The Oak Room & Bar (New York City, New York)

 mural, Tudor (architecture)

The Oak Room was a landmarked restaurant space in The Plaza Hotel. Originally designed by Henry Hardenbergh in in 1907 as a men’s bar inspired by the dining salons of German transatlantic ocean liners. Its furniture was provided by L. Alavoine & Co. and Pooley Furniture Co.; the chandeliers were created by Sterling Bronze Co. Originally brokerage offices, the space reputedly became an adjunct bar to the Oak Room between 1912 and Prohibition, when it was used by E. F. Hutton as offices.

The Oak Room closed during Prohibition and re-opened in 1934 as a full service restaurant by Conrad Hilton. The Oak Room’s detailed wood-paneled walls and barrel-vaulted ceiling remain today, as do the three carved niches with murals of German feudal castles by Everett Shinn that fill the arches. It was one of the last men's-only restaurants in Manhattan until feminist Betty Friedan organized a sit-in in 1969.

It closed in 2011 and is currently used as a function room. Alterations were made by Selldorf Architects.

s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2174.pdf
www.selldorf.com/projects/oak-room-and-bar-at-the-plaza...