 Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City
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The Waldorf Astoria Hotel is one of the most famous luxury hotel in New York. since it began operation in 1893, it has moved once. Its original site on Fifth Avenue is now occupied by the Empire State Building.
The present Waldorf Astoria building at 301 Park Avenue is a 47-storey, 625 feet (191 metre) skyscraper designed by architects Schultze and Weaver in 1931. It is part of The Waldorf Astoria Collection, the very upscale brand of hotels previously of the Hilton Hotels and Conrad Hotels chains.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City
Author: © JGHowes
The name of the hotel, Waldorf Astoria, is officially written with a double hyphen, rather than a single, although originally a single hyphen was used. A popular New York City expression, "Meet Me at the Hyphen" means meet me at the corridor between the Waldorf and the Astoria. That's because originally the Waldorf Astoria were two separate hotels.
The Waldorf Astoria traces its roots back to 1893, when millionaire William Astor built his hotel, called the 13-storey Waldorf Hotel, on the site of his father's mansion, and next door to the home of his aunt, the famous socialite Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor. At that time, he was having a feud with the aunt, and the construction of the hotel worsened the feud. The aunt called the Waldorf Hotel the "glorified tavern next door". The founding proprietor of the hotel was George Boldt, who also owned the boutique hotel Bellevue in Philadelphia when he went into business with William Astor to operate the Waldorf Hotel.
A few years later, William's cousin John Jacob Astor IV, also wanted in on the hotel business. With help from Boldt, he managed to persuade his mother, William's aunt, to move uptown. John then built the 17-storey Astoria Hotel on the site next to William's. The two hotels are linked by a corridor, and they combined their names, forming the Waldorf Astoria, with the "=" being a lasting symbol of the connection between the two.
The Waldorf Astoria changed the way people look at hotels. Not just a place to spend the night, the Waldorf Astoria becomes "the destination", a social centre for people to meet, see and be seen. The hotel was ahead of its time, and was instrumental in advancing the status of women, who were admitted without the need of a chaperon. It was the first to introduce room service and the first to suggest that people should live permanently in their own hotel suites. The filthy rich, of course. George Boldt also became filthy rich as well as internationally prominent.
In 1929, the original Waldorf Astoria buildings were demolished to make way for the Empire State Building. A new Waldorf Astoria was constructed 15 blocks north, on Park Avenue. When it opened on 1 October, 1931, it was the biggest and tallest hotel in the world. It gave prominence to the Art Deco style of skyscrapers. The opening was officiated by President Herbert Hoover through a radio broadcast.
Boldt retired from running the hotel and moved to Florida, but retained the rights to use the name "Waldorf Astoria". Unfortunately he died in a plane crash in 1947. Two years later, Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton chain of hotels, bought the Waldorf Astoria in 1949.
Today the Waldorf Astoria continues to epitomise the very height of elegance and luxury. T-shirts, tank tops, faded jeans, cut-offs, and casual hats are not permitted in the main lobby, Park Avenue Lobby, restaurants, or public areas of the hotel. Even name badges are discouraged outside the private conference rooms of the hotel. The dress code ranges from casual in Oscar's Restaurant to elegant casual at Bull and Bear Steakhouse.
How to reach the Waldorf Astoria
The Waldorf Astoria is located at 301 Park Avenue. Take the 6 train to the 51st Street subway station. Walk west along East 51st Street until intersection with Park Avenue. Turn left, walk south along Park Avenue until you see the Waldorf Astoria on your left, at the corner of Park Avenue and East 50th Street.
Postscript:
William B. Astor is a parishioner at the Church of the Ascension which I have also described.
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