Almost every day I see a large lowering art deco building that says "New Yorker" in big red block letters on top of it. Before I became "curious and questioning" I always thought it was where the New Yorker magazine was published. I was wrong. This building is the "New Yorker Hotel."
When the building was completed in 1929, it had 2500 rooms, making it the city's largest hotel for several years. It also boasted a 4 station radio in every room! (How times have changed!) Today it is a 900 room mid priced hotel in the "Garment District" of NYC.
Famous guests of the hotel include Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Fidel Castro, Muhammad Ali (who recovered from his fight with Joe Frazier there), and Nikola Tesla. (Tesla actually discovered/harnessed/'invented' electricity though Edison is given credit) spent the last 10 years of his life in the hotel as recluse who occasionally met dignitaries but spent most of his time feeding pigeons.
Another fun fact about the hotel is that when it opened it had the U.S.' largest private power plant in the form of steam boilers and generators that produced 2,200 kilowatts of direct current electric power. Today it runs on alternating current.
So the next time you see "The New Yorker" block letters lighting up the sky, know it belongs to a hotel that housed several of New York's most interesting characters and once had its own power plant!
Make reservations or learn more about the hotel on their official website: http://www.newyorkerhotel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment