The Knickerbocker Hotel (Manhattan)
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The Knickerbocker Hotel is a hotel at
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, on the southeastern corner of
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and 42nd Street, in the
Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...
neighborhood of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Built by
John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...
, the hostelry was designed in 1901 and opened in 1906. Its location near the Theater District around Times Square was intended to attract not only residential guests but also theater visitors. The Knickerbocker Hotel is largely designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Marvin & Davis, with Bruce Price as consultant. Its primary
frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...
s are on Broadway and 42nd Street. These facades are constructed of red brick with
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terra ...
details and a prominent
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. Th ...
. The Knickerbocker Hotel also incorporates an annex on 41st Street, built in 1894 as part of the St. Cloud Hotel, which formerly occupied the site. The 41st Street facade contains a Romanesque Revival design by Philip C. Brown. Inside, the hotel contains 300 rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a roof bar. The original interior design was devised in 1905 by
Trowbridge & Livingston Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th-century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston. Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, much of the firm ...
. There are scattered remnants of the original interior design, including an entrance that formerly led from the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...
's Times Square station to the hotel's basement. The original hotel, which served as the home of
Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...
and George M. Cohan, shuttered in 1920 following a decrease in business. The building was then converted to offices, becoming known as the Knickerbocker Building. It was the home of ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' magazine from 1940 to 1959 during which it was called the Newsweek Building. After major renovations in 1980, it became known as 1466 Broadway and was used as garment showrooms and offices. Following another renovation in 2001, it was known as 6 Times Square. The Knickerbocker was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1980 and was designated a
New York City Landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
in 1988. It was converted back to a hotel from 2013 to 2015 under its original name.


Site

The Knickerbocker Hotel is on the southeastern corner of
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and 42nd Street, at the south end of
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
, in the
Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...
neighborhood of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It contains the alternate addresses 1462–1470 Broadway, 6 Times Square, and 142 West 42nd Street, with a small annex extending south to 143 West 41st Street. The building occupies a
land lot In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in o ...
covering , with
frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...
s of about on Broadway to the west and about on 42nd Street to the north. The frontage on 41st Street is only wide. The Knickerbocker Hotel wraps around 8 Times Square at the corner of Broadway and 41st Street. The site is adjacent to
5 Times Square 5 Times Square is a 38-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located on the western sidewalk of Seventh Avenue between 41st and 42nd Street, the building measure ...
and
Times Square Tower Times Square Tower, also known as 7 Times Square, is a 48-story office skyscraper at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located on the city block bounded by Broadway, 42nd Street, Seve ...
to the west,
One Times Square One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, skyscraper on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by ...
to the northwest,
4 Times Square 4 Times Square (also known as 151 West 42nd Street or One Five One; formerly the Condé Nast Building) is a 52-story skyscraper at Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located at 1472 Broadway, between 42nd ...
to the north, the Bank of America Tower to the northeast, and the
Bush Tower The Bush Tower (also the Bush Terminal Building, the Bush Terminal International Exhibit Building and formerly the Bush Terminal Sales Building) is a skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, just east of Times Squa ...
to the east. An entrance to the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...
's Times Square–42nd Street station, served by the , is immediately outside the hotel; a direct entrance originally led from the basement (see ). The site was previously occupied by the Hotel St. Cloud, which opened in 1868 at Broadway and 42nd Street. At the time, it was relatively far from the developed portions of Manhattan. Grand Central Depot, predecessor of
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
, was developed nearby in 1871, resulting in the growth of the surrounding neighborhood. In 1892,
John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...
acquired the lease of the Hotel St. Cloud for $850,000. With transit improvements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, New York City's theater district relocated from further south in Manhattan to modern-day Times Square. The construction of theaters led to the development of other entertainment facilities such as hotels, dance halls, and restaurants. Furthermore, the Knickerbocker site was adjacent to the city's first subway line, providing access from the rest of the city.


Architecture

The Knickerbocker Hotel, completed in 1906, was designed by Marvin & Davis with consulting architect Bruce Price. The structure was largely designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The annex on 143 West 41st Street, which was built in 1894 as an addition to the Hotel St. Cloud, contains a Romanesque Revival facade designed by Philip C. Brown. The 41st Street annex was intentionally incorporated into the current hotel building. The interiors were designed by
Trowbridge & Livingston Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th-century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston. Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, much of the firm ...
. The hotel measures tall.


Facade


Broadway and 42nd Street

The Knickerbocker Hotel's Broadway and 42nd Street facades are articulated into three horizontal sections: a two-story base, a ten-story shaft, and a three-story mansard roof. The ground and second stories serve as a commercial base and have seen numerous design changes since 1920. The vertical limestone
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
are the only portions of the original design that remain at the base. Originally, a ground-level
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...
projected from the center seven
bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
of the 42nd Street facade, with seven round arches topped by a
balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...
. This portico was removed by 1911. There was a similar portico at the center five bays on Broadway, which was flush with the rest of the facade. The second floor contained round-arched windows. The Broadway facade originally contained a secondary entrance to the cafe. On the third through twelfth floors, the building is clad in red brick with decorative elements made of
Indiana Limestone Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...
and
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terra ...
. Some of the limestone and terracotta ornamentation has been replaced with similar-looking concrete. Along 42nd Street, the outermost four bays are grouped into slightly projecting "corner pavilions", flanking the center seven bays. The two center bays on each corner pavilion are paired. The Broadway facade is nine bays wide and lacks projecting corner pavilions. Each window is flanked by stone
quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry con ...
s. The fourth, sixth, seventh, and eleventh-story windows contain either decorative iron balcony rails or stone balustrades. The
pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...
s atop windows on each story are variously made of segmental arches, sculptured decorations, or swans' necks.; A small cornice runs above the fourth story, while more substantial cornices run above the ninth and eleventh stories. At Broadway, the center bay contains an arched pediment above the fourth-story window that interrupts the cornice above it. The ninth story cornice is supported by decorative
brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...
while the eleventh story cornice is supported by
modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). Al ...
s. All three cornices have lost some of their original decorative elements. The thirteenth through fifteenth stories are part of the
mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. Th ...
, which is clad in green copper. There are also urns at the corners of the roof. Originally, the dormer windows from the mansard roof contained elaborate pediments, although these were likely removed by 1920. The thirteenth floor windows' pediments were either triangular or segmentally arched. The fourteenth floor windows' pediments were round-arched. A penthouse on the fifteenth floor was added between 1908 and 1910 to designs by C. H. Cullen.


41st Street

The 41st Street facade of the Knickerbocker Hotel is eight stories tall and is designed in the Romanesque Revival style, with some ornament in the Beaux-Arts style. The facade is made of
buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional w ...
brick and
terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terra ...
. It was intended as a service entrance to the main Knickerbocker Hotel. The annex previously contained a second story with three bays of windows, above which runs a classical-style cornice. When the Knickerbocker was re-converted back into a hotel in the 2010s, the double-height first story was altered for a service entrance that takes up the entire width of the 41st Street facade. The third floor was skipped. The fourth and fifth stories are topped by an arch that spans the entire width of the annex. The sixth through eighth stories are flanked by
pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
, with two bays each on the sixth and seventh stories and three bays on the eighth stories. The attic, on the ninth story, was constructed in 1906 and contains two
dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...
windows with triangular copper pediments.


Features

The modern Knickerbocker Hotel contains 330 guestrooms. Twenty-seven of the rooms are advertised as junior suites while four are labeled as signature suites. The modern Knickerbocker Hotel also contains a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a roof bar overlooking Times Square. The hotel's total interior space is about . The first Hotel Knickerbocker originally had 556 guestrooms, 400 of which contained baths. The Knickerbocker was described in ''Architects and Builders Magazine'' as having "magnificent equipment and excellent service". The Knickerbocker's various artworks were a prominent part of the original interior design, having been installed as a way to enhance the interior character at a relatively low cost. A critic for the ''Architectural Record'' praised the interior design, saying: "There are few hotels in the country in the appearance of which such uniform good taste has been displayed", although the same critic took issue with the interior layout. Connecting the various floors were four passenger elevators and four freight and service elevators. The original hotel even had five hundred clocks, which were made in Paris and maintained by an employee who was specifically tasked with winding them each day. Little evidence remains of the original design, particularly after the first version of the hotel had been converted into an office building in 1920. On the upper stories, the only remnants of the original design were radiators and terrazzo floors.


Basements

Below the lobby is a basement and subbasement, which retain their wall paneling, herringbone-patterned floors, and hexagonal white tile decorations. The basement had a grillroom, bar, broker's office, barber and manicure parlors, and the kitchen. The grillroom contained an English design with plain oak walls and a Gothic oak ceiling. Displayed in the basement bar was a
Frederic Remington Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United Sta ...
painting entitled "The United States Cavalry Charge".; The kitchen had refrigerating plants, heating plants, and glass and silver chests, accessed by four dumbwaiters from the kitchen. The subbasement contained the mechanical plant with boilers, coal storage bins, electrical generators, water filters, an ice-making plant, and an engine room. The wine vault, cigar vault, baggage room, and laundry facility were also in the subbasement. At the time of the hotel's opening in 1906, the hotel's management advertised two direct subway entrances from the Times Square station, with one entrance intended for ladies. One doorway still exists on the platform adjacent to the 42nd Street Shuttle's track 1, topped by a
lintel A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...
containing the carved word "Knickerbocker". Before the station opened as part of the city's first subway line in 1904,
John Jacob Astor IV John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...
had given permission for the subway to be constructed through part of his property only if the station included a hotel entrance. The hotel entrance was rearranged when the platform was lengthened in 1909. While the entrance was closed after the original iteration of the hotel was shuttered, the passageway to the entrance has retained much of its ornamentation, such as painted
roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of dif ...
s. In 2019, as part of the remodeling of the modern shuttle station, the damaged Knickerbocker marble lintel was to be replaced with a replica. The modern doorway leads to a subway manhole with mechanical equipment rather than to the Knickerbocker's basement.


Ground and second stories

The original design had a lobby facing 42nd Street, with marble columns, bronze pendant lanterns, and red-and-gold foyer decorations. The lobby had a statue of Father Knickerbocker, a political-cartoon personification of New York City. Leading off the lobby were safe deposit boxes, and a bookstand and ticket office. The cafe west of the lobby had white and gold decorations. For the attached bar southwest of the lobby, artist
Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His career spann ...
was commissioned to paint "Old King Cole and His Fiddlers Three", a mural of '' Old King Cole'' measuring wide. An "L"-shaped restaurant, with a flower room. ran east and south of the lobby. It had a Caen stone cladding; a beamed ceiling modeled after the
Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...
; marble statues and tapestries on the walls; and two bronze-and-marble electric fountains by
Frederick MacMonnies Frederick William MacMonnies (September 28, 1863 – March 22, 1937) was the best known expatriate American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts school, as successful and lauded in France as he was in the United States. He was also a highly accomplish ...
. Hung in the Flower Room was the mural "Masque of Flowers". The second floor was devoted to dining rooms in the original design. At the center of the second floor was a double-height ballroom measuring . The ballroom had hardwood floors; copies of old portraits on the walls; and white, blue, and silver decorations. The adjoining foyer had satin velvet decoration with gold-painted pillars and a gold-leaf ornamented ceiling. There was also a nurse's hall and eight private dining rooms on that story, including a "gold room" with gold cutlery for 48 guests. During the 1920 alterations, the lobby spaces were removed, but a pink marble-clad elevator lobby was added on the ground floor. The lowest two stories were also converted to a retail condominium. Remnants from the original design include a
vaulted ceiling In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
above the elevator lobby, decorated with rosettes, but hidden above a
dropped ceiling A dropped ceiling is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling. It may also be referred to as a drop ceiling, T-bar ceiling, false ceiling, suspended ceiling, grid ceiling, drop in ceiling, drop out ceiling, or ceiling tile ...
. When the hotel reopened in 2015, Charlie Palmer was hired to operate Jake's @ The Knick, a "grab-and-go" takeout eatery on the ground level. The rebuilt ground floor has a vaulted ceiling with decorative tiles similar to those installed in the subway.


Upper stories

The third through fifteenth stories were originally devoted to residences and suites. The original third story contained suites, a ballroom, and a musician's gallery. The fourth through twelfth stories were designed nearly identically, while the thirteenth and fourteenth stories were slightly different in arrangement. The fifteenth story also contained a large women's dormitory and sitting room, a valet's room, a linen room, a bundle laundry room, a fan ventilator, and a storage and upholstery department. As floor number 13 is skipped, the thirteenth story is actually labeled as floor 14. During much of the 20th century, these stories were used as office space, but by 2015 these stories were converted back to hotel suites. The fourth floor of the reconverted hotel contains Charlie Palmer at the Knick, a 100-seat full-service restaurant. The sixteenth floor contains a bar called St. Cloud, also operated by Palmer, with a rooftop terrace measuring . The bar, named after the former hotel on the same site, is used for viewings of the
Times Square Ball The Times Square Ball is a time ball located in New York City's Times Square. Located on the roof of One Times Square, the ball is a prominent part of a New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ball drop, where the ...
drop, which takes place at the neighboring One Times Square during
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
. Due to the proximity of the ball, which is only about from the Knickerbocker's rooftop, tickets to the New Year's Eve ball drop viewings can cost tens of thousands of dollars per person.


History


Original hotel


Construction

In 1901, the
New York City Department of Buildings The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) is the department of the New York City government that enforces the city's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, licenses, registers and disciplines certain construction ...
received plans for three hotels, one theater, and fourteen apartment buildings on Times Square. Among those plans was a 14-story hotel designed by Bruce Price and Martin & Davis, to be built on the site of the St. Cloud Hotel at Broadway and 42nd Street. The new hotel, known as the Knickerbocker, was intended as a rival to the
Hotel Astor Hotel Astor was a hotel on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1905 and expanded in 1909–1910 for the Astor family, the hotel occupied a site bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, and 44th and 45th ...
, also owned by the Astor family. The Knickerbocker was to be a Renaissance Revival hotel with a similar arrangement to other hotels of the time. In addition to service facilities across two basement levels and dining and banquet facilities on the first and second floors, the Hotel Knickerbocker was planned with 600 suites and 300 baths. At the time, the section of Broadway between 34th and 42nd Streets was quickly being developed with theaters and hotels. Consequently, the Hotel Knickerbocker's construction spurred the development of other hostelries nearby. John Jacob Astor IV leased the hotel to the International Realty and Construction Company (IRCC) of Philadelphia, organized by J.E. and A.L. Pennock. Astor stipulated that the hotel had to be completed for at least $2 million. The IRCC received the contract for the hotel's construction in December 1901, and Astor loaned $1.65 million to the IRCC in March 1902. Under the IRCC, the project began in 1901 or 1902. Under the contract between Astor and the IRCC, Astor reserved the right to name the hotel operator when it was complete. James B. Regan, former manager of the adjacent Pabst Hotel, leased the site from the IRCC for seventeen years in July 1902. Regan had formed the Knickerbocker Hotel Company (KHC), serving as the KHC's managing director with
Jesse Lewisohn Jesse Lewisohn (8 July 1871 – 30 November 1918), was a businessman involved in copper trading with Lewisohn Brothers, and an owner of racehorses. Biography He was born in 1872 to Leonard Lewisohn and he had the following siblings: Walter Lewi ...
and Godfrey Hyams as co-directors. Astor contracted Regan to be the hotel's manager when it was finished, but Regan resigned from the KHC over disputes with the other directors. In February 1904, just as the facade and steel skeleton was completed, construction was halted after the IRCC defaulted on its payments. Contractually, the IRCC was given a year to repay its outstanding obligations should it choose to resume construction. In the meantime, Astor commissioned new plans for the interior design. During this time, the only revenue from the Hotel Knickerbocker was coming from the billboards around it. At the time, the public did not know why work had stopped. The IRCC never returned to the project and, in May 1905, Astor hired
Trowbridge & Livingston Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th-century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston. Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, much of the firm ...
to complete the interiors, with work resuming the following month. Regan also agreed to lease the hotel for twenty years at $300,000 per year. The new plans cost $1 million more than the original proposal and included an additional story. Part of the third story was demolished to make way for the double-story ballroom. The 42nd Street facade was also modified to include a portico.


Operation

The Knickerbocker opened to private guests on October 23, 1906, and to the general public the following day. At the time of the hotel's opening, a room for one person averaged about $3.25 per day, while suites cost about $15–20 per day. The hotel quickly became part of the city's social scene. One week after the hotel's opening, it was receiving an influx of guests from the subway. By early 1907, ''Architectural Record'' said the hotel "has proved to be a huge popular success". Architectural historian Robert A. M. Stern wrote the Hotel Knickerbocker, along with the nearby Astor and Rector hotels, "created something of an architectural ensemble clustered around Times Square". The Armenonville restaurant, a 600-seat cafe on the ground floor, opened in June 1908. The 42nd Street frontage was slightly rebuilt two years later when 42nd Street was widened, and the Armenonville restaurant was renovated. Also in 1911, the Knickerbocker expanded into the neighboring Ryan Hotel, adding about one hundred more suites. After John Jacob Astor IV died on the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...
'' in 1912, his son
Vincent Astor William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Astor family. Early life Called Vincent, he was born in New York City on November 15, 1891. Astor was the el ...
inherited the hotel, which continued to run successfully under James B. Regan. The Hotel Knickerbocker's residents included
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...
singer
Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...
, who took up a suite on half a story because of the hotel's proximity to the Metropolitan Opera House. When the end of World War I was falsely announced on November 8, 1918, Caruso led the crowd outside his suite in singing "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the ...
"; he repeated the performance on Armistice Day three days later, when the war actually ended. The actor and composer George M. Cohan also lived there. Other guests and residents included opera singer Geraldine Farrar, baritone
Antonio Scotti Antonio Scotti (25 January 1866 – 26 February 1936) was an Italian baritone. He was a principal artist of the New York Metropolitan Opera for more than 33 seasons, but also sang with great success at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, a ...
, film director and producer
D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...
, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as numerous politicians and diplomats. The
Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...
political organization often held its meetings at the Hotel Knickerbocker, and media magnate
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
launched his failed campaign for the 1909 New York City mayoral election at the Knickerbocker. The popular hotel bar gained the nickname "The 42nd Street Country Club". According to a legend, the martini was invented at the Knickerbocker in 1912 by Martini di Arma di Taggia, a hotel bartender who mixed dry vermouth and gin for John D. Rockefeller. The legend was subsequently debunked as having originated from a 1972 book by John Doxat. The Hotel Knickerbocker was also rumored to be where the velvet rope line was invented. During dinnertime, staff used a red velvet rope to create a queue, then handed out plates to guests waiting outside. During Easter celebrations, the hotel's chef put live chicks in sugar eggs, and guests would dine while the chicks hatched onto the table. The Hotel Knickerbocker was also the site of some high-profile incidents during its history. For instance, a chimpanzee dressed in human clothing walked into the lobby in 1918, prompting a panic. The next year, two men stole gems from a guest and attempted to escape through the basement, squirting tabasco sauce into the eyes of the responding patrolmen, who arrested the burglars anyway. There were also several murders at the Knickerbocker, including in 1912, when the hotel's in-house violinist Albert de Brahms killed his wife and tried to seal her body in plaster.


Office use

The enactment of
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholi ...
in 1919 resulted in a marked decline in business at the Knickerbocker's restaurants and bars. By late 1919, Regan had given over operation of the hotel to his son, James E. Regan Jr., though the senior Regan retained the lease. In May 1920, the junior Regan announced the hotel would be closed at the end of the month and converted to an office building. Although the senior Regan's lease had more than fifteen years left to run, he surrendered it to Vincent Astor. At the time, the residents included James Regan Jr. and his wife
Alice Joyce Alice Joyce Brown ( Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of ...
, as well as Caruso and his family. Immediately upon the announcement of the hotel's closure, several commercial tenants made bids for space in the Hotel Knickerbocker, and some applicants sought the entire building. At the time, the surrounding section of Broadway was quickly being developed for commercial purposes. The Hotel Knickerbocker closed on May 28, 1920.


1920s to 1960s

Vincent Astor, Nicholas Biddle, and S. B. Thorn formed the Knickerbocker Holding Company on June 14, 1920, two weeks after the hotel's closure. The Bank for Savings loaned the company $3 million in October 1920 for the conversion of the old Hotel Knickerbocker into an office building. Astor hired architect Charles A. Platt to design the office conversion. The hotel interiors were completely gutted and the ground level was converted to fourteen storefronts. The rest of the building was rebuilt as an office building, with rents from . The walls of the old suites were moved or removed. The grill room in the basement was leased in December 1920 and continued to operate after the hotel's closure. The ''Old King Cole'' painting was loaned to the Racquet and Tennis Club on
Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Av ...
by 1925 before being installed permanently at the St. Regis Hotel in 1935. By early 1921, the old Hotel Knickerbocker had become known as the Knickerbocker Building. While the storefront at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street was quickly leased to a location of the National Drug Stores Corporation, the rest of the first floor was not leased until 1924, when it became a clothing store. The New York Society of Model Engineers' main room in the Knickerbocker Building housed a model train exhibition each year during the early 1930s. Other tenants included advertising firms, attorneys, and insurance companies. Over the years, the Knickerbocker Building's former function as a hotel was forgotten by the public; the name "Knickerbocker Hotel" even became associated with another subsequently shuttered hotel on 45th Street. When the Knickerbocker Building became the headquarters of ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' magazine in October 1940, it was renamed the ''Newsweek Building''. Also in the 1940s, an employment agency and art office. The Ryan Hotel structure at 140 West 42nd Street, which had been part of the original Knickerbocker Hotel but not the subsequent office building, was sold in 1944 to an investor who intended to modify that structure heavily. Vincent Astor continued to own the Newsweek Building until 1957, until it was sold to a client of Bernard H. Kayden. The underlying land was simultaneously sold to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, a subsidiary of Harry Helmsley's Helmsley-Spear company and Irving S. Wolper, for $2.75 million. In early 1959, ''Newsweek'' signed a lease for space on 444 Madison Avenue, with plans to move out of the Knickerbocker during the beginning of that May.


1970s to 2000s

By the mid-1970s, the building was known as 150–152 West 42nd Street and 1462–1470 Broadway. Helmsley still operated the building, which contained offices, commercial shops, and a pornographic bookstore. The land was held by the Inch Corporation, a shell company representing the true owner, the British royal family. Helmsley announced that he would drop his ownership of the Knickerbocker Building in 1975, raising concerns that the building would be demolished. The other option was to renovate the space for $2 million, which could then be rented for . Instead, the building deed was sold for a nominal sum of $1, despite the building being valued at $4.5 million. In 1979, with the office market in a slump, Helmsley, David Baldwin, and Jack Vickers were planning to convert the office building to residential
loft A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
s. As part of the project, Helmsley, Baldwin, and Vickers were to relocate the building's main entrance from 152 West 42nd Street to 1466 Broadway, constructing a new lobby on Broadway. Libby, Ross & Whitehouse designed the new lobby and converted the interior to 113 units. Stores and commercial space would have been on the lowest four stories while the other stories would have been residential lofts. The commercial market quickly recovered and the space was instead rented as showrooms and studios for companies in the Garment District. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on April 11, 1980, and the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
designated the Knickerbocker Building as a landmark on October 18, 1988. SL Green bought 1466 Broadway, along with several other Manhattan buildings owned by the Helmsley estate, in 1998 for $165 million. SL Green began renovating the building shortly afterward, in March 1999. At the time, the building contained a three-story location of The Gap at ground level; The Gap's billboards were prominently displayed on the facade. The Gap expanded its ground floor space from during this time, reopening in mid-2001. SL Green sought to attract small office tenants to the top seven floors, so the company decided in late 2001 to rebrand the building as 6 Times Square, which it believed was a more prominent address. The facade was restored and the mansard roof was coated with greenish copper. Due to the complexities of the renovation, its costs increased to three times the original budget, and the renovation was completed in March 2003, three and a half years later than originally scheduled.


Reuse as hotel

In 2004, SL Green sold 6 Times Square to Sitt Asset Management for $160 million. Sitt sold the building in 2006 to Istithmar Hotels, an investment group from the royal family of
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, for $300 million. Istithmar announced plans to convert the building back into a five-star hotel with between 250 and 300 rooms. However, by late 2009, Istithmar was unable to fulfill its debt obligation. Istithmar surrendered the property to its lender,
Danske Bank Danske Bank A/S is a Danish multinational banking and financial services corporation. Headquartered in Copenhagen, it is the largest bank in Denmark and a major retail bank in the northern European region with over 5 million retail customers. ...
, in March 2010. Danske subsequently resold the building to a joint venture of Highgate Holdings, Ashkenazy Acquisitions, and Stanley Chera. FelCor Lodging Trust, a Texas
real estate investment trust A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping cente ...
, acquired a 95 percent stake in the third through sixteenth floors for $109 million. The purchase took place in late 2011, although the acquisition was not announced until February 2012. The retail condominium on the first two floors was still owned by Ashkenazy. FelCor renovated the property for an additional $115 million, completely gutting it, with the exception of the facade. The hotel's new interior was designed by architecture and interior design firm Gabellini Sheppard Associates, with Peter Poon Architects as the architect of record. The new design was intended to both evoke the original hotel and represent Times Square's 21st-century revival. In a gesture to the hotel's history, the four signature suites were named the Caruso, Cohan, Martini, and Parrish suites, after prominent personalities of the old hotel. The hotel reopened on February 12, 2015, as the Knickerbocker Hotel. The rooftop bar, the St. Cloud, opened in June 2015. The old subway entrance in the basement remained shuttered, and several of the original hotel's works of art, such as ''Old King Cole'', were not restored in the renovated Knickerbocker Hotel. The ground level of the Knickerbocker Hotel building continued to house commercial uses, such as one of the last-ever locations of
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loca ...
, which operated as a pop-up location in 2017 and 2018.


Critical reception

After the Knickerbocker Hotel reopened in 2015, it received mixed reviews. A critic for British newspaper ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' gave the Knickerbocker a 7/10 rating, saying that the hotel "adds a pinch of sophistication to Times Square. Yet, with its sleek, low-slung furnishings and neutral palette, the interiors are the antithesis of Beaux Arts, and Bellhops in baggy knickerbockers and chunky Doc Martens set the tone the moment you arrive." A reviewer for ''Oyster.com'' also contrasted the hotel's Renaissance-style interior and modern interior, saying: "Some guests find this minimalist style cold and uninviting, especially paired with the lack of seating in the lobby." Conversely, a reviewer for ''
Fodor's Fodor's is a publisher of English language travel and tourism information. Fodor's Travel and Fodors.com are divisions of Internet Brands. History Founder Eugene Fodor was a keen traveler, but felt that the guidebooks of his time were borin ...
'' said the hotel provided a "serene counterpoint to the mass of people, lights, and excitement that converge at the crossroads of Broadway and 42nd Street". A critic for ''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' wrote in 2020: "It's comparable in price to other big brand hotels but offers a sleeker, more boutique vibe, with upscale rooms and five-star service." Visitors also praised the hotel's central location, large rooms, and rooftop bar, but criticized the fact that it lacked a pool and a spa.


See also

* List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Manhattan Island, the primary portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan (also designated as New York County, New Yo ...


References


Notes

Explanatory notes Inflation figures


Citations


Sources

* * * * *


External links

*
Original floor plans (1902)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knickerbocker Hotel 1906 establishments in New York City Beaux-Arts architecture in New York City Broadway (Manhattan) Hotel buildings completed in 1906 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Hotels in Manhattan Magazine headquarters Mass media company headquarters in the United States New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Office buildings in Manhattan Times Square buildings 42nd Street (Manhattan) Buildings with mansard roofs