The New Yorker Hotel is a historic hotel located in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The hotel was built in 1929 and opened its doors to the public in 1930. It is located at the corner of 34th Street and 8th Avenue.
The New Yorker Hotel has a rich history, having hosted many famous guests over the years, including Muhammad Ali, Nikola Tesla who lived there for 10 years, and Joan Crawford. The hotel is recognizable for its red block lettering on its façade which spells out New Yorker. While today the hotel is popular for its location in Midtown Manhattan which puts guests in the heart of the city, with easy access to many of New York’s famous attractions, such as the Empire State Building, Times Square, and Central Park, the hotel has many firsts to its credit, and celebrates its history with a History Exhibit which is open to everyone and accessible at the lower level through its lobby.
I cross the New Yorker all the time, and have photographed it often, mostly because at a specific angle the name New Yorker aligns perfectly with a view of the Empire State Building in the same shot. It is a photograph I cannot resist taking every time I cross it as you can see below, the color of the Empire State Building definitely confirms these were taken on different days.
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Art Deco Influence
The New Yorker Hotel, located next to Penn Station in Manhattan in New York City, was designed by the architectural firm of Sugarman and Berger in the Art Deco style. The hotel’s lobby is a stunning example of this style, with its beautiful murals, intricate ceiling designs, and ornate lighting fixtures.
The hotel building is 42 stories high, with four basement stories, and was one of the tallest buildings in New York City when it was built. The hotel’s Art Deco design is evident in its exterior, which features a series of setbacks and a distinctive zigzag pattern. The lobby, which features marble floors and a grand staircase, is also a showcase of Art Deco design.
Notable Features and Events
The New Yorker Hotel is a landmark building in New York City with a rich history and a distinctive Art Deco design. The hotel has played host to many notable events and famous guests over the years, and its legacy continues to live on today.
The New Yorker Hotel opened on January 2, 1930, just before the Wall Street crash of 1929. Despite the economic downturn, the hotel was an instant success.
Underground Tunnel to Penn Station
The New Yorker Hotel has an underground tunnel to Penn Station which made it very accessible for commuters. Sadly the tunnel has been closed since the 1960s.
Power Plant
The New Yorker Hotel has a unique feature that sets it apart from other buildings in the area: a power plant that was among the largest of its kind. During its use from 1930-1967, the power plant was capable of providing for a small city of 25,000, and was used to generate electricity for the building and the surrounding area. The Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers named The New Yorker’s private power plant a milestone in electrical engineering in 2008.
WWII
The hotel has hosted many GIs and been the location from where music was broadcast to the troops during World War II. The hotel made such an impression on the troops that they actually named a bunker the New Yorker Hotel.
Broadcasting
In 1939, NBC actually began live broadcasting from The Terrace Room, where big name, big band acts such as Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey performed.
The history exhibit in the lower lobby of the hotel plays the actual music that was broadcast during WWII to troops overseas, and has pictures and signs from the time.
TVs and Radios
In the 1930s, the New Yorker Hotel had radios in every room. In 1948, the New Yorker Hotel installed TVs in 100 guest rooms, making it the first hotel to offer TVs to its guests.
The History Exhibit has an announcement about all the technology offered by the New Yorker Hotel, including a radio in every room in 1930, and in 1948 the hotel had more TVs under one roof than any other building in the world, though it seems like you had to request a room with one –
Ice Skating Rink
The Terrace Room also hosted nightly ice-skating shows on the hotel’s ice-skating rink, which was in the middle of the Terrace Room.
Unification Church
Another historical significance of the New Yorker Hotel is its association with the Unification Church. In the 1970s, the church purchased the hotel and used it as its headquarters for several years. The church also held many of its mass weddings in the hotel’s grand ballroom.
Notable Guests
The New Yorker Hotel has been visited by many notable guests such as Nikola Tesla, Muhammad Ali, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, Babe Ruth, Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton.
Nikola Tesla
In 1933, Nikola Tesla, inventor of the AC power system and the Tesla power coil, moved into The New Yorker Hotel, and occupied rooms 3327 and 3328. Tesla resided in the hotel until his death on January 7, 1943.
Tesla used to feed pigeons at the corner of Bryant Park at 40th Street and 6th Avenue, which has been named Nikola Tesla corner in his honor.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali trained in the hotel’s gym for his famous fight against Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in 1971. The room that he stayed at after his big loss is known as the Muhammad Ali room even today, which has this picture outside of it.
Hillary Clinton’s Concession Speech at the Grand Ballroom
In 2016, Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech in the Grand Ballroom at The New Yorker, standing beside her husband and former President, Bill Clinton.
The New Yorker Hotel History Exhibit
There is an escalator going down from the lobby to the The New Yorker History Exhibit that anyone can visit. It truly is a must visit for anyone that is interested in New York history.
Nikola Tesla Memoribilia
Not only does the Hotel have 2 suites named after Nikola Tesla, but there is a whole corner dedicated to Nikola Tesla, and a number of his things that the hotel has displayed, including handwritten letters from Tesla and pictures of Tesla hosting dignitaries in his New Yorker hotel room and study.
News Articles and Ads
The history exhibit has fascinating old marketing pieces and news articles about the New Yorker Hotel –
It would be nice to get these rates back for any hotel in NYC.
Underground Tunnel
The history exhibit has details of the tunnel from the New Yorker Hotel to Penn Station, which is now blocked.
Sanitary Code from the 1930s
Here’s a fascinating Sanitary Code Sign that was at the New Yorker Hotel’s women’s locker room in the 1930s requiring women to bathe at least daily, but change underclothes at least three times weekly. I am so thankful our current sanitary code supports more frequent changes of underwear at least, though women today are clearly in violation of the make up code!
