995 Fifth Avenue, The Stanhope
Constructed in 1926 as the Stanhope Hotel to designs by Rosario Candela, 995 Fifth Avenue was the only hotel on Fifth Avenue north of the Pierre at 62nd Street. Its location directly across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art made it a popular place for lunch among the city’s museum-goers and its cabaret performances were… Continue reading
2 East 61st Street, The Pierre Hotel
Another tour-de-force fantasy from Schultz & Weaver, architects of the Sherry-Netherland a block to the south, The Pierre Hotel of 1929 is French rather than Flemish, Classical rather than Gothic and limestone rather than brick, but the results are equally charming at the street level and memorable upon the skyline. The somewhat labyrinthine interiors include… Continue reading
781 Fifth Avenue, The Sherry Netherland Hotel
A glittering fantasy, the former Sherry Netherland Hotel at 781 Fifth Avenue is one of the city’s most remarkable towers. Designed by Schultz & Weaver in 1927, the French Renaissance rocket is capped by a minaret that would do Arthur Rackham or J.R.R. Tolkien proud. The amazing visuals continue on the interior where the spectacular… Continue reading
768 Fifth Avenue, The Plaza Hotel
Perhaps the most famous of all New York’s hotels, The Plaza Hotel is the masterwork of architect Henry J. Hardenburgh, whose other well-known designs include what is certainly the city’s best-known apartment building, Central Park West’s majestic Dakota. Erected in 1900-1902 some fifteen years after the Dakota, The Plaza’s design swaps out the older building’s… Continue reading
700 Fifth Avenue, The Peninsula Hotel
Once the tallest hotel in the world and a rival to the St. Regis Hotel directly across the street, the Peninsula Hotel was constructed as the Gotham Hotel in 1905. The hotel’s elaborate Beaux Arts style, provided by architects Hiss & Weeks, suggests a more ornate take on the palazzo type established by the University… Continue reading