Warwick New York Hotel (New York City, New York)

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364-foot, 36-story Renaissance-revival hotel completed in 1927. Designed by George B. Post & Sons and Emery Roth for publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, it is clad in brown brick above a 3-story limestone and granite base. The south facade has two wings flanking a light well above the 2nd floor. There is also some terra-cotta detailing. The wings set back several times, receding into the main slab—itself thinning into red-tiled Tuscan towers after further setbacks.

The south facade is seven bays wide, including the wide center bay with the hotel's main entrance. It has bronze-and-glass doors framed by green marble pilasters, with elaborate bronze grillework above the doors. The entrance is covered by a suspended bronze marquee with hanging glass plates framed in bronze. Above the marquee, the 2nd floor has two sets of paired windows flanked by the anchors for the marquee and a pair of projecting flagpoles. There is a stone parapet at the 3rd-floor level, with a large cartouche, and ogees curving upward at the edges. The light well begins above and behind this. The bays on either side of the south entrance have round-arches framed by keyed stone blocks. The three west bays have multi-pane infill in segmental-arched, dark-brown iron framing, with iron-framed fanlights filling the tops of the arches. The two easternmost bays have similar fanlights, but with infill of paired glass-and-wood doors. The other bay has a revolving door to the hotel's restaurant, with a red clamshell canopy filling the arch. There are elaborate wall lanterns between each bay, and scrolled keystones flanked by garlands supporting slightly-projecting spandrels above the ground floor.

The spandrels, which bow slightly outward, are decorated with wreaths, mermaids, and foliate ornament. The three outer bays at each side of the 2nd floor have paired windows framed by three fluted pilasters with Ionic capitals (with thin ogees at the outer edge) topped by broad stone lintels with shields, faces, and other ornament, capped by small cornices. Rising above these lintels are ogees framing seashells topped by trios of triglyphs - ending in rounded pediments on the two bays flanking the center bay. On either side of each of these groups are engaged urns with finials, reaching up to the base of the 3rd floor. There are simple paired windows at the 3rd floor, and the base of capped by a cornice with triglyphs modillions.

The ground floor on the west facade facing the avenue has eight bays; the north bay has red metal service doors, and the south bay has multi-pane infill fronted by a planter box. Both end bays are topped by elaborate ornament; they consist of intricate brackets with a dentiled cornice, surmounted by a large shell flanked by finials. The 4th bay from the south has a secondary entrance, with metal-and-glass double-doors flanked by bronze poster boxes and lanterns, and covered by a smaller, black-metal and bronze marquee. To the south is a bay with a single segmental-arched, multi-pane window. The other bays are wider, with double segmental-arched windows fronted by planter boxes. The 2nd floor has five bays that match those on the south facade, with an extra bay at the south end with a simple single-window. The 3rd floor has seven bays of simple paired windows and is capped by the same cornice, broken at each bay by air-conditioning vents. At the southwest corner, both facades have vertical bronze lettering spelling out "WARWICK".

The brick floors above the base have paired windows, with stone surrounds at the 4th floor. The bays closest to the light well, and the two south bays on the west facade have heraldic shields on top, and the other bays have metal vents. A thin, stone band course separates the 4th & 5th floors. Vents are also located below each of these bays on the floors above. The rear wall and side walls of the light well each have two bays of paired windows. A thicker band course encircles the top of the 19th floor.

The middle bays at the 20th floor's west facade are recessed, and the others have round-arched windows (deeply recessed at the end bays on both wings of the south facade). There is a setback above these bays, and a setback above the non-recessed bays at the next floor (which has square-headed windows). Stone finials decorate the corners of the terrace created by these setbacks.

At the upper section of the tower the rear wall of the light well shifts to a centered bay of paired windows. At the west facade, the middle bays on the 23rd floor have stone surrounds, and there is another setback, creating mini-towers with angled corners at the north and south, which end at the 25th floor. The two wings on the south facade also end at this level. The 26th-30th floors have five bays of paired windows on the south facade, and two bays of paired windows flanking a center bay of single-windows on the west facade. Band courses line the 30th floor, topped by another shallow setback. The 32nd floor has paired round-arched windows at the center of both main facades. Above them rises a sloped copper roof with a single dormer on both facades; spires highlight the corners. A 3-story tower rises from the north end of the roof, topped by its own pyramidal copper roof with a large brick chimney at the north end.

The Warick was designed as both a residential and transient hotel and immediately began attracting celebrities from the entertainment industry—a tradition that would last for decades. While the Hearst Corporation sold the hotel along with several of the Midtown properties in October 1944, it continued to be a favorite—either as a stop-over or residence—for Hollywood and Broadway stars. In February 1965 Loew’s Hotels purchased The Warwick, and completely renovated the interiors. In 1980 the hotel was sold again and was renamed the Warwick New York Hotel.

The hotel has 359 guest rooms and 67 suites. The hotel's restaurant, Murals on 54, features the 1937 murals of American illustrator Dean Cornwell. The famed murals were fully restored following a 2004 renovation of the restaurant. The Warwick is also home to Randolph’s Bar & Lounge.

www.warwickhotelny.com/
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