The Plaza Hotel: Founded 1907
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is jointly owned by Elad Properties and Kingdom Holdings, a Saudia Arabia based corporation. It has been managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts since 1999.
It was once said, “Nothing unimportant ever happens at The Plaza.” One of America’s most celebrated hotels, The Plaza opened its doors on October 1, 1907, amid a flurry of impressive reports describing it as the greatest hotel in the world. Located at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, this luxury hotel was constructed in the most fashionable residential section of New York City.
The Plaza was the dream of financier Bernhard Beinecke, hotelier Fred Sterry, and Harry S. Black, President of the Fuller Construction Company. They purchased a 15-year-old hotel of the same name on the site. The three men set out to replace it with what is surely one of the most elegant hotels in the world. Construction of the 19-story building (a skyscraper back then) took two years at a cost of $12 million – an unprecedented sum in those days.
It was once said, “Nothing unimportant ever happens at The Plaza.” One of America’s most celebrated hotels, The Plaza opened its doors on October 1, 1907, amid a flurry of impressive reports describing it as the greatest hotel in the world. Located at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, this luxury hotel was constructed in the most fashionable residential section of New York City.
The Plaza was the dream of financier Bernhard Beinecke, hotelier Fred Sterry, and Harry S. Black, President of the Fuller Construction Company. They purchased a 15-year-old hotel of the same name on the site. The three men set out to replace it with what is surely one of the most elegant hotels in the world. Construction of the 19-story building (a skyscraper back then) took two years at a cost of $12 million – an unprecedented sum in those days.
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the Dakota apartments, the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. and The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, set about his task to provide all the pomp, glory, and opulence of a French chateau. No cost was spared. The largest single order in history for gold-encrusted china was placed with L. Straus & Sons, and no less than 1,650 crystal chandeliers were purchased.
Originally, The Plaza served as a residence for wealthy New Yorkers. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt were the first to sign the register. For guests who chose to rent on a nightly basis at the time, this New York City luxury hotel’s single rooms started at $2.50 per night.
Kings, presidents, ambassadors, stars of stage, screen and sports, as well as business executives and travellers from all parts of the world have gathered and stayed at The Plaza. The Plaza was so well known that Ernest Hemingway once advised F. Scott Fitzgerald to give his liver to Princeton and his heart to The Plaza.
Originally, The Plaza served as a residence for wealthy New Yorkers. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt were the first to sign the register. For guests who chose to rent on a nightly basis at the time, this New York City luxury hotel’s single rooms started at $2.50 per night.
Kings, presidents, ambassadors, stars of stage, screen and sports, as well as business executives and travellers from all parts of the world have gathered and stayed at The Plaza. The Plaza was so well known that Ernest Hemingway once advised F. Scott Fitzgerald to give his liver to Princeton and his heart to The Plaza.
Although The Plaza appeared fleetingly in earlier films, this Manhattan luxury hotel’s true movie debut was in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic North by Northwest – the first time a crew, director and cast assembled on site to make a picture. Before then, movies were shot almost entirely on Hollywood soundstages and rarely on location. The Plaza has provided the location for other motion pictures such as Plaza Suite, The Way We Were, The Great Gatsby, Barefoot in the Park, Funny Girl, Cotton Club, Crocodile Dundee I and II and Home Alone II: Lost In New-York.
Designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, The Plaza is listed on the Register of Historic Places and the only New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, The Plaza is listed on the Register of Historic Places and the only New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark.
One hundred years legacy book
For over 100 years The Plaza Hotel has held a special place in the hearts and imaginations of people around the
world. It set the standard for luxury accommodation and service the moment it opened its doors at the corner of Central Park South and
Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1907 and received its
first guest, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, a member of the
famed American industrial family.
Throughout the twentieth century it was the site of the most lavish social affairs and was the New York City pied-a-terre of business leaders, socialites, movie stars and artists. In the 1920s it was the occasional home and social playground of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and their artistic and literary crowd companions. Published as a commemorative collectable in 2007 on the 100th year anniversary of the Plaza’s opening
Throughout the twentieth century it was the site of the most lavish social affairs and was the New York City pied-a-terre of business leaders, socialites, movie stars and artists. In the 1920s it was the occasional home and social playground of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and their artistic and literary crowd companions. Published as a commemorative collectable in 2007 on the 100th year anniversary of the Plaza’s opening
At The Plaza, by Curtis Gathje
At The Plaza is a pictorial record and an anecdotal history of the world’s most famous hotel: New York’s Plaza. As a story, it traverses the breadth and scope of Gotham’s high society during the American Century. As a photo collection, it’s like no other, capturing the hotel’s remarkable presence on the ever-changing New York scene. Curtis Gathje has been The Plaza’s official historian since 1994. In At The Plaza, he has compiled a tremendous collection of photographs and vignettes chronicling the colorful history of a building, an institution, and a city.
Read “A Primer for NYC’s PLAZA HOTEL” by Curtis Gathje
Read “A Primer for NYC’s PLAZA HOTEL” by Curtis Gathje
The Restoration
Gal Nauer
Interior Design Architect
Commenced in 2002 and completed in 2007, the Plaza restoration is among New York City’s most delicate and impressive. With the city and its Historical Landmark Preservation Board holding our team to the highest standards of excellence, the Plaza restoration is a true New York success story.
Walter Melvin
The Restoration Architect
“Mayor Bloomberg, had proclaimed October 1st, 2007 the Plaza’s 100th birthday; The hotel, known for its history of offering a locale for celebration, went all out. There was the 50-member orchestra, the cake, introductions by city resident Matthew Broderick, and the largest pyrotechnic display ever launched from atop a building–let alone a million square foot building in Midtown. And then there were the guests. Members of the Central Park Conservancy, city officials, and socialites. Women in evening gowns, held close by their male escorts to avoid the chill of this first night in October. A small girl in a matching tan petticoat and headband with perfectly straightened brown hair ran wild for a moment before her mother caught her, a modern day Eloise.” – excerpt from New York Observer reporting on the 100 year celebration.
Timeline of the Plaza
Memory Blog
Architecture & Society Tour
