New York (state)
* A resident of New York City
** List of people from New York City
* ''The New Yorker'', a magazine founded in 1925
* ''The New ...
, and the
Hotel Statler in New York City.
Consequently, the federal government filed an
antitrust
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
action against Hilton in April 1955.
To resolve the suit, Hilton agreed to sell three hotels in February 1956, including either the Roosevelt or the New Yorker.
Hilton ultimately sold the Roosevelt to the
Hotel Corporation of America (HCA) on February 29, 1956, for $2,130,000. HCA paid $750,000 as a
down payment
Down payment (also called a deposit in British English), is an initial up-front partial payment for the purchase of expensive items/services such as a car or a house. It is usually paid in cash or equivalent at the time of finalizing the transactio ...
and assumed Hilton's leasehold on the site, which ran through 1964.
HCA leased the land from the New Haven Railroad and the New York Central Railroad, the latter of which received most of the income from the site.
When HCA purchased the hotel, workers were still installing air conditioning and televisions. By mid-1956, there was air conditioning in all public areas and 600 guest rooms, and there were televisions in 500 guest rooms.
HCA announced plans to renovate the Roosevelt in late 1956, spending $8 million over the next eight years. The first part of the renovation to be completed was the Rib Room, which reopened as a luncheon room at the end of that year.
In 1962, amid competition from other hotels, the Biltmore, Commodore, and Roosevelt hotels formed an alliance to attract conventions with 1,500 to 5,000 guests. The alliance allowed the three hotels to host a single convention across 4,000 guestrooms, 90 meeting rooms, 15 restaurants, and of exhibit space.
Realty Hotels ownership
By early 1964, the trustees of the insolvent New Haven Railroad expressed interest in taking over the hotel to Realty Hotels, a holding company jointly run by the New Haven and the New York Central.
Realty Hotels took over the hotel from HCA that April.
During the 1960s, Realty Hotels replaced about half of the manually operated elevators at the Barclay, Biltmore, Commodore, and Roosevelt,
and it renovated these hotels as part of a $22 million modernization program.
Realty Hotels' president said the renovations had helped attract new and returning customers to the hotels.
The People's Republic of China delegation to the United Nations moved into the hotel's 14th floor in 1971,
at which point the hotel's popularity had begun to decline.
The next year, the Riese Brothers Organization leased the first-floor dining rooms.
The Barclay, Biltmore, Commodore, and Roosevelt began showing in-room movies in 1972.
The Roosevelt Grill became the La Difference restaurant in 1977.
The New York Central had experienced financial decline during the 1960s, merging with the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
in 1968 to form the
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
Railroad.
Penn Central continued to face financial issues and failed to make
mortgage
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any pu ...
payments. By late 1970, the Roosevelt Hotel was facing
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
, as were several other buildings that Penn Central owned around Grand Central Terminal.
After Penn Central went bankrupt that year, the company sought to sell its properties, including the land below the Roosevelt Hotel. The buildings were placed for auction in October 1971.
Penn Central received two bids for the hotel,
including a low bid of $9 million from UGP Properties,
but both offers were rejected.
The proceedings were delayed for several years.
Penn Central subsequently withdrew its offer to sell Realty Hotels' properties, including the Roosevelt.
Instead, Penn Central spent $4.5 million renovating the Biltmore, Barclay, and Roosevelt hotels in 1976.
Milstein ownership and PIA lease
In April 1978, Penn Central requested permission from a federal district court to sell the
Biltmore,
Barclay Barclay may refer to:
People
* Barclay (surname)
* Clan Barclay
Places
* Barclay, Kansas
* Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County
* Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood
* Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County
* Barclay, ...
, and Roosevelt hotels for $45 million to
Loews Hotels
Loews Hotels is an American luxury hospitality company that owns or operates 26 hotels in the United States and Canada. Loews' hotels and resorts are located in major North American city centers and resort destinations.
Headquartered in New Yor ...
.
A consortium of Middle Eastern investors subsequently offered to buy the hotels for $50 million.
Loews raised its offer for the three hotels to $55 million, and a federal judge approved the sale at the beginning of June 1978.
Carter B. Horsley wrote that Loews's purchase of the three hotels "may save their future".
At the time, the hotel had 1,076 rooms,
and Loews was contemplating closing the Roosevelt Hotel and using it as an office building.
Instead Loews resold the Biltmore and the Roosevelt to developer
Paul Milstein
Paul Milstein (May 12, 1922 – August 9, 2010) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Milstein was born to a Jewish family[Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...]
(PIA) through the latter's investment arm PIA Investments Ltd..
PIA partnered with Prince
Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Faisal bin Khalid Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن خالد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) (born 1954) is the former governor of Asir Region and a member of House of Saud.
Early life and education
Prince Faisal was born in Riyadh in 1954 ...
in the transaction.
The lease cost an estimated $35 million and was to run for 20 years.
Prince Faisal and PIA were to pay $2.7 million to $4 million annually in rent, and they also obtained an option to acquire the hotel after 20 years at a set price of $36.5 million.
The hotel's Colonial Room nightclub was destroyed during a fire in July 1980.
Turner Construction
Turner Construction is an American construction company with presence in 20 countries. It is a subsidiary of the German company Hochtief. It is the largest domestic contractor in the United States as of 2020, with a revenue of $14.41 billion in ...
renovated the hotel's interior in the late 1980s.
Soon afterward, during the
early 1990s recession in the United States
The United States entered recession in 1990, which lasted 8 months through March 1991. Although the recession was mild relative to other post-war recessions, it was characterized by a sluggish employment recovery, most commonly referred to as a ...
, the Roosevelt began advertising to large associations and group conventions, which paid more than weekend visitors and tourists did.
In addition, a mosque was founded within the Roosevelt's basement in the 1990s; ''The New York Times'' reported in 1998 that the mosque attracted hundreds of congregants each week.
During the first sixteen years of PIA's lease, the hotel lost $70 million worth of business because its facilities were outdated.
As a result, PIA closed the hotel for an extensive renovation on July 1, 1995,
and the hotel building was temporarily covered in scaffolding.
PIA planned to rebrand the hotel as the Radisson Roosevelt.
The hotel had 1,031 rooms at the time of its closure,
but PIA expanded the capacity slightly to 1,040 rooms.
During the renovation, various decorations were taken out of storage and reinstalled,
and parts of the hotel were retrofitted to accommodate disabled guests.
The Roosevelt Hotel was one of several hotels in midtown Manhattan that was renovated in the 1990s.
Though the project was initially planned to be completed in mid-1996 at a cost of $55 million,
it ultimately cost $65 million ().
The Roosevelt's operators began hiring employees in early 1997, receiving thousands of job applications for 700 positions.
When the hotel reopened in June 1997, some of the public rooms were still undergoing renovations.
PIA ownership
1990s to 2010s
After the renovation was completed, the Roosevelt again became profitable; by 2000, the hotel had an 84.8 percent occupancy rate and was earning $29 million annually.
PIA exercised its option to purchase the hotel for $36.5 million in 1999, under the terms of its lease.
By then, the Milstein family claimed that the hotel's value had increased to $250 million, and a legal battle resulted. The Milsteins agreed to sell the hotel only if PIA paid off a mortgage loan that the Milsteins had taken out on the hotel; this added $23 million to the $36.5 million sale price, for a total of $59.5 million. After a New York state judge ruled in PIA's favor in 2000, the Milsteins were required to adhere to the 1979 agreement and repay PIA and Prince Faisal the additional $23 million.
By 2002, the hotel's occupancy rate had declined to 75 percent, and its annual profits had decreased to $12 million.
PIA announced in February 2003 that it would place the hotel for sale.
The airline wanted to sell the Roosevelt along with the
Hôtel Scribe in Paris, but PIA delayed the sale by several months because of the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
Several developers, including
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
,
Harry Macklowe
Harry B. Macklowe (born 1937) is an American real estate developer and investor based in New York City.
Early life
Macklowe was born to a Jewish family, the son of a garment executive from Westchester County, New York. He graduated from New Roc ...
,
The Related Companies
The Related Companies, L.P. is an American real estate firm in New York City, with offices and developments in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Abu Dhabi, London, São Paulo and Shanghai. Related has more than 3,0 ...
, and
Vornado Realty Trust
Vornado Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust formed in Maryland in 1982, with its primary office in New York City. The company invests in office buildings and street retail in Manhattan.
Investments
Notable properties owned by the ...
, expressed interest in buying the Roosevelt.
Pakistani president
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
indicated later that year that the sale might be delayed.
At the time, there were rumors that the Roosevelt might be converted into an office building.
Instead of selling the building, PIA spent around $3 million on relatively minor renovations.
By the mid-2000s, there was increasing demand for the hotel's exhibition space.
In 2005, PIA bought out most of its Saudi partner's stake in the Roosevelt and the Scribe, in exchange for $40 million and PIA's share of the Riyadh Minhal Hotel (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 ...
located on property owned by the prince).
After this transaction, Prince Faisal owned 1 percent of the hotel, while PIA owned 99 percent.
PIA announced in July 2007 that it was putting the hotel up for sale once again,
although several members of the
Pakistan Senate
Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper house, upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly (Pakistan), National As ...
opposed the sale.
At the time, the airline had recorded a loss of $96 million during the first nine months of that year. Ultimately, the increasing profitability of the hotel resulted in the sale being abandoned in late 2007.
By the following year, amid a decline in guests caused by the
financial crisis of 2007–2008
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...
, the Roosevelt's managers started offering discounted room rates.
The hotel's managers also added a bar on the 19th floor, known as Mad46, in 2008.
The next year, an indoor lounge was added to the hotel's bar.
By early 2010, Pakistani politicians were again contemplating placing the Roosevelt Hotel for sale.
Instead, the Roosevelt underwent an $8.2 million renovation in 2011;
the project included refurnishing each of the 1,015 units and the Madison Club Lounge.
By then, ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' described the Roosevelt as "a midprice destination for tourists and industry conference organizers".
After East Midtown was
rezoned in 2014, city officials said a skyscraper could be developed on the site of the Roosevelt Hotel, although PIA had not proposed a new building there.
PIA proposed selling the Roosevelt yet again in 2017 as part of a plan to raise $3.5 billion.
Venture capitalist
Shahal M. Khan
Shahal M. Khan (born New York (state), New York, United States) is an American people, American businessman. Khan is primarily known for the purchase of the Plaza Hotel in New York City from the Sahara India Pariwar, Sahara Group, alongside Kamr ...
expressed interest in buying the hotel, telling ''
The Real Deal'' magazine that he planned to offer at least $500 million.
Pakistani prime minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ( ur, ; born 27 December 1958) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 21st prime minister of Pakistan from August 2017 to May 2018. Abbasi is the senior vice president of the Pakiatan Muslim League ...
rejected PIA's attempt to sell the hotel in December 2017.
Early the next year, PIA officials indicated that they were considering leasing out the hotel for three or four decades.
PIA refinanced the Roosevelt in 2018, obtaining a $105 million mortgage loan from
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
.
Closure
With the onset of 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 ...
in March 2020, most of the hotel's employees were furloughed,
and occupancy rates dropped significantly.
By July 2020, officials of the
Aviation Division
An Aviation Division (russian: авиационная дивизия) was a type of formation of the Soviet Air Forces, Military Air Forces of the Red Army during the Second World War, the Soviet Air Forces, Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) and ...
of Pakistan indicated that the hotel might have to be closed permanently that December, as the hotel was losing $37 million per month.
The same month, Pakistan's Cabinet Committee on Privatization decided to run the hotel through a joint venture rather than privatizing it.
Trump, who by then was U.S. president, subsequently expressed interest in buying the hotel from PIA. In September 2020, Pakistan's Economic Coordination Council gave $142 million to the Roosevelt Hotel Corporation to settle outstanding debts and pay
severance
Severance may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Severance'' (film), a 2006 British horror film
* ''Severance'' (novel), a 2018 novel by Ling Ma
*''Severance'', a 2006 short-story collection by Robert Olen Butler
* ''Severance'' (TV series), a ...
to employees.
The next month, PIA announced that the hotel would permanently close due to continued financial losses associated with the pandemic.
At the time, nearly three-quarters of New York City's luxury hotels had not reopened.
The hotel closed on December 18, 2020.
The Pakistani Air Ministry refused to divulge its plans for the Roosevelt, which was boarded up, although the ministry said it was not planning to sell the hotel.
One year after the Roosevelt closed, PIA had still not paid $7 million in severance to the hotel's workers, as was required by New York City law. This prompted the
Hotel Trades Council
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
to file a lawsuit against the New York City government, claiming that the city had failed to enforce the law.
By November 2021, PIA was paying severance to roughly 500 workers that had been furloughed. However, the airline was seeking an
injunction
An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...
against another city law, which required hotels with more than 100 rooms to pay each employee up to $500 per week while they were closed.
The following April, a federal judge denied PIA's request for an injunction.
By early 2022, Australian mining firm Tethyan Copper sought to acquire the hotel after the Pakistani government reneged on a mineral-rights agreement with Tethyan Copper. In addition, local politicians were advocating for 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 ...
to designate the hotel building as a landmark.
The
Qatar Investment Authority
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA; ar, جهاز قطر للإستثمار) is Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. The QIA was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. In 2021 ...
also showed interest in purchasing the hotel in August 2022, offering to buy a 25 percent stake in the hotel.
At the time, Pakistan's aviation minister
Ghulam Sarwar Khan
Mian Ghulam Sarwar Khan (; born 13 October 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Federal Minister for Aviation, in office since 24 May 2019. Prior to this position, he was appointed as Federal Minister for Petroleum on 20 August ...
denied reports that PIA was planning to sell some shares in the hotel to Qatar.
By that September, Pakistani officials were considering either reopening the hotel or leasing it out as a
mixed-use development
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
.
Notable guests and events
In its first five years, the hotel hosted such events as music recitals;
national singing auditions;
the
National Association of Manufacturers
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...
' annual meetings;
an annual exhibit by car company
Packard
Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958.
One of the "Thr ...
;
and a benefit for the
Authors League
The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...
.
The hotel's events in the 1930s included luncheons for athletes,
as well as a pet show sponsored by the
New York Women's League for Animals
The Animal Medical Center of New York is a non profit animal hospital in New York City.
History
The center began in 1906 when Ellin Prince Speyer founded the "Women's Auxiliary to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals". The ...
.
By the mid-20th century, the Roosevelt was hosting events such as
National Federation of Music Clubs
The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is an American non-profit philanthropic music organization that promotes American music, performers, and composers. NFMC endeavors to strengthen quality music education by supporting "high standards o ...
meetings,
coin exhibits,
dog shows,
and tennis conferences.
Over the years, the Roosevelt has also hosted city real estate auctions, where the New York City government sold off properties that it had acquired through
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
.
The Roosevelt has hosted several awards ceremonies. For instance, at least during the 1940s, the
Peabody Awards
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
for radio and television were hosted at the Roosevelt.
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
hosted its first Mike Berger Awards in Journalism at the hotel in 1961,
and the
George Polk Memorial Award was also being distributed at the Roosevelt by the 1970s.
The Roosevelt also hosted the
National Football League Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
between
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
and
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
,
when the NFL Draft was still a relatively low-profile event.
Grill Room music
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer.
Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...
began leading the house band of the Roosevelt Grill in 1929.
Lombardo held an annual
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
radio broadcast
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
at the hotel with his band, the Royal Canadians;
this tradition gave rise to the popularity of "
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...
" during New Year's Eve.
Lombardo's band typically performed in the Grill during the winter, while the Grill was closed during the summer (typically in May).
The Grill was open year-round by the early 1940s,
and the Royal Canadians' program was also broadcast on television starting in 1943.
Lombardo performed at the Grill every year until 1962, except during 1959.
According to ''The New York Times'', many
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
teams visited the Grill during Lombardo's time at the Grill.
Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...
began his career at the Roosevelt Hotel while performing with the Royal Canadians.
Jan Garber
Jan Garber (born Jacob Charles Garber, November 5, 1894 – October 5, 1977) was an American violinist and jazz bandleader.
Biography
Garber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his own band by the time he was 21. He became known as "The ...
's band started playing in the Grill in 1962.
The Grill Room was briefly closed from December 1964 to January 1965, when an all-female orchestra led by Joan Fairfax began performing there.
Other performers included jazz musician
Si Zentner
Simon Hugh Zentner (June 13, 1917 in New York City, United States – January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American trombonist and jazz big-band leader.
Zentner played in the bands of Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey in the ...
, who appeared at the Grill Room in 1961.
Republican Party use
During the mid-20th century, several
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
candidates and campaigns used the Roosevelt Hotel.
For example, the
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives.
The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and S ...
opened an office at the hotel in 1930,
and
Fiorello La Guardia
Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City fro ...
operated a campaign office at the Roosevelt during the
1941 New York City mayoral election.
Between 1943 and 1954, the New York state government maintained an office at the Roosevelt Hotel for governor
Thomas E. Dewey
Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer, prosecutor, and politician who served as the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948: although ...
,
who occupied suites 1525 through 1531 at the Roosevelt.
Dewey's campaign for the
1944 United States presidential election
The 1944 United States presidential election was the 40th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1944. The election took place during World War II. Incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Re ...
was headquartered on the 10th floor,
and Dewey, his family, and his staff listened to election returns from his 15th-floor suite during the
1948 presidential election
The following elections occurred in the year 1948.
Africa
* 1948 Mauritian general election
* 1948 South African general election
* 1948 Southern Rhodesian general election
Asia
* 1948 North Korean parliamentary election
* 1948 Republic of China ...
.
Although Dewey retired as New York's governor in 1954, he continued to visit the Roosevelt's barbershop every Tuesday until he died.
The hotel also contained the national campaign offices of numerous Republican U.S. presidential candidates,
and it housed
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's New York campaign offices during the
1952 presidential election.
In addition,
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...
had an office at the Roosevelt in 1958, during his candidacy for the House of Representatives;
when Lindsay won the
1965 New York City mayoral election
The 1965 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1965, with Republican Congressman John Lindsay winning a close plurality victory over the Democratic candidate, New York City Comptroller Abraham Beame.
Lindsay received 4 ...
, his staffers celebrated in the Roosevelt's ballroom.
By the early 1970s, Republican politicians no longer frequented the Roosevelt.
Even so, the New York County Republican Committee was headquartered within Dewey's former suites in 1971,
remaining there until at least the 1980s.
Use as filming location
The Roosevelt Hotel has appeared in several films and TV shows.
Part of the 2012 thriller ''
Man on a Ledge
''Man on a Ledge'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Asger Leth, starring Sam Worthington, Jamie Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, Genesis Rodriguez, and Ed Harris. Filming took place in New York City on top ...
'' was filmed on the hotel's roof, while a scene from the 1987 drama film ''
Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
'' was shot inside the ballroom. The films ''
Boiler Room'', ''
Monday Night Mayhem
''Monday Night Mayhem'' is a 2002 television film about the origin of ABC's television series ''Monday Night Football''. It debuted on the U.S. cable TV network TNT on January 14, 2002. It was based on the 1988 nonfiction book of the same title b ...
'', ''
Hoax
A hoax is a widely publicized falsehood so fashioned as to invite reflexive, unthinking acceptance by the greatest number of people of the most varied social identities and of the highest possible social pretensions to gull its victims into pu ...
'', ''
1408
Year 1408 ( MCDVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* February 19 – Battle of Bramham Moor: A royalist army defeats the last remnants of ...
'', ''
Hanky Panky'', ''
French Connection
The French Connection was a scheme through which heroin was smuggled from Indochina through Turkey to France and then to the United States and Canada, sometimes through Cuba. The operation started in the 1930s, reached its peak in the 1960s, and ...
'', and ''
Quiz Show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...
'' were also partially filmed in the hotel.
In addition, the majority of the 2012 film ''
Man on a Ledge
''Man on a Ledge'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Asger Leth, starring Sam Worthington, Jamie Bell, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, Genesis Rodriguez, and Ed Harris. Filming took place in New York City on top ...
'' was shot on the Roosevelt's roof; a replica of a hotel room had to be hoisted to the roof during filming.
The television series ''
The Bachelor'' was shot at the Roosevelt Hotel.
The hotel also frequently appeared in the TV series ''
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 fict ...
''; according to ''The New York Times'', "executives and secretaries
etfor midday romps" in the series.
In 2012, to celebrate the series'
fifth season, the Roosevelt began selling ''Mad Men''-themed vacation packages.
Critical reception
In the 2000s, a critic for ''New York'' magazine wrote of the hotel: "Still, the highlight of the Roosevelt remains the architecture itself."
Another critic, writing for ''Gothamist'', said that the lobby "has managed to keep its grandeur. There are chandeliers, massive vases filled with flowers, a grand piano, and detailing you only really see in old architecture—Hilton called it, 'a fine hotel with grand spaces'."
After the hotel's bar appeared in
season 1, episode 8, of ''Mad Men'', one newspaper described the Roosevelt's bar as "just as cozy and sombre as a place dedicated to illicitness should be".
See also
*
List of former hotels in Manhattan
This is a list of former hotels in Manhattan, New York City.
Former hotels in Manhattan
* 995 Fifth Avenue
* The Ansonia
* Astor House
* Barbizon-Plaza Hotel
* City Hotel
* Dauphin Hotel
* Drake Hotel
* Endicott Hotel
* Fifth ...
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt Hotel, The
1924 establishments in New York City
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels
Hotel buildings completed in 1924
Hotels established in 1924
Hotels in Manhattan
Madison Avenue
Midtown Manhattan
Pakistan International Airlines
Railway hotels in the United States
Theodore Roosevelt
United Hotels Company of America