Welcome to our place!
As you arrive for your session, you are stepping into a true NYC Landmark and an Art Deco masterpiece that first opened its doors on January 2, 1930. The building was once the largest hotel in the city, and its massive two-story lobby remains a stunning example of the glamour of the 1920s and 30s.
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Beyond its beauty, this building was an engineering marvel designed as a “vertical village” with its own hospital and the largest private power plant in the United States. At its peak, this plant generated enough electricity to power a town of 35,000 people. Guests even enjoyed discreet, VIP access to Penn Station through a private underground pedestrian tunnel.
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History is hidden in every corner here:
- The Vault: Beneath the lobby sits a massive, gleaming steel bank vault from the building’s original construction. Today, you can visit this historic site at the Butcher & Banker restaurant.
- Nikola Tesla: The legendary inventor lived in Rooms 3327 and 3328 for the final decade of his life. You can view commemorative plaques outside his rooms and explore the mini-museum downstairs dedicated to the hotel’s history.
- Innovation in Every Room: In the 1930s, a stay here was the height of luxury because each room featured its own radio with four channels, a perk most people couldn’t afford at the time.
You are in good company among the many dignitaries and icons who have walked these halls. The NBC Radio Network broadcasted live shows from the building, and it has hosted guests ranging from John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro to Muhammad Ali, who recuperated here after his 1971 “Fight of the Century”. More recently, the building served as the site for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 concession speech and was the first U.S. stop for Barack Obama, Sr. in 1959.
We are proud to call this historic icon our home. Remember to look up at the massive red “New Yorker” sign while leaving the building!