The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel (New York City, New York)

 hotel, skyscraper, Art Deco (architecture), 1930_construction

449-foot (with a spire bringing it to 492 ft), 41-story Art-Deco hotel completed in 1930 for developer Mack Kanner. Designed by Sugarman & Berger, its pyramidal, set-back tower structure somewhat resembles that of the Empire State Building, which lies just a couple blocks due east on 34th Street. For many years, the New Yorker Hotel was New York's largest hotel. In 1941, the prominent red “New Yorker” sign was installed on the top floors.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the hotel was among New York's most fashionable. It hosted many popular Big Bands, such as Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey, while notable figures such as Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford and Fidel Castro stayed there. Inventor Nikola Tesla spent the last ten years of his life in near-seclusion in Suite 3327, where he died, largely devoting his time to feeding pigeons while occasionally meeting dignitaries. In 1967 the famous red sign went dark and remained unlit for nearly 40 years. In later years, Muhammad Ali would recuperate there after his March 1971 fight against Joe Frazier at the Garden.

It was purchased by Hilton Hotels in 1953 for $12.5 million and following an antitrust suit by the federal government, was sold just three years later, in 1956, for $20 million to Massaglia Hotels. In 1959, Massaglia sold the hotel to an investment syndicate known as New York Towers Ltd., which went bankrupt, allowing Hilton to reacquire the building in 1967. Hilton closed the hotel in April 1972. The Unification Church purchased the building in 1975, who converted much of the building for use by its members It reopened as a hotel in 1994, and in 2005 the “New Yorker” sign was rebuilt with new 20-foot letters and LED lights. Since 2014 it has been part of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts chain, and undergone additional renovations.

The building is clad in warm grey brick above a 3-story limestone base (although the ground floor is largely grey granite). The main entrance is at the center of the 8th Avenue facade, which spans 14 bays wide. The 2-bay entry is brass and glass, with a set of revolving doors at the left and three regular doors on the right, all covered by a suspended canopy. The two bays to either side have large brass-framed windows, and the next bay to the south has a stunningly ornate, Art-Deco brass doorway, originally for the Manufacturers Trust Company, who had a branch in the building's lobby. It was converted to conference room space in 2009. The bays at the ends have restaurant storefronts. Along 35th Street there are a several freight entrances and loading docks.

The extra-tall 2nd floor contains ballroom and meeting space; the tripartite window openings are divided into two levels, separated in the middle by dark-grey metal spandrels. On the north and south facades there are seven main bays, with the middle one flanked by a narrow bay on each side. The 3rd floor more closely follow the layout of the upper floors, with 19 smaller bays; they are grouped into five bays at each end, with two single-windows framing three bays of double-windows; pairs of double-windows closer toward the middle; and a center group of two single-window bay around one double-window bay. The three double-window bays at the ends of the facade are framed by paired, telescoping Art-Deco brackets supporting a dentiled projection of the band course above.

On the 8th Avenue facade, the 2nd floor has six bays in the middle that match the main bays on the north and south elevations. On either side is a large tripartite bay flanked closely by narrow bays, which are in turn flanked by more regularly-spaced single-window bays. These last bays only have the lower level of windows, with a shallow etched panel in the stone occupying the upper area. At the 3rd floor the ends have four double-windows with the same telescoping brackets and band course seen on the north and south facades, flanked by a regular double-window bay on each side. The center two bays, above the main entrance, have a square cut-out pattern flanked by shallow etched panels. A vertical HOTEL NEW YORKER sign is attached to the 2nd-3rd floor between these middle bays. Another such sign is on the south facade.

The upper floors have deep light wells - two each on the north and south facades, and one each on the east and west sides. The east and west light courts have two double-windows and two single-windows at the rear walls; the north and south light courts are slightly narrower, with two double-windows at the rear walls. The inward-facing side walls are lined with double-windows in the east and west light court, and single-windows in the north and south ones. The 8th Avenue facade has six bays of double-windows on each wing created by the light court. The four in the middle of each wing are grouped closer together and have stone enframements at the 4th floor, with carved ornament at the top. The north and south elevations are divided into a center wing of three bays (a double-window with two single-windows), and outer wings of five bays (alternating single- and double-windows). All three of the bays at the middle wing, and the center three bays at the outer wings have the same style of stone enframements.

The wedding cake style of the design becomes apparent on the higher floors, where a series of setbacks begin. The east and west facades have setbacks on both wings above the 19th and 23rd floors. The next setback, at the 27th floor, is only at the two end bays of each wing - the three middle bays continue up with beveled corners to the next setback at the 31st floor, which encompasses the full wings. The next setback at the 35th floor brings the wall flush with the rear wall of the light court from below, leading to a full-floor setback above the 39th floor. At each setback, there is Art-Deco stone ornament. On the north and south elevations, the first setback is above the 19th floor on the outer wings, and above the 23rd floor at the middle wing, with additional setbacks every floor floors, following the pattern of the other facades.

The hotel has 1014 rooms and suites and 2 ballrooms. Additionally, the City University of New York uses a portion of the building for student residences. Besides the lobby and other hotel spaces, the ground floor is occupied by a portion of the Al Jezeera television studios (headquartered in the Manhattan Center next door), Tick Tock Diner, Butcher & Banker steakhouse, and Trattoria Bianca restaurant. The lower lobby has a tunnel along 34th street which connected to hotel to Penn Station that is currently disused but can be viewed on tours.

www.newyorkerhotel.com/
webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images/search.htm?c=dXE%3D%3Aa...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/1930/01/04/namesake-2
cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15052co...
www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-hidden-art-deco-tunnel-...