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Hyatt Grand Central New York

The Hyatt Grand Central New York is a hotel located at 109 East 42nd Street, adjoining Grand Central Terminal, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It operated as the 2,000-room Commodore Hotel between 1919 and 1976, before hotel chain Hyatt and real estate developer Donald Trump converted the hotel to the 1,400-room Grand Hyatt New York between 1978 and 1980. As of 2019, the hotel is planned to be replaced with a skyscraper named Project Commodore.

Hyatt Grand Central New York
Hyatt Grand Central New York as seen from the southeast, at Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street
Interactive map highlighting the hotel's location
Hotel chainHyatt Hotels
General information
LocationManhattan, New York, US
Address109 East 42nd Street
Coordinates40°45′08″N 73°58′35″W / 40.75222°N 73.97639°W / 40.75222; -73.97639
OpeningJanuary 28, 1919
RenovatedSeptember 25, 1980
OwnerHyatt
ManagementHyatt
Height295 ft (90 m)
Technical details
Floor count26
Design and construction
Architect(s)Warren & Wetmore
Renovating team
Architect(s)Gruzen Samton
Other information
Number of rooms1306
Website
https://newyork.grand.hyatt.com/

The New York Central Railroad had acquired the site in 1910 and started constructing the hotel in October 1916. The Commodore was designed by Warren & Wetmore, with the Fuller Company as the hotel's general contractor. The hotel was 295 feet (90 m), with up to 28 stories, and had an H-shaped floor plan and a brick-and-terracotta facade. It contained a large lobby designed in a manner resembling an Italian courtyard, as well as various dining rooms and ballrooms. The Commodore opened on January 28, 1919, and was originally operated by Bowman-Biltmore Hotels. Zeckendorf Hotels took over the Commodore's operation in 1958 before handing it to New York Central subsidiary Realty Hotels in 1966. Due to declining profits, the Commodore closed on May 18, 1976.

Trump and Hyatt offered in 1975 to take over the Commodore and renovate it into the Grand Hyatt. After the city government granted a tax abatement for the renovation, Trump and Hyatt completely remodeled the hotel from June 1978 to September 1980, spending $100 million and removing almost all of the Commodore's original decorations. The renovated hotel includes a glass facade, a three-story atrium, a restaurant cantilevered over a sidewalk, and the Commodore's original ballroom. With the deteriorating partnership between Trump and Hyatt, the Pritzker family, which operated the Grand Hyatt, acquired Trump's stake in the hotel in 1996. The Project Commodore skyscraper was announced for the site in 2019, and the Grand Hyatt temporarily closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The hotel reopened in 2021 as the Hyatt Grand Central. As of December 2023, work on Project Commodore is expected to begin by 2026.

Site edit

The Hyatt Grand Central New York is at 109 East 42nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.[1] It occupies a rectangular site on the northwestern corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street, near Pershing Square Plaza, and abuts the Park Avenue Viaduct to the west.[2][3] The land lot covers about 57,282 sq ft (5,321.7 m2),[2] with a frontage of 200.83 ft (61.21 m) on Lexington Avenue and 275 ft (84 m) on 42nd Street.[4][5]

The hotel shares the city block with Grand Central Terminal to the west, the MetLife Building to the northwest, and the Graybar Building and 450 Lexington Avenue to the north. Other nearby buildings include the Pershing Square Building and Bowery Savings Bank Building to the southwest, the Chanin Building to the south, the Socony–Mobil Building to the southeast, and the Chrysler Building to the east.[2] The New York City Subway's Grand Central–42nd Street station, serving the 4, ​5, ​6, <6>​, 7, <7>​​, and S trains, is located directly underneath the Hyatt Grand Central,[6][7] and the Lexington Avenue Line platforms cut diagonally underneath the hotel.[3] A subway entrance, with a stair and an elevator, is at the base of the hotel on Lexington Avenue.[8][9]

The site was formerly occupied by the Hospital for Crippled Children.[10] Before the hotel opened, the site occupied an entire city block, which was bounded by Depew Place to the west and 43rd Street to the north.[11] The New York Central Railroad acquired the site in November 1910 as part of the construction of Grand Central Terminal.[10]

Architecture edit

The Hyatt Grand Central New York was originally known as the Commodore and was designed by Warren & Wetmore.[1][12] The Fuller Company was the hotel's general contractor,[12] although the project also involved numerous other contractors and engineers.[13] Donald Trump and Hyatt renovated the hotel in the 1970s to designs by Gruzen & Partners and Der Scutt.[14][15]

Commodore Hotel edit

When the Commodore opened, it contained 2,000 rooms and was either 26[3][16] or 28 stories high,[12][17] as well as five basement stories.[3][12] Because of superstition surrounding the number 13, the hotel did not have a thirteenth floor, nor did it have any rooms, mailboxes, elevators, or other fixtures with the number 13.[18][19] The Commodore's facade was largely made of buff-colored brick with architectural terracotta trim; the first three stories were clad in Indiana Limestone. The hotel's lowest three stories occupied the entire site, while the floors above were shaped like a "H", with light courts to the north and south.[17] At the top of the facade was a cornice with copper faces.[20] The design of the nearby 245 Park Avenue was intended to complement not only the Commodore's original facade but also that of the nearby New York Biltmore Hotel,[21] which was internally demolished in the early 1980s.[22]

The hotel contained large amounts of materials, including 16,000 short tons (14,000 long tons; 15,000 t) of steel,[18][23] 4.256 million bricks, 1.653 million terracotta blocks, and 1.035×10^6 sq ft (96,200 m2) of fireproof floor arches.[17] The hotel's heating system included 4,400 radiators, supplied by a pair of 1,400 hp (1,000 kW) boilers in the basement. The ventilation system contained 17 fans that were capable of supplying 845,000 cu ft (23,900 m3) of air per minute. The Commodore contained ten passenger elevators, eight service elevators,[a] one freight elevator, and two dumbwaiters.[24] The hotel received water from the city's water supply system, with two intakes from 42nd Street and one from Lexington Avenue. The water-drainage system included two sewers to 42nd Street and one to Lexington Avenue, as well as sump pumps that drained water from the basements into the city's sewage system. The Commodore also contained a telautograph system with 75 stations, in addition to a fire alarm system, which at the time of the hotel's opening was an uncommon feature.[25]

Ground level edit

The hotel's main entrance was at 42nd Street, just east of Grand Central Terminal.[26] At ground level was a vestibule, consisting of a central hallway flanked by wide stairways that ascended to the lobby.[17][18][27] The central hallway continued to the grill room and to the Commodore Passageway at the rear of the ground level.[18][27] The grill room was at the rear of the vestibule and was used for supper and dancing;[17] it was also known as the supper room.[28] The grill room's entrance was on a terrace with stone walls and columns and a tiled floor.[17] A short flight of steps descended to the main part of the grill room, which had chestnut walls with alcoves and leaded windows. On the ceiling were large beams painted by John B. Smeraldi, consisting of heraldic designs taken from illuminated manuscripts.[17][28] The center of the grill room contained a dance floor measuring 45 by 25 ft (13.7 by 7.6 m).[28]

At the north end of the ground story was the Commodore Passage, which still exists but was renamed the Lexington Passage after the Commodore closed.[29] The passage leads directly to Grand Central Terminal and also connects to Lexington Avenue.[29][30] This passageway also connects the hotel to the New York City Subway's Grand Central–42nd Street station via the terminal's corridors.[31] Additional passageways connect with other buildings such as the Biltmore and Roosevelt hotels, the Yale Club Building, the Graybar Building, and the Chrysler Building.[30] In the late 1990s, the passageway was redesigned as a shopping arcade with marble storefronts.[32]

Lobby level edit

The lobby itself was designed in a manner resembling an Italian courtyard, surrounded by an arcade with a mezzanine above it.[18][33] At the hotel's opening in 1919, architectural media described the Commodore's lobby as the largest hotel lobby in the world.[3][17][27] The lobby had a metal-and-white-glass ceiling[33][34] supported by light-colored stucco arches.[17] There was a large palm tree in the middle of the lobby, which reached nearly to the ceiling.[27] The walls were made of rough plaster above a wainscoting of soft Italian stone, and the paneling on the walls consisted of blue Italian tiles.[27][35] The space was illuminated by vases with concealed lighting.[17] At the center of the main lobby was a small retreat surrounded by palm trees.[27]

The lobby's mezzanine contained a lounge, which was accessed by a wide staircase on the west wall and smaller stairs along the lobby's perimeter.[17][27] The mezzanine railing contained boxes with plants.[17][35] The mezzanine gallery was designed in the Italian Renaissance style, with flowers and palms. The walls contained satin hangings in blue, red, and yellow with green stripes, which were intended to complement the design of the floor. The gallery also had period furniture, including chairs and vases; the chairs were covered with blue and gold satin and velvet. Leading off this gallery were various writing rooms, the barber shop, the manicure shop, and the Commodore Hotel's executive offices, as well as numerous small alcoves and retreats.[27]

Men's and women's rooms were positioned on opposite sides of the lobby.[17][27][35] West of the lobby were offices, a stock-brokers' room, check rooms, a men's writing room, an English-style men's restaurant, telephones, telegraph services, and other business functions.[17] On the lobby's west wall was a cafe with natural-oak wainscoting; a blue-and-gold carpet; Flemish oak chairs; and a ceiling with white-and-green plaster frescoes.[28] East of the lobby, and a few steps above it, was the palm room, where after-dinner coffee and afternoon tea were served.[17][27] The palm room was separated from the lobby by large majolica vases with palm trees.[27] Behind the palm room was the main dining room, which contained a walnut wainscoting and a purple, green, and rose-colored vaulted ceiling in low relief.[17][27] Next to the main dining room were the lobby supper room and the breakfast room, both designed in a similar manner to the main dining room.[36] Stairs led from the dining room to the mezzanine, the hair-dressing parlor, and ladies' public rooms.[17][27]

The hotel's kitchen was on the same level as the men's restaurant and the main dining room; stairs led down to the street-level grill room.[35] The kitchen was capable of serving 10,000 meals per day,[13][37] including 4,000 meals for employees.[37] The kitchen was divided into several departments.[25][37] These included a main kitchen, measuring 200 by 64 ft (61 by 20 m) wide; a separate kitchen for banquets, measuring 145 by 35 ft (44 by 11 m) wide; and a "preparatory kitchen" above the main kitchen, which was used for food preparation. Paper slips with guests' orders were delivered to the kitchen via a series of pneumatic tubes, and dumbwaiters connected the kitchen with each guestroom floor.[37]

Ballrooms and other spaces edit

When the hotel was built, the New-York Tribune called the main ballroom "the largest private ballroom of any hotel in the world".[16] The space was described as being in the French Empire style.[17][34] It covered 180 by 78 ft (55 by 24 m) and was originally decorated in white, purple, and gold, with green accents.[28][35] The main ballroom could accommodate up to 3,000 guests for entertainments such as plays, and it could seat 2,000 guests during banquets.[16][38] The room had 56 boxes,[11][35] connected by a promenade[28] and split across two tiers.[16] This arrangement, inspired by the layout of seats in a Mexican bullring, was intended to maximize the number of boxes for sale during charity events, as well as provide sufficient space for a dance floor below. Above the ballroom was a roof garden for tea and luncheons.[17] The ballroom was redecorated in coral and black during a 1937 renovation, with a carpet in yellow, blue, and tan.[39]

Two smaller ballrooms opened off the main ballroom and could be used separately or in tandem.[17][28] These ballrooms contained silk and satin tapestries in the Louis XV style, as well as black-and-green satin chairs.[28] To the north of the main ballroom was a vestibule that spanned the entire width of the room.[28][35] Three chandeliers were hung from the vestibule's high ceiling, which was painted blue and white, and a carpet with "Old World designs" covered the marble floors.[39] The western end of the vestibule was accessed to a direct entrance from the Park Avenue Viaduct.[17][28] The hotel also had a vehicular elevator from 42nd Street, which ascended to the viaduct level[28] and could carry up to 10,000 lb (4,500 kg).[25]

Another popular spot was the Century Room, which had its own orchestra.[40] The Billboard magazine described the Century Room in 1947 as "one of the top name [orchestra] spots in the city".[41] Major bands played at the Century Room from the 1930s to 1948, when the Century also started booking smaller bands.[42][43] The shows in the Century Room were discontinued permanently in 1949 after the federal government imposed a 20 percent excise tax on such shows, and the Century Room became a luncheon room.[44] Other amenities included a parking garage, which the Commodore shared with the Biltmore and the Hotel Manhattan,[45][46] as well as a children's playroom.[47]

Rooms edit

The hotel had 2,000 rooms when it opened. Each room faced either the street or a light court, and all guestrooms had bathrooms.[3][47] Rooms on the light courts received more sunlight than rooms on the street, as the light courts were wider than any of the surrounding streets.[17] Initially, approximately 1,000 rooms had rates of $2.50 a night, advertised as "a room and a bath for two and a half"; the remaining rooms cost $3 to $4 a night.[47] Each guestroom floor was staffed by its own "floor clerk" who was stationed outside the elevators.[17][47] Acting as a concierge for their respective story, the floor clerk coordinated room service, provided supplies, and obtained tickets and schedules for guests, among other tasks.[47]

When the Commodore opened, the corridors and rooms all had gray-and-black carpets above two layers of linings. The rooms had translucent curtains and shades that could be unhung, allowing each room to be ventilated during the summer and winter. Each bedroom typically contained a bed, a dressing table, two small chairs, a large armchair, a small table with a telephone, and small writing tables with lamps. The bedrooms also had ornate light fixtures suspended from the ceiling.[28] Each bathroom had a cold-water tap,[47][48] as well as a shower and an illuminated wall mirror, which were novel features at the time of the hotel's construction.[48]

Grand Hyatt New York edit

The rebuilt hotel was 32 stories high with 1,400 rooms. The Grand Hyatt also had five restaurants with a combined 2,000 seats, as well as 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2) of retail space.[49][50] The retail space was designed to be easily converted to a casino,[51] but this conversion never happened, as gambling in the state remained illegal.[52]

Lobby edit

 
The lobby as seen in 2022

Trump had wanted to redesign the lobby as a "big atrium", but this was impossible because of the presence of the Commodore's original interior columns.[53] Furthermore, the lobby had a relatively low ceiling because the original ballroom had to be preserved.[54] The lobby covered 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2),[55] measured 275 ft (84 m) long,[15][56] and was three stories high.[55][57] A set of escalators led to the lobby from a street-level foyer one story below.[58][56] The lobby was originally clad with Italian Paradiso marble and contained mirrored walls and large bronzed columns.[54][59] The center of the lobby had a cascading fountain and a brass sculpture by Peter Lobello, which measured 100 ft (30 m) high.[56][57][b] After the renovation in 2013, the lobby was clad in stone and dark wood, laid in a carpet with gray stripes and furnished with black leather chairs. The ceiling was retrofitted with uplights that changed color depending on the time of the day. The registration and concierge desks were made of white quartz.[55] The lobby's fountain was also reduced in size.[52]

During the early-2010s renovation, Jaume Plensa designed a pair of 10 ft-high (3.0 m) sculptures of female heads for the lobby;[55] known as Awilda and Chloe, the sculptures were intended to resemble moai heads.[60][61] One of the sculptures was placed on an onyx wall, while the other was placed atop the fountain.[62][60] On the lobby's rear wall was a blackened-steel archway that led to Market, a grab-and-go restaurant[55] that operated 24 hours a day.[63] Market contained concrete counters, glass displays, wooden floors, and tiled walls.[52][55]

Amenity spaces edit

The renovated hotel includes a second-story restaurant cantilevered over the 42nd Street sidewalk;[53] the restaurant measures 170 ft (52 m) wide.[49][50] Because the restaurant overhangs a public sidewalk, the New York City Board of Estimate had to approve plans for the restaurant,[53][14] and the Grand Hyatt's operators had to pay an annual fee to the city government.[64] The space was originally a cocktail lounge called the Sun Garden.[54][15] In the early 2010s, the former lounge was converted into a restaurant called New York Central,[63] which covers 6,000 sq ft (560 m2).[55][60] As part of the renovation, the firm of Bentel & Bentel covered the lounge with white louvers.[52] The renovated restaurant includes multiple tiers of seating that slope downward in the direction of the lobby,[55] as well as a ceiling sculpture designed by Bentel & Bentel.[63][65] The restaurant includes a lounge and a private dining area.[63]

Next to the restaurant was a wine gallery with white-quartz counters and gray-marble wall.[55] The wine gallery included a 30 ft-long (9.1 m) glass artwork by Per Fronth,[55][66] which depicted oceanic scenes.[67] One of the service elevators, known as the "flying kitchen", was equipped with a telephone and used for room service.[68]

The grand ballroom was one of the few parts of the Commodore Hotel preserved when it was renovated in the 1970s.[54] The space, on the ballroom level (three stories above ground),[69] was renamed the Empire State Ballroom and expanded to 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) during the renovation. The ballroom retains its carved ceiling measuring 27 ft (8.2 m) high.[58] There are also metal grilles that resembled the large windows in Grand Central's Main Concourse, as well as chandeliers that consisted of 7,000 pieces of art glass. The Empire State Ballroom could be divided into five sections and could fit 100 to 1,500 guests.[63] There are numerous smaller ballrooms on the mezzanine and conference levels.[69]

A 4,400 sq ft (410 m2) event venue called the Gallery On Lex was added during the hotel's 2010s renovation.[63] The event venue is on the ground floor near the Lexington Passage.[69] It contains a foyer with artwork, stone floors, and leather furniture. This leads to an open-plan meeting space with stone counters, wooden floors, two wooden "pavilions", and a glass wall in the front.[63] Also on the ground floor is the Manhattan Ballroom and a foyer for that ballroom.[69]

Rooms edit

 
A bedroom in the hotel in 2023

There were originally 1,407 rooms, including 125 guestroom suites.[58] These rooms were arranged in 38 different layouts because of site constraints.[52] According to the New York Daily News, the rooms originally included 576 twin-sized beds and 549 king-sized beds, as well as "17 sitting suites, 88 junior suites, 30 VIP suites, 4 deluxe suites, 2 executive suites and just one presidential suite".[70] GKR Design Consultants and Dale Keller & Associates designed the original furniture in the renovated Grand Hyatt. The decorations included brass-framed mirrors, curved wooden furniture, and upholstered seats.[54] Guestrooms started on the sixth story above ground level, which at Trump's request was labeled as floor 14. Although the renovation architects opposed this floor numbering system, Hyatt endorsed Trump's decision.[71]

Looney & Associates redesigned most of the suites and rooms in the early 2010s;[60][66] after this renovation, there were 1,306 rooms, including 51 suites.[61] The renovated rooms are furnished with Australian walnut furniture and various types of textiles.[52][66] The rooms also include indirect lighting, and each of the beds has a headboard designed by Fronth.[66] In addition, Looney & Associates designed twenty VIP suites, themed as either lofts or modern residences. The loft suites include walnut furniture and other "masculine" design features, while the residence suites carry a more neutral color palette. George Wong Design also designed four premier suites, which were inspired by pieds-à-terre and are themed to either uptown Manhattan townhouses or downtown Manhattan lofts.[60][61]

History edit

In the 19th century, New York Central Railroad lines north of Grand Central Depot in Midtown Manhattan were served exclusively by steam locomotives, and the rising traffic soon caused accumulations of smoke and soot in the Park Avenue Tunnel, the only approach to the depot.[72] After a fatal crash in the tunnel in 1902,[73] the New York state legislature passed a law to ban all steam trains in Manhattan by 1908.[74] New York Central's vice president William J. Wilgus proposed electrifying the line and building a new electric-train terminal underground,[75] a plan that was implemented almost in its entirety.[76] The old Grand Central Depot was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal.[75] Construction on Grand Central Terminal started in 1903, and the new terminal was opened on February 2, 1913.[77][78] Passenger traffic on the commuter lines into Grand Central more than doubled in the years following the terminal's completion.[79]

The terminal spurred development in the surrounding area, particularly in Terminal City, a commercial and office district created above where the tracks were covered.[80][81] Terminal City soon became Manhattan's most desirable commercial and office district.[82] A 1920 New York Times article said, "With its hotels, office buildings, apartments and underground Streets it not only is a wonderful railroad terminal, but also a great civic centre."[83] The Commodore was one of several hotels developed in Terminal City, along with other hostelries such as the Roosevelt, the Biltmore, and the Barclay.[84]

Development edit

Planning edit

 
View of the hotel in 1919

The New York Central acquired several lots on the west side of Lexington Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets in November 1910; the lots had formerly housed the site of the Hospital for Crippled Children.[10][85] The railroad had already acquired multiple adjacent lots on the north side of 42nd Street several years prior.[85] The following year, news media reported that the New York Central was considering erecting a hotel on the site.[86][87] The New York Times also said that the railroad initially considered leasing the hotel to H. C. Griswold.[86] When Grand Central Terminal opened in February 1913, the New York Central was already clearing the site of the old hospital.[88] The hotel was to be named the Commodore after "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, the New York Central's founder.[4][17]

As part of the Dual Contracts, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) planned a subway station for the IRT Lexington Avenue Line at 42nd Street, which was to run diagonally from Park Avenue in the southwest to Lexington Avenue in the northeast. Because the station was partially located under the Children's Hospital site, the Public Service Commission had to acquire an easement from the New York Central, which would enable the commission to build part of the station under the proposed hotel. The commission was unwilling to pay the New York Central's asking price for the easement, so the IRT modified its plans in April 1913 to avoid the hospital site entirely.[89] The Public Service Commission voted on the modification in June 1913,[90] and the new route was adopted that November.[91] However, the commission voted in favor of the original diagonal route in February 1914.[92] The commission subsequently acquired the easement in February 1915 for $902,500.[93][94]

Construction edit

The New York State Realty and Terminal Company, a division of the New York Central, leased the hotel to John McEntee Bowman in January 1916.[95] Bowman paid $175,000 a year for 21 years, with two renewal options.[95][96] In addition, Bowman was obligated to pay 91 percent of the taxes and six percent of the total construction cost every year.[97] The Commodore became part of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain in 1918 after Bowman and rival hotel operator Benjamin L. M. Bates agreed to merge their respective companies.[98][99] The New York Central filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings in May 1916. The hotel, to be designed by Warren and Wetmore, was planned to be 26 stories tall and cost $6 million.[100]

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company gave the New York Central a $4.5 million loan for the site in September 1916.[4][5] The Real Estate Record wrote at the time: "the release of such an enormous amount of money into a single building project is being regarded as highly significant inasmuch as there has been a marked tendency on the part of many builders to hold their projects in abeyance" during World War I.[101] The excavations for the subway station had been completed by this point, and the George A. Fuller Company, the hotel's general contractor, took over the site.[5][38] Construction commenced in October 1916;[38] the project was expected to cost $6 million.[13] Francis T. Gilling and several assistants spent six months creating a plaster model of the hotel,[102][103] which was exhibited in several cities during 1917.[102][104] Warren and Wetmore also drew up plans for a small airplane hangar north of the hotel.[105]

The project involved numerous extremely large material orders, including a contract for 159,000 pieces of silverware[11] and 1.06×10^6 sq ft (98,000 m2) of mesh reinforcement.[106] The hotel's completion was delayed by supply-chain issues and steel shortages during World War I,[23][13] although the hotel's managers had awarded almost all construction contracts before the beginning of the war.[107] Most of the steel beams were delivered by truck, train, or barge,[11] but in at least one case, a large girder was delivered by a pack of 18 horses.[23] Even after the American Bridge Company had finished manufacturing steel beams for the hotel, these were sometimes delayed due to domestic steel embargoes during World War I. Deliveries of limestone, linen, and carpets were also delayed.[11] Some of the rivets used in the hotel's frame had to be mailed to the construction site.[11][107] In addition, rising labor and material prices increased the hotel's cost.[11] By early 1918, the hotel was expected to cost $7.5 million, of which the furnishings were to cost $2 million.[108] The Commodore's steel frame topped out on July 25, 1918.[109]

Commodore Hotel operation edit

 
The Commodore Hotel, 1921

Opening and Biltmore-Bowman operation edit

The Commodore opened on January 28, 1919.[18][110] The Commodore's managers mailed out 10,000 invitations for the hotel's opening, and hundreds of businesspeople from across the United States had reserved rooms for the hotel's opening day.[111] A women's club opened within the hotel in March 1919.[112] The Commodore's opening coincided with an increase in the number of passengers that used Grand Central Terminal, in part because the subway station under the hotel had opened one year prior.[113]

During the hotel's first decade, it hosted such events as car shows,[114] charity balls,[115] a circus,[116] fashion shows,[117] and wrestling matches.[118] The Commodore also hosted a party in 1924 to celebrate the removal of the Grand Central elevated station on 42nd Street,[119] which had been directly above the hotel's main entrance.[35] U.S. president Calvin Coolidge attended a large party at the Commodore in 1925 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of 42nd Street's opening.[120] Bowman also hosted a circus in 1927, with an elephant in the grand ballroom, to impress other hoteliers.[121] By 1930, the Commodore was the second-most valuable hotel in New York City (after the Savoy-Plaza Hotel), with an assessed value of $16.3 million.[122] Bowman continued to operate the Commodore until he died in 1931,[123] and David Mulligan took over as Bowman-Biltmore's president the next year.[124]

Frank J. Crohan began operating the Commodore after he became president of Bowman-Biltmore in 1934.[125] The Commodore began serving alcoholic drinks in December 1933 after Prohibition in the United States was repealed, although patrons could initially order drinks from rolling carts.[126] After New York state repealed a Prohibition-era ban on standing bars in May 1934,[127][128] Bowman-Biltmore Hotels installed a 125 ft-long (38 m) bar in the Commodore.[128][129] That October, the Commodore's managers opened an English-style grill room, decorated with recessed lighting and wooden panels.[130][131] Biltmore-Bowman added a 165 ft-long (50 m) bar at the Commodore in 1936, hiring 25 bartenders.[132] The hotel was renovated in 1937 for $750,000; according to Crohan, this was the first major renovation of the Commodore in its history. The project involved renovating three ballrooms and all 2,000 guest rooms; installing ten new elevators; and adding a new kitchen and grill room.[39] The renovations were completed by 1939.[125]

Crohan died in 1940,[125] and Martin Sweeny was appointed as the Commodore's general manager.[133][134] The hotel's guests during this time included Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie, who established the personal headquarters of his 1940 election campaign at the hotel.[135] The Officers Service Committee also occupied space in the hotel during World War II; at the end of the war, the committee's space became a bureau for United Nations delegations.[136] An air-conditioning system was installed in the Century Room in 1946, allowing the room to operate during the summer,[40] and the entire hotel was air-conditioned by the next year.[137] Sweeny died in 1950, shortly after becoming chairman of the Commodore Hotel's board.[138] The storefront at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street was leased by a drugstore in 1954[139] and was extensively remodeled at a cost of $200,000.[140]

Zeckendorf and Realty Hotels operation edit

Webb and Knapp, led by developer William Zeckendorf, offered to buy all of the Commodore Hotel's outstanding common stock in October 1957 for $18 per share.[141][142] At the time, Webb and Knapp wished to control 8,000 hotel rooms in New York City.[143] Zeckendorf Hotels, took over the Commodore in September 1958, acquiring 96 percent of the stock.[144][145] As part of a leaseback agreement, Zeckendorf immediately sold the lease on the land to Joseph I. Lubin for $6 million, subleasing the site from Lubin for three years.[145] Zeckendorf also began looking to sell his lease of the hotel building itself in early 1960, although he would continue to operate the hotel.[146] Claude Philippe was hired as the hotel's general manager in June 1960,[147] but Philippe resigned seven months later to work for the nearby Summit Hotel.[148]

The Glickman Corporation (renamed the Franchard Corporation in 1963[149][150]) bought the land lease from Lubin in November 1960.[151] Glickman's lease ran until the end of December 1967, after which control of the hotel would revert to the New York Central.[151] Around the same time, Zeckendorf contemplated selling his leases of the Astor, Commodore, and Manhattan hotels to raise money for the Freedomland U.S.A. amusement park in the Bronx, in which Zeckendorf also owned a majority stake.[152][153] This plan was approved in June 1961, and Freedomland U.S.A. assumed the leases on the three hotels.[154][155] The hotel was renovated the same year. As part of the project, a cocktail lounge and two large obelisks were installed in the lobby, and two ballrooms were also refurbished.[156] In 1962, amid competition from other hotels, the Biltmore, Commodore, and Roosevelt hotels formed an alliance to attract conventions with 1,500 to 5,000 guests. The alliance allowed the three hotels to host a single convention across 4,000 guestrooms, 90 meeting rooms, 15 restaurants, and 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) of exhibit space.[157]

The 78013 Corporation, the subsidiary of Webb and Knapp that operated the hotel, owed over $850,000 in back rent by February 1964.[158][159] Amid continued rent disputes, Franchard evicted Webb and Knapp as the hotel's operator in May 1964 and began managing the Commodore directly.[150][160][161] This prompted a dispute between Franchard and several companies that had supplied materials for the hotel, which were collectively owed $590,000.[162] As a result, in September 1964, a creditors' committee was established to resolve the dispute.[163]

Realty Hotels, a subsidiary of the New York Central, agreed in November 1966 to take over the Commodore from Franchard, effective January 1, 1968.[164] The chain formally acquired the hotel's leasehold in June 1967, several months ahead of schedule.[165][166] Realty Hotels immediately announced plans to spend $6 million renovating the Commodore.[165][167] During the 1960s, Realty Hotels replaced about half of the manually operated elevators at the Barclay, Biltmore, Commodore, and Roosevelt,[168] and it renovated these hotels as part of a $22 million modernization program.[169] Realty Hotels' president said the renovations had helped attract new and returning customers to the hotels.[170]

Conversion into Grand Hyatt edit

The New York Central had experienced financial decline during the 1960s, merging with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 to form the Penn Central Railroad.[171] Penn Central continued to face financial issues and failed to make mortgage payments. By late 1970, the Commodore Hotel was facing foreclosure, as were several other buildings that Penn Central owned around Grand Central Terminal.[172] After Penn Central went bankrupt that year, the company sought to sell its properties, including the land below the Commodore Hotel.[173][174] The buildings were placed for auction in October 1971,[175] but the proceedings were delayed for several years.[176] Penn Central, which had placed all of Realty Hotels' properties for sale, subsequently withdrew its offer to sell the hotels.[177] Both Penn Central and the Commodore continued to struggle financially,[178] and the hotel recorded a 49 percent occupancy rate in 1974.[179][180] Penn Central, which had not paid taxes on the site since June 1970, owed over $10 million in back taxes by the beginning of 1976.[181] The Commodore could not be converted to an apartment building because of its large size and inefficient room layouts. Even razing the hotel would cost $7 million.[182]

Trump offer and closure edit

Donald Trump's Trump Organization and the Pritzker family's Hyatt hotel chain entered a formal agreement in May 1975, making a joint offer to purchase the Commodore.[183][184][185] Trump planned to buy the hotel for $10 million and convert it into a hotel called the Hyatt Regency, spending $70 million on renovations.[185] Trump had one year to purchase the hotel and another 18 months to conduct renovations, after which Hyatt would take over the hotel.[183][184] Trump planned to re-clad the hotel with a glass facade and expand its public rooms,[181] providing additional space for conventions.[186] The project was planned to create 1,500 jobs, boosting the city's struggling tourism industry, and was one of Trump's first major projects.[187] One unidentified real-estate expert said that, if Trump succeeded in redeveloping the Commodore, "you could call him 'the William Zeckendorf of Bad Times'".[15][188] Trump wanted to buy an option from Penn Central, allowing him to purchase the Commodore at a later date,[189][190] but he did not have $250,000 on hand to pay for the option.[189][191] City officials asked Trump to supply a copy of his agreement with Penn Central, but Trump sent the option agreement paperwork without signatures.[189]

Penn Central spent $1 million on renovations in 1975,[181] remodeling the Commodore's bar and renaming it the "New York, New York".[192] In early May 1976, Penn Central asset manager Victor Palmieri announced that the Commodore would be closed the next week, having lost $1.3 million in 1975. By then, the hotel's occupancy rate had decreased to 33 percent, and hotel officials said the Commodore was projected to lose $4.6 million that year. Trump was still negotiating to buy the option.[179][180] The hotel closed on May 18, 1976, and Penn Central laid off all of the hotel's 500 employees.[192][193] The Commodore hosted 19 guests and four small events on its last day of operation;[193] the very last guest had not been notified of the hotel's closure until the day before.[192]

Tax abatement and financing edit

Then-mayor Abraham Beame had proposed a tax abatement in January 1976 to encourage commercial and industrial development in New York City.[194] Beame and Trump's father Fred Trump had a longtime political connection, and Beame's deputy mayor Stanley Friedman championed the tax-abatement program, even as the city experienced the worst fiscal crisis in its history.[195][191] Trump formally requested a tax abatement from city officials in March 1976;[194][196] he was the first developer to request a tax abatement under Beame's program.[196] Hyman B. Cantor of the Carter Hotels Corporation made another offer for the Commodore in April 1976, while city officials continued to discuss the tax abatement.[197] Although Beame originally planned to give the hotel a 50-year tax abatement, he later proposed reducing the tax abatement to 35 years, to which Trump objected.[198] By then, several members of the New York City Council had expressed concerns about the proposed abatement,[199] as did rival developers and hotel operators.[195] Opponents said the city government would forfeit $4 million a year in tax revenue if the abatement was approved.[200]

The New York City Board of Estimate approved the Commodore's tax abatement two days after the hotel closed.[201][202] To receive the abatement, Trump would pay Penn Central $10 million and resell the hotel for $1 to the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), a New York state government agency, which would lease back the hotel to Trump Organization subsidiary Wembley Realty Inc. for 99 years.[203] Trump would make payments in lieu of taxes during the hotel's renovation. The hotel's rent would be discounted for 40 years, and the rent payments would increase gradually to $2.27 million after 40 years.[50][195][203] The tax abatement would allow Trump and Hyatt to save $56 million over forty years.[204] If the hotel earned more than $5.5 million per year, the city government would receive half of the hotel's profits.[49][50][195] Law professor Leon Wein filed a lawsuit, alleging that the tax abatement violated the Constitution of New York, but the New York Court of Appeals (the highest court in New York state) ruled in December 1977 that the tax abatement was constitutional.[205][206]

 
The hotel's taxi stand on the Park Avenue Viaduct

The Commodore remained largely empty after its closure, except for some stores that continued to operate at ground level.[50] One apparel-store owner at the Commodore's base refused to vacate the site and ultimately signed a long-term lease with Trump.[207] Penn Central agreed in September 1976 to pay the city government $5 million after it sold the hotel to Trump,[208] and the UDC agreed to buy the hotel from Trump the same month.[209] Trump exercised his option for the hotel in January 1977, placing a down payment of $250,000.[210][211] Penn Central's trustees next asked a federal district court for permission to sell the Commodore,[212][213] as the railroad was bankrupt and could not sell the hotel by itself.[211] In December 1977, the Bowery Savings Bank agreed to lend Trump and Hyatt $45 million for the Commodore's redevelopment, and the Equitable Life Assurance Society agreed to lend $35 million. Trump and Hyatt were to provide the remaining $20 million.[49][50][209] Ultimately, Trump received $140 million in long-term financing and short-term loans for the Hyatt Regency's renovation.[214][215]

Renovation edit

In preparation for the hotel's renovation, National Content Liquidators started auctioning off about one million furnishings and decorations in January 1978.[216] Thousands of people visited the hotel on the first day of the auction.[217][218] Trump announced in May 1978 that he would start renovating the hotel.[214] He wanted the hotel to reopen in time for the completion of Javits Center, a convention center on Manhattan's west side.[214] HRH Construction, a division of the Starrett Housing Corporation, received the general contract for the Commodore's renovation.[215][219] The firm of Gruzen & Partners was hired to redesign the hotel, and architect Der Scutt (who later designed Trump Tower[220]) was hired as a design consultant.[14][15] Trump hired Barbara Greene of GKR Design Consultants,[15][221] as well as Dale Keller & Associates, to design the interiors.[15][54] A groundbreaking ceremony for the Hyatt Regency took place on June 28, 1978,[222][223] with Beame, mayor Ed Koch, and governor Hugh Carey in attendance.[223]

The Hyatt Regency was one of several hotels in midtown Manhattan to be developed during the late 1970s.[224][225] The hotel's renovation was temporarily delayed by a labor strike in August 1978.[226] The city government originally planned a sales tax on construction materials to fund other improvements in the area,[227] including $2 million for a cleaning of Grand Central Terminal's facade.[228] The city waived the sales tax after Trump agreed to fund the facade-restoration project directly.[229][230] As part of the project, a mezzanine was constructed between the Hyatt hotel and the terminal.[231] The project had become known as the Grand Hyatt New York by early 1979.[232][233] The Commodore was gutted almost entirely to its steel frame,[70] although the Trump Organization salvaged 200 copper faces on the original facade's cornice.[20] The Hyatt's new facade was being installed by the end of 1979.[234] Hotel officials began conducting job interviews in mid-1980,[235] and they hired Fred Alexander as the hotel's first general manager.[236] The renovation ultimately cost $100 million.[237][238] This amounted to approximately $80,000 per room, although Trump estimated that a new hotel on the same site would have cost twice as much.[239]

Hyatt operation edit

Reopening and early years edit

The hotel officially reopened in September 1980 as the Grand Hyatt New York.[56][240] The Grand Hyatt was one of 13 large hotels, with a combined 9,000 rooms, that had opened in New York City during the early 1980s.[241] The Grand Hyatt's opening coincided with the revival of the surrounding area,[200][242] although there was disagreement over whether the hotel's renovation impacted the neighborhood's revival.[240] At the time of its reopening, all of the rooms had been booked,[54][59] but, the next year, an unidentified hospitality-industry expert estimated that as many as 40 percent of the hotel's rooms were empty.[238] Nonetheless, the Sun Garden bar quickly became popular with nearby office workers.[243] The Grand Hyatt began hosting Major League Baseball teams during World Series games,[244] accommodating all visiting MLB teams.[245][246]

A restaurant called Trumpets opened within the hotel's base in early 1981.[247] The same year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that they planned to use eminent domain to acquire 3,600 sq ft (330 m2) of the Grand Hyatt's basement and reconstruct a subway entrance there.[248] Regional newspaper Newsday estimated that, in the first five years of the hotel's operation, the tax abatement saved Trump and Hyatt $5.5 million annually.[200] Local civic group Grand Central Partnership installed floodlights on the hotel's facade in 1989, both for illuminating Grand Central Terminal and discouraging crime on nearby streets.[249] The terminal's operators also proposed constructing a loading dock and garbage-collection facility next to the Grand Hyatt, but Trump opposed these plans.[250] This loading dock, which separated the Grand Hyatt from the Graybar Building, was replaced in the 1990s with a pedestrian passageway.[251]

Financial troubles and decline of partnership edit

In late 1989, state officials ordered the hotel to pay the city government $2.9 million in back rent, which the hotel had withheld in 1986 after changing its accounting procedures.[252][253] An investigation by city auditors found that the hotel was missing basic financial records and was using procedures that violated Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.[252] Mayor Koch asked the UDC to collect the rent from Trump, but the UDC declined to do so.[253] New York City's auditor general had been investigating the case, but Koch's successor David Dinkins subsequently disbanded the auditor general's office.[254] Several of Trump's companies were struggling financially by 1990, and he considered selling his stake in the Grand Hyatt to pay off outstanding debt.[255][256] That June, Trump offered his stake in the Grand Hyatt as collateral for a $65 million syndicated loan from several banks.[257] At the time, the hotel had a relatively high net operating income of $15.7 million; real-estate experts estimated that Trump's stake was worth between $157 million and $186 million.[258] By the following year, Trump was negotiating to sell most of his stake in the Grand Hyatt to one of his lenders, Bankers Trust.[259][260]

Trump and Hyatt's partnership deteriorated during the early 1990s.[261] Trump sued several members of the Pritzker family in 1993, accusing them of racketeering; he sought full control of the hotel and $500 million in damages.[262][263] Trump claimed that Hyatt wanted to force him out of the partnership because their agreement prevented the chain from operating other Hyatt-branded convention hotels in New York City.[262][264] Due to a non-compete clause, Hyatt could not advertise the nearby UN Plaza Hotel as being part of the chain.[265] Hyatt also wished to renovate the hotel for $35.7 million, funded equally by Trump and the Pritzkers, so the Grand Hyatt could "remain competitive" with other hotels.[266][267] Trump initially agreed to pay for his half of the renovation,[268] but he later reneged, claiming the repairs were too extravagant. When the Pritzkers opened arbitration proceedings to force Trump to pay for the renovations, the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division granted a stay of proceedings in late 1993, blocking the arbitration proceedings.[266][267]

The Pritzkers countersued in March 1994, alleging that Trump had violated their partnership by failing to remain solvent, using his share as collateral for loans, and refusing to fund his portion of the renovation.[268][269] The Pritzkers also sued Bankers Trust and Chemical Bank, claiming that Trump had diluted the partnership by conveying his financial interest to his lenders while retaining veto power.[268][270] Trump and the Pritzkers agreed to a settlement in mid-1995,[261] and Trump and Hyatt announced in March 1996 that they would renovate the hotel for $25 million.[271][272] Hughes Design Associates designed the renovation, which included updated furnishings and a new fitness center.[273] The hotel continued to undergo renovations through mid-1997.[274][275]

Pritzker family control edit

 
The H-shaped Hyatt Grand Central New York as seen from One Vanderbilt's observation deck

The Pritzkers bought Trump's share in the hotel for $140 million in October 1996,[276][277] which lifted the non-compete clause against the UN Plaza.[265] Following the acquisition, Hyatt owned a 99 percent stake in the hotel, while the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund owned the remaining share.[276] By the early 2000s, the hotel's lobby was a popular place for informal meetings.[278] Hyatt agreed to replace the hotel's cooling system in 2003 after over a thousand workers went on strike.[279] The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operated Grand Central, repaired a steam room under the Grand Hyatt in 2005; the steam room supplied the terminal and had partially collapsed during the preceding decade.[280] By 2007, the Grand Hyatt was the fourth-most valuable hotel in New York City, having been appraised at $300.9 million.[281]

Hyatt announced in mid-2009 that it would spend $12 million renovating the Empire Ballroom.[282] The next year, Hyatt commenced a wider-ranging renovation of the hotel for $130 million. The hotel remained open during the renovation, and only a few floors were closed at any given time.[52] Carol and Paul Bentel of the firm Bentel & Bentel were hired to renovate the public spaces, while Looney & Associates redesigned most of the suites and rooms.[52][60] During the renovation, a restaurant called New York Central opened next to the hotel's lobby in late 2010.[283][284] In addition, Hyatt added the Market, a food market where customers could select what they wanted instead of waiting for room service. At the time, only about 50 daily guests ordered room service, while other guests chose to leave the hotel to eat.[285] After the Market opened, Hyatt cut back its room-service hours.[286]

The Grand Hyatt installed several green building features in early 2016, including a new exhaust-control system, LED lighting, and an updated HVAC system.[287] In addition, as part of the development of the nearby One Vanderbilt skyscraper, the subway station under the hotel was renovated in the late 2010s. The project involved relocating several of the hotel's support columns, demolishing 40 percent of the Hyatt's basement to expand the subway mezzanine, and enlarging a subway entrance in another part of the hotel's base.[8][9]

Project Commodore edit

The New York City government enacted the Midtown East rezoning in the 2010s; this allowed developers to transfer unused air rights from Grand Central Terminal to neighboring sites, enabling the construction of high-rise buildings on these sites. Developers expressed interest in redeveloping several sites around the terminal, including the Grand Hyatt.[288] In February 2019, the media reported that TF Cornerstone, MSD Partners, and RXR Realty planned to redevelop the Grand Hyatt site. A new 2,600,000 sq ft (240,000 m2) mixed-use structure with office and retail space, as well as a smaller hotel, would be built on the site. The proposal required approval from the state and city governments of New York, though no final agreement had been signed.[289][290] Before the developers could construct the skyscraper, they had to buy out Hyatt's lease, which ran through 2077.[291][292] At the time, the developers planned to close the hotel permanently after the end of 2020.[292]

In November 2020, preliminary plans for an 83-story mixed-use tower on the site, known as Project Commodore, were revealed.[293] The tower, designed by T. J. Gottesdiener of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, would be 1,646 ft (502 m) tall, making it the second-tallest in New York City if completed.[294][293] The structure would contain office space on the 7th through 63rd floors and a 500-room Grand Hyatt hotel on the 65th through 83rd floors.[293] The basement, first, and second floors would contain retail, and the first floor would also connect to the adjacent railroad terminal and subway station. A public plaza and a stair to the Park Avenue Viaduct would also be built. If the project were approved, the demolition process would take 18 months, and the construction process would take 47 months with a preliminary completion date in 2030.[295] Preliminary renderings were released in February 2021,[296][297] and the New York City Council approved the plans that December.[298][299] The developers planned to demolish the hotel in 2023.[297]

Temporary closure and reopening edit

The Grand Hyatt New York was closed indefinitely in early 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[300] The hotel was supposed to have been closed permanently, but Hyatt officials decided to reopen the Grand Hyatt after the New York City Council passed legislation in September 2021.[301][302] The legislation required hotels that closed due to the pandemic to pay severance to their employees if they did not reopen with at least 25 percent of their pre-pandemic staff.[303][304] The hotel reopened on November 1, 2021, and was rebranded as the Hyatt Grand Central New York.[305][306] Upon its reopening, the Hyatt Grand Central largely served visitors from Europe, particularly those from the United Kingdom.[307] The Hyatt Grand Central offered limited services, as its meeting facilities/function rooms, restaurants and bars remained closed; the hotel's permanent closure date was postponed to at least 2023.[305] as of December 2023, the hotel's closure has been postponed because no major tenants had been found for the office building;[308] work on Project Commodore is scheduled to start in 2026.[309]

Critical reception edit

Original hotel edit

When the original Commodore Hotel opened, multiple media sources described the Commodore as one of the world's largest hotels.[3][310] The American Architect magazine wrote that the Commodore "adds a very important architectural feature to a location that is bound to become one of New York's busiest civic centers".[3] The New-York Tribune said the hotel "undoubtedly adds strength and decorum to the group of high-class hotels in the vicinity of Grand Central Terminal",[34] while The New York Times wrote that the Commodore's completion made the surrounding area "the greatest hotel centre in the world".[310] The Washington Post considered it to be "equal from the standpoint of architectural design" to the nearby Hotel Pennsylvania, which had opened the same week.[19]

Grand Hyatt edit

Before the renovation of the Grand Hyatt New York began, Paul Goldberger of The New York Times said, "it is too bad that there was no willingness to consider a design in some material other than glass."[14] Nonetheless, Goldberger praised some elements of the design, including the cantilevered restaurant, the large lobby, and an expanded ballroom.[14] By the time the renovation was complete, Goldberger wrote: "It is the sort of flashy hotel one would expect in Atlanta or Houston, but certainly not in New York."[204] The Architectural Guidebook to New York City referred to the facade as a "mirror box" and an "utter and inexcusable outrage".[311] The Guidebook continued:

The old Commodore was a brick and masonry structure of appropriately modest and deferential design. The Grand Hyatt imposes its garish vacuity with a painful lack of concern about the way it relates to one of the most architecturally significant streets in America.[311]

Conversely, Ada Louise Huxtable wrote that the Grand Hyatt's atrium had been adapted to the existing steel frame "with ingenuity and elegance, and the result is not only a vast improvement over the spiritless interior court that has become an overreaching cliche, but also—give or take a few details—one of the handsomest public spaces in New York."[312] The Atlanta Constitution wrote that the atrium "seems vast" despite being only three stories high,[58] while The New York Times said the lobby was a place for "sitting and watching the custom that flows back and forth before the eyes".[313] Joseph Giovannini of the Times wrote that the lobby "exemplifies many of the architectural ideas of the 1970's and 80's, along with some of its cliches".[314]

Shortly after the hotel reopened, reporters for Newsweek said that the "glistening mass of reflecting glass" seemed to be "a world apart from that grubby cluster of porn shops and X-rated movie theaters" along the section of 42nd Street within Times Square.[59] A writer for The Washington Post said the Grand Hyatt "reaches for the present and future", in contrast to the Helmsley Palace Hotel, which had opened the same year but had "tried to embrace the past" by incorporating the historical Villard Houses.[243]

See also edit

References edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The passenger and service elevators all had a capacity of 3,000 lb (1,400 kg). The passenger elevators were capable of moving at 600 ft/min (180 m/min), while the service elevators moved at 450 ft/min (140 m/min). Nine of the passenger elevators and six of the service elevators ran from the lobby to the roof; one passenger elevator traveled from the ground level to the roof, and two of the freight elevators traveled from the basement to the roof.[24]
  2. ^ The brass sculpture is sometimes described as measuring 71 ft (22 m)[59] or 77 ft (23 m) high.[15]

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 316. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
  2. ^ a b c "109 East 42 Street, 10017". New York City Department of City Planning. from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h The American Architect 1919, p. 337.
  4. ^ a b c "The Real Estate Field: Loan of $4,500,000 for Twenty-eight-story Hotel Commodore on Central Railroad Block ;- West End Avenue Sale ;- Bronx and Suburban Buyers ;- Larchmont Inns Sold". The New York Times. September 13, 1916. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 97852219. from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Fifth Avenue No Bar to Determined Horse". New-York Tribune. September 13, 1916. p. 9. ProQuest 575620473.
  6. ^ "Grand Central Terminal". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. from the original on December 6, 2003. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  7. ^ Grand Central Subdistrict (PDF). New York City Department of City Planning. November 1991. p. 44. (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Barone, Vincent; Pereira, Ivan (October 17, 2016). "A glimpse at One Vanderbilt's transit improvements". am New York. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Hawkins, Andrew J. "$210M upgrade for Grand Central's subway unveiled". Crain's New York Business. from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "In the Real Estate Field: the New York Central Railroad Buys Lexington Avenue Block Front -- Sale in the Pennsylvania Station Loft Zone -- an Active Suburban Market". The New York Times. November 26, 1910. p. 12. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 97081561. from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Resumption of Work on Largest Hotels Sign of New Attitude of Government Toward Building". New York Herald. August 18, 1918. p. 14. from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d Architecture and Building 1919, p. 30.
  13. ^ a b c d "Deliveries of Steel Hasten Work on Commodore Hotel". The Real Estate Record: Real estate record and builders' guide. Vol. 100, no. 2585. September 29, 1917. p. 410 – via columbia.edu.
  14. ^ a b c d e Goldberger, Paul (January 11, 1978). "The Commodore Being Born Again". The New York Times. p. C20. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 123863156. from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Stern, Fishman & Tilove 2006, p. 472.
  16. ^ a b c d "Vast Transit Links Will Be Beneath Commodore Hotel: Guests Will Experience No Difficulty in Travelling to Places in Greater City". New-York Tribune. May 20, 1917. p. B7. ProQuest 575703442.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "The Hotel Commodore, New York". Architecture. Vol. 39, no. 4. April 1, 1919. p. 98. ProQuest 910550211.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Thousands Admire Hotel Commodore At Notable Opening: Belated Electrician Still Tinkers in Balcony as Throng Views the Attractions of Huge Hostlery". New-York Tribune. January 28, 1919. p. 9. ProQuest 575969122.
  19. ^ a b "Glimpses of Washingtonians Visiting in the Metropolis". The Washington Post. January 27, 1919. p. 4. ISSN 0190-8286. ProQuest 145687068.
  20. ^ a b Blair, William G. (July 20, 1980). "Half of Architectural Art Objects Lost in Demolitions". The New York Times. p. A1. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 423949496. from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  21. ^ Horsley, Carter B. (August 19, 1981). "Real Estate; An Atrium For Public In Midtown". The New York Times. p. D16. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 424161286. from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  22. ^ Stern, Fishman & Tilove 2006, pp. 474–475.
  23. ^ a b c "Steel Scarce for Hotels.; Commodore and Pennsylvania Delayed by Lack of Materials". The New York Times. October 28, 1917. p. R11. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 99891268. from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Architecture and Building 1919, pp. 33–34.
  25. ^ a b c Architecture and Building 1919, p. 34.
  26. ^ Architecture and Building 1919, pp. 30–31.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Architecture and Building 1919, p. 31.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Architecture and Building 1919, p. 32.
  29. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (August 2, 1998). "Grand Central, Reborn as a Mall; Terminal Becomes Gateway to Shops and Restaurants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  30. ^ a b "Underground New York". LIFE. Time Inc. November 7, 1949. p. 80. ISSN 0024-3019.
  31. ^ "City Engineers Aid Traffic by Subway Plans: Entrances and Exits Placed Inside Buildings Lessen Congestion on Streets City Granted Easements Special Squad Makes Plans for Old and New Routes". New York Herald Tribune. August 24, 1930. p. E1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113202574.
  32. ^ Dunlap, David W. (January 29, 1995). "Grand Central Makeover Is Readied". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  33. ^ a b The American Architect 1919, pp. 337–338.
  34. ^ a b c "War's Obstacles Overcome in Building of Greatest Hotels: Commodore and Pennsylvania, Finished Under Difficult Conditions, Represent the Newest Ideas Providing Luxurious Accommodations, They Show Remarkable Advance Over City's Early Hostleries". New-York Tribune. January 26, 1919. p. A5. ProQuest 575995737.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h The American Architect 1919, p. 338.
  36. ^ Architecture and Building 1919, pp. 31–32.
  37. ^ a b c d "10,000 Meals a Day Will Be Served in Hotel Commodore: Architects' Plans Show Kitchen Will Be Largest in the World". New-York Tribune. July 15, 1917. p. 4. ProQuest 575752068. from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  38. ^ a b c "Commodore Hotel Started". The Sun. October 22, 1916. p. 14. from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  39. ^ a b c "Commodore Hotel Being Renovated; Approximately $750,000 Being Spent in Modernizing Well Known Hostelry Redecorating All Rooms Work Being Done by Hotel Staff Under Direct Supervision of William J. Donovan Ballroom Colors". The New York Times. August 1, 1937. p. 157. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Orchestras-Music: Hotel Commodore Room Revamps for Reopening". Variety. Vol. 163, no. 8. July 31, 1946. p. 37. ProQuest 1285875386.
  41. ^ "Music: Century Room Will Use Acts To Hypo Orks". The Billboard. Vol. 59, no. 18. May 10, 1947. p. 18. ProQuest 1040050506.
  42. ^ "Music: NY Commodore Century Room To Drop Names". The Billboard. Vol. 60, no. 32. August 7, 1948. p. 35. ProQuest 1039906351.
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hyatt, grand, central, york, hotel, located, east, 42nd, street, adjoining, grand, central, terminal, midtown, manhattan, neighborhood, york, city, operated, room, commodore, hotel, between, 1919, 1976, before, hotel, chain, hyatt, real, estate, developer, don. The Hyatt Grand Central New York is a hotel located at 109 East 42nd Street adjoining Grand Central Terminal in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City It operated as the 2 000 room Commodore Hotel between 1919 and 1976 before hotel chain Hyatt and real estate developer Donald Trump converted the hotel to the 1 400 room Grand Hyatt New York between 1978 and 1980 As of 2019 update the hotel is planned to be replaced with a skyscraper named Project Commodore Hyatt Grand Central New YorkHyatt Grand Central New York as seen from the southeast at Lexington Avenue and 42nd StreetInteractive map highlighting the hotel s locationHotel chainHyatt HotelsGeneral informationLocationManhattan New York USAddress109 East 42nd StreetCoordinates40 45 08 N 73 58 35 W 40 75222 N 73 97639 W 40 75222 73 97639OpeningJanuary 28 1919RenovatedSeptember 25 1980OwnerHyattManagementHyattHeight295 ft 90 m Technical detailsFloor count26Design and constructionArchitect s Warren amp WetmoreRenovating teamArchitect s Gruzen SamtonOther informationNumber of rooms1306Websitehttps newyork grand hyatt com The New York Central Railroad had acquired the site in 1910 and started constructing the hotel in October 1916 The Commodore was designed by Warren amp Wetmore with the Fuller Company as the hotel s general contractor The hotel was 295 feet 90 m with up to 28 stories and had an H shaped floor plan and a brick and terracotta facade It contained a large lobby designed in a manner resembling an Italian courtyard as well as various dining rooms and ballrooms The Commodore opened on January 28 1919 and was originally operated by Bowman Biltmore Hotels Zeckendorf Hotels took over the Commodore s operation in 1958 before handing it to New York Central subsidiary Realty Hotels in 1966 Due to declining profits the Commodore closed on May 18 1976 Trump and Hyatt offered in 1975 to take over the Commodore and renovate it into the Grand Hyatt After the city government granted a tax abatement for the renovation Trump and Hyatt completely remodeled the hotel from June 1978 to September 1980 spending 100 million and removing almost all of the Commodore s original decorations The renovated hotel includes a glass facade a three story atrium a restaurant cantilevered over a sidewalk and the Commodore s original ballroom With the deteriorating partnership between Trump and Hyatt the Pritzker family which operated the Grand Hyatt acquired Trump s stake in the hotel in 1996 The Project Commodore skyscraper was announced for the site in 2019 and the Grand Hyatt temporarily closed in 2020 during the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City The hotel reopened in 2021 as the Hyatt Grand Central As of December 2023 update work on Project Commodore is expected to begin by 2026 Contents 1 Site 2 Architecture 2 1 Commodore Hotel 2 1 1 Ground level 2 1 2 Lobby level 2 1 3 Ballrooms and other spaces 2 1 4 Rooms 2 2 Grand Hyatt New York 2 2 1 Lobby 2 2 2 Amenity spaces 2 2 3 Rooms 3 History 3 1 Development 3 1 1 Planning 3 1 2 Construction 3 2 Commodore Hotel operation 3 2 1 Opening and Biltmore Bowman operation 3 2 2 Zeckendorf and Realty Hotels operation 3 3 Conversion into Grand Hyatt 3 3 1 Trump offer and closure 3 3 2 Tax abatement and financing 3 3 3 Renovation 3 4 Hyatt operation 3 4 1 Reopening and early years 3 4 2 Financial troubles and decline of partnership 3 4 3 Pritzker family control 3 5 Project Commodore 3 5 1 Temporary closure and reopening 4 Critical reception 4 1 Original hotel 4 2 Grand Hyatt 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 Citations 6 3 Sources 7 External linksSite editThe Hyatt Grand Central New York is at 109 East 42nd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City 1 It occupies a rectangular site on the northwestern corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street near Pershing Square Plaza and abuts the Park Avenue Viaduct to the west 2 3 The land lot covers about 57 282 sq ft 5 321 7 m2 2 with a frontage of 200 83 ft 61 21 m on Lexington Avenue and 275 ft 84 m on 42nd Street 4 5 The hotel shares the city block with Grand Central Terminal to the west the MetLife Building to the northwest and the Graybar Building and 450 Lexington Avenue to the north Other nearby buildings include the Pershing Square Building and Bowery Savings Bank Building to the southwest the Chanin Building to the south the Socony Mobil Building to the southeast and the Chrysler Building to the east 2 The New York City Subway s Grand Central 42nd Street station serving the 4 5 6 lt 6 gt 7 lt 7 gt and S trains is located directly underneath the Hyatt Grand Central 6 7 and the Lexington Avenue Line platforms cut diagonally underneath the hotel 3 A subway entrance with a stair and an elevator is at the base of the hotel on Lexington Avenue 8 9 The site was formerly occupied by the Hospital for Crippled Children 10 Before the hotel opened the site occupied an entire city block which was bounded by Depew Place to the west and 43rd Street to the north 11 The New York Central Railroad acquired the site in November 1910 as part of the construction of Grand Central Terminal 10 Architecture editThe Hyatt Grand Central New York was originally known as the Commodore and was designed by Warren amp Wetmore 1 12 The Fuller Company was the hotel s general contractor 12 although the project also involved numerous other contractors and engineers 13 Donald Trump and Hyatt renovated the hotel in the 1970s to designs by Gruzen amp Partners and Der Scutt 14 15 Commodore Hotel edit When the Commodore opened it contained 2 000 rooms and was either 26 3 16 or 28 stories high 12 17 as well as five basement stories 3 12 Because of superstition surrounding the number 13 the hotel did not have a thirteenth floor nor did it have any rooms mailboxes elevators or other fixtures with the number 13 18 19 The Commodore s facade was largely made of buff colored brick with architectural terracotta trim the first three stories were clad in Indiana Limestone The hotel s lowest three stories occupied the entire site while the floors above were shaped like a H with light courts to the north and south 17 At the top of the facade was a cornice with copper faces 20 The design of the nearby 245 Park Avenue was intended to complement not only the Commodore s original facade but also that of the nearby New York Biltmore Hotel 21 which was internally demolished in the early 1980s 22 The hotel contained large amounts of materials including 16 000 short tons 14 000 long tons 15 000 t of steel 18 23 4 256 million bricks 1 653 million terracotta blocks and 1 035 10 6 sq ft 96 200 m2 of fireproof floor arches 17 The hotel s heating system included 4 400 radiators supplied by a pair of 1 400 hp 1 000 kW boilers in the basement The ventilation system contained 17 fans that were capable of supplying 845 000 cu ft 23 900 m3 of air per minute The Commodore contained ten passenger elevators eight service elevators a one freight elevator and two dumbwaiters 24 The hotel received water from the city s water supply system with two intakes from 42nd Street and one from Lexington Avenue The water drainage system included two sewers to 42nd Street and one to Lexington Avenue as well as sump pumps that drained water from the basements into the city s sewage system The Commodore also contained a telautograph system with 75 stations in addition to a fire alarm system which at the time of the hotel s opening was an uncommon feature 25 Ground level edit The hotel s main entrance was at 42nd Street just east of Grand Central Terminal 26 At ground level was a vestibule consisting of a central hallway flanked by wide stairways that ascended to the lobby 17 18 27 The central hallway continued to the grill room and to the Commodore Passageway at the rear of the ground level 18 27 The grill room was at the rear of the vestibule and was used for supper and dancing 17 it was also known as the supper room 28 The grill room s entrance was on a terrace with stone walls and columns and a tiled floor 17 A short flight of steps descended to the main part of the grill room which had chestnut walls with alcoves and leaded windows On the ceiling were large beams painted by John B Smeraldi consisting of heraldic designs taken from illuminated manuscripts 17 28 The center of the grill room contained a dance floor measuring 45 by 25 ft 13 7 by 7 6 m 28 At the north end of the ground story was the Commodore Passage which still exists but was renamed the Lexington Passage after the Commodore closed 29 The passage leads directly to Grand Central Terminal and also connects to Lexington Avenue 29 30 This passageway also connects the hotel to the New York City Subway s Grand Central 42nd Street station via the terminal s corridors 31 Additional passageways connect with other buildings such as the Biltmore and Roosevelt hotels the Yale Club Building the Graybar Building and the Chrysler Building 30 In the late 1990s the passageway was redesigned as a shopping arcade with marble storefronts 32 Lobby level edit The lobby itself was designed in a manner resembling an Italian courtyard surrounded by an arcade with a mezzanine above it 18 33 At the hotel s opening in 1919 architectural media described the Commodore s lobby as the largest hotel lobby in the world 3 17 27 The lobby had a metal and white glass ceiling 33 34 supported by light colored stucco arches 17 There was a large palm tree in the middle of the lobby which reached nearly to the ceiling 27 The walls were made of rough plaster above a wainscoting of soft Italian stone and the paneling on the walls consisted of blue Italian tiles 27 35 The space was illuminated by vases with concealed lighting 17 At the center of the main lobby was a small retreat surrounded by palm trees 27 The lobby s mezzanine contained a lounge which was accessed by a wide staircase on the west wall and smaller stairs along the lobby s perimeter 17 27 The mezzanine railing contained boxes with plants 17 35 The mezzanine gallery was designed in the Italian Renaissance style with flowers and palms The walls contained satin hangings in blue red and yellow with green stripes which were intended to complement the design of the floor The gallery also had period furniture including chairs and vases the chairs were covered with blue and gold satin and velvet Leading off this gallery were various writing rooms the barber shop the manicure shop and the Commodore Hotel s executive offices as well as numerous small alcoves and retreats 27 Men s and women s rooms were positioned on opposite sides of the lobby 17 27 35 West of the lobby were offices a stock brokers room check rooms a men s writing room an English style men s restaurant telephones telegraph services and other business functions 17 On the lobby s west wall was a cafe with natural oak wainscoting a blue and gold carpet Flemish oak chairs and a ceiling with white and green plaster frescoes 28 East of the lobby and a few steps above it was the palm room where after dinner coffee and afternoon tea were served 17 27 The palm room was separated from the lobby by large majolica vases with palm trees 27 Behind the palm room was the main dining room which contained a walnut wainscoting and a purple green and rose colored vaulted ceiling in low relief 17 27 Next to the main dining room were the lobby supper room and the breakfast room both designed in a similar manner to the main dining room 36 Stairs led from the dining room to the mezzanine the hair dressing parlor and ladies public rooms 17 27 The hotel s kitchen was on the same level as the men s restaurant and the main dining room stairs led down to the street level grill room 35 The kitchen was capable of serving 10 000 meals per day 13 37 including 4 000 meals for employees 37 The kitchen was divided into several departments 25 37 These included a main kitchen measuring 200 by 64 ft 61 by 20 m wide a separate kitchen for banquets measuring 145 by 35 ft 44 by 11 m wide and a preparatory kitchen above the main kitchen which was used for food preparation Paper slips with guests orders were delivered to the kitchen via a series of pneumatic tubes and dumbwaiters connected the kitchen with each guestroom floor 37 Ballrooms and other spaces edit When the hotel was built the New York Tribune called the main ballroom the largest private ballroom of any hotel in the world 16 The space was described as being in the French Empire style 17 34 It covered 180 by 78 ft 55 by 24 m and was originally decorated in white purple and gold with green accents 28 35 The main ballroom could accommodate up to 3 000 guests for entertainments such as plays and it could seat 2 000 guests during banquets 16 38 The room had 56 boxes 11 35 connected by a promenade 28 and split across two tiers 16 This arrangement inspired by the layout of seats in a Mexican bullring was intended to maximize the number of boxes for sale during charity events as well as provide sufficient space for a dance floor below Above the ballroom was a roof garden for tea and luncheons 17 The ballroom was redecorated in coral and black during a 1937 renovation with a carpet in yellow blue and tan 39 Two smaller ballrooms opened off the main ballroom and could be used separately or in tandem 17 28 These ballrooms contained silk and satin tapestries in the Louis XV style as well as black and green satin chairs 28 To the north of the main ballroom was a vestibule that spanned the entire width of the room 28 35 Three chandeliers were hung from the vestibule s high ceiling which was painted blue and white and a carpet with Old World designs covered the marble floors 39 The western end of the vestibule was accessed to a direct entrance from the Park Avenue Viaduct 17 28 The hotel also had a vehicular elevator from 42nd Street which ascended to the viaduct level 28 and could carry up to 10 000 lb 4 500 kg 25 Another popular spot was the Century Room which had its own orchestra 40 The Billboard magazine described the Century Room in 1947 as one of the top name orchestra spots in the city 41 Major bands played at the Century Room from the 1930s to 1948 when the Century also started booking smaller bands 42 43 The shows in the Century Room were discontinued permanently in 1949 after the federal government imposed a 20 percent excise tax on such shows and the Century Room became a luncheon room 44 Other amenities included a parking garage which the Commodore shared with the Biltmore and the Hotel Manhattan 45 46 as well as a children s playroom 47 Rooms edit The hotel had 2 000 rooms when it opened Each room faced either the street or a light court and all guestrooms had bathrooms 3 47 Rooms on the light courts received more sunlight than rooms on the street as the light courts were wider than any of the surrounding streets 17 Initially approximately 1 000 rooms had rates of 2 50 a night advertised as a room and a bath for two and a half the remaining rooms cost 3 to 4 a night 47 Each guestroom floor was staffed by its own floor clerk who was stationed outside the elevators 17 47 Acting as a concierge for their respective story the floor clerk coordinated room service provided supplies and obtained tickets and schedules for guests among other tasks 47 When the Commodore opened the corridors and rooms all had gray and black carpets above two layers of linings The rooms had translucent curtains and shades that could be unhung allowing each room to be ventilated during the summer and winter Each bedroom typically contained a bed a dressing table two small chairs a large armchair a small table with a telephone and small writing tables with lamps The bedrooms also had ornate light fixtures suspended from the ceiling 28 Each bathroom had a cold water tap 47 48 as well as a shower and an illuminated wall mirror which were novel features at the time of the hotel s construction 48 Grand Hyatt New York edit The rebuilt hotel was 32 stories high with 1 400 rooms The Grand Hyatt also had five restaurants with a combined 2 000 seats as well as 65 000 sq ft 6 000 m2 of retail space 49 50 The retail space was designed to be easily converted to a casino 51 but this conversion never happened as gambling in the state remained illegal 52 Lobby edit nbsp The lobby as seen in 2022 Trump had wanted to redesign the lobby as a big atrium but this was impossible because of the presence of the Commodore s original interior columns 53 Furthermore the lobby had a relatively low ceiling because the original ballroom had to be preserved 54 The lobby covered 20 000 sq ft 1 900 m2 55 measured 275 ft 84 m long 15 56 and was three stories high 55 57 A set of escalators led to the lobby from a street level foyer one story below 58 56 The lobby was originally clad with Italian Paradiso marble and contained mirrored walls and large bronzed columns 54 59 The center of the lobby had a cascading fountain and a brass sculpture by Peter Lobello which measured 100 ft 30 m high 56 57 b After the renovation in 2013 the lobby was clad in stone and dark wood laid in a carpet with gray stripes and furnished with black leather chairs The ceiling was retrofitted with uplights that changed color depending on the time of the day The registration and concierge desks were made of white quartz 55 The lobby s fountain was also reduced in size 52 During the early 2010s renovation Jaume Plensa designed a pair of 10 ft high 3 0 m sculptures of female heads for the lobby 55 known as Awilda and Chloe the sculptures were intended to resemble moai heads 60 61 One of the sculptures was placed on an onyx wall while the other was placed atop the fountain 62 60 On the lobby s rear wall was a blackened steel archway that led to Market a grab and go restaurant 55 that operated 24 hours a day 63 Market contained concrete counters glass displays wooden floors and tiled walls 52 55 Amenity spaces edit The renovated hotel includes a second story restaurant cantilevered over the 42nd Street sidewalk 53 the restaurant measures 170 ft 52 m wide 49 50 Because the restaurant overhangs a public sidewalk the New York City Board of Estimate had to approve plans for the restaurant 53 14 and the Grand Hyatt s operators had to pay an annual fee to the city government 64 The space was originally a cocktail lounge called the Sun Garden 54 15 In the early 2010s the former lounge was converted into a restaurant called New York Central 63 which covers 6 000 sq ft 560 m2 55 60 As part of the renovation the firm of Bentel amp Bentel covered the lounge with white louvers 52 The renovated restaurant includes multiple tiers of seating that slope downward in the direction of the lobby 55 as well as a ceiling sculpture designed by Bentel amp Bentel 63 65 The restaurant includes a lounge and a private dining area 63 Next to the restaurant was a wine gallery with white quartz counters and gray marble wall 55 The wine gallery included a 30 ft long 9 1 m glass artwork by Per Fronth 55 66 which depicted oceanic scenes 67 One of the service elevators known as the flying kitchen was equipped with a telephone and used for room service 68 The grand ballroom was one of the few parts of the Commodore Hotel preserved when it was renovated in the 1970s 54 The space on the ballroom level three stories above ground 69 was renamed the Empire State Ballroom and expanded to 20 000 sq ft 1 900 m2 during the renovation The ballroom retains its carved ceiling measuring 27 ft 8 2 m high 58 There are also metal grilles that resembled the large windows in Grand Central s Main Concourse as well as chandeliers that consisted of 7 000 pieces of art glass The Empire State Ballroom could be divided into five sections and could fit 100 to 1 500 guests 63 There are numerous smaller ballrooms on the mezzanine and conference levels 69 A 4 400 sq ft 410 m2 event venue called the Gallery On Lex was added during the hotel s 2010s renovation 63 The event venue is on the ground floor near the Lexington Passage 69 It contains a foyer with artwork stone floors and leather furniture This leads to an open plan meeting space with stone counters wooden floors two wooden pavilions and a glass wall in the front 63 Also on the ground floor is the Manhattan Ballroom and a foyer for that ballroom 69 Rooms edit nbsp A bedroom in the hotel in 2023 There were originally 1 407 rooms including 125 guestroom suites 58 These rooms were arranged in 38 different layouts because of site constraints 52 According to the New York Daily News the rooms originally included 576 twin sized beds and 549 king sized beds as well as 17 sitting suites 88 junior suites 30 VIP suites 4 deluxe suites 2 executive suites and just one presidential suite 70 GKR Design Consultants and Dale Keller amp Associates designed the original furniture in the renovated Grand Hyatt The decorations included brass framed mirrors curved wooden furniture and upholstered seats 54 Guestrooms started on the sixth story above ground level which at Trump s request was labeled as floor 14 Although the renovation architects opposed this floor numbering system Hyatt endorsed Trump s decision 71 Looney amp Associates redesigned most of the suites and rooms in the early 2010s 60 66 after this renovation there were 1 306 rooms including 51 suites 61 The renovated rooms are furnished with Australian walnut furniture and various types of textiles 52 66 The rooms also include indirect lighting and each of the beds has a headboard designed by Fronth 66 In addition Looney amp Associates designed twenty VIP suites themed as either lofts or modern residences The loft suites include walnut furniture and other masculine design features while the residence suites carry a more neutral color palette George Wong Design also designed four premier suites which were inspired by pieds a terre and are themed to either uptown Manhattan townhouses or downtown Manhattan lofts 60 61 History editIn the 19th century New York Central Railroad lines north of Grand Central Depot in Midtown Manhattan were served exclusively by steam locomotives and the rising traffic soon caused accumulations of smoke and soot in the Park Avenue Tunnel the only approach to the depot 72 After a fatal crash in the tunnel in 1902 73 the New York state legislature passed a law to ban all steam trains in Manhattan by 1908 74 New York Central s vice president William J Wilgus proposed electrifying the line and building a new electric train terminal underground 75 a plan that was implemented almost in its entirety 76 The old Grand Central Depot was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal 75 Construction on Grand Central Terminal started in 1903 and the new terminal was opened on February 2 1913 77 78 Passenger traffic on the commuter lines into Grand Central more than doubled in the years following the terminal s completion 79 The terminal spurred development in the surrounding area particularly in Terminal City a commercial and office district created above where the tracks were covered 80 81 Terminal City soon became Manhattan s most desirable commercial and office district 82 A 1920 New York Times article said With its hotels office buildings apartments and underground Streets it not only is a wonderful railroad terminal but also a great civic centre 83 The Commodore was one of several hotels developed in Terminal City along with other hostelries such as the Roosevelt the Biltmore and the Barclay 84 Development edit Planning edit nbsp View of the hotel in 1919 The New York Central acquired several lots on the west side of Lexington Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets in November 1910 the lots had formerly housed the site of the Hospital for Crippled Children 10 85 The railroad had already acquired multiple adjacent lots on the north side of 42nd Street several years prior 85 The following year news media reported that the New York Central was considering erecting a hotel on the site 86 87 The New York Times also said that the railroad initially considered leasing the hotel to H C Griswold 86 When Grand Central Terminal opened in February 1913 the New York Central was already clearing the site of the old hospital 88 The hotel was to be named the Commodore after Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt the New York Central s founder 4 17 As part of the Dual Contracts the Interborough Rapid Transit Company IRT planned a subway station for the IRT Lexington Avenue Line at 42nd Street which was to run diagonally from Park Avenue in the southwest to Lexington Avenue in the northeast Because the station was partially located under the Children s Hospital site the Public Service Commission had to acquire an easement from the New York Central which would enable the commission to build part of the station under the proposed hotel The commission was unwilling to pay the New York Central s asking price for the easement so the IRT modified its plans in April 1913 to avoid the hospital site entirely 89 The Public Service Commission voted on the modification in June 1913 90 and the new route was adopted that November 91 However the commission voted in favor of the original diagonal route in February 1914 92 The commission subsequently acquired the easement in February 1915 for 902 500 93 94 Construction edit The New York State Realty and Terminal Company a division of the New York Central leased the hotel to John McEntee Bowman in January 1916 95 Bowman paid 175 000 a year for 21 years with two renewal options 95 96 In addition Bowman was obligated to pay 91 percent of the taxes and six percent of the total construction cost every year 97 The Commodore became part of the Bowman Biltmore Hotels chain in 1918 after Bowman and rival hotel operator Benjamin L M Bates agreed to merge their respective companies 98 99 The New York Central filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings in May 1916 The hotel to be designed by Warren and Wetmore was planned to be 26 stories tall and cost 6 million 100 The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company gave the New York Central a 4 5 million loan for the site in September 1916 4 5 The Real Estate Record wrote at the time the release of such an enormous amount of money into a single building project is being regarded as highly significant inasmuch as there has been a marked tendency on the part of many builders to hold their projects in abeyance during World War I 101 The excavations for the subway station had been completed by this point and the George A Fuller Company the hotel s general contractor took over the site 5 38 Construction commenced in October 1916 38 the project was expected to cost 6 million 13 Francis T Gilling and several assistants spent six months creating a plaster model of the hotel 102 103 which was exhibited in several cities during 1917 102 104 Warren and Wetmore also drew up plans for a small airplane hangar north of the hotel 105 The project involved numerous extremely large material orders including a contract for 159 000 pieces of silverware 11 and 1 06 10 6 sq ft 98 000 m2 of mesh reinforcement 106 The hotel s completion was delayed by supply chain issues and steel shortages during World War I 23 13 although the hotel s managers had awarded almost all construction contracts before the beginning of the war 107 Most of the steel beams were delivered by truck train or barge 11 but in at least one case a large girder was delivered by a pack of 18 horses 23 Even after the American Bridge Company had finished manufacturing steel beams for the hotel these were sometimes delayed due to domestic steel embargoes during World War I Deliveries of limestone linen and carpets were also delayed 11 Some of the rivets used in the hotel s frame had to be mailed to the construction site 11 107 In addition rising labor and material prices increased the hotel s cost 11 By early 1918 the hotel was expected to cost 7 5 million of which the furnishings were to cost 2 million 108 The Commodore s steel frame topped out on July 25 1918 109 Commodore Hotel operation edit nbsp The Commodore Hotel 1921 Opening and Biltmore Bowman operation edit The Commodore opened on January 28 1919 18 110 The Commodore s managers mailed out 10 000 invitations for the hotel s opening and hundreds of businesspeople from across the United States had reserved rooms for the hotel s opening day 111 A women s club opened within the hotel in March 1919 112 The Commodore s opening coincided with an increase in the number of passengers that used Grand Central Terminal in part because the subway station under the hotel had opened one year prior 113 During the hotel s first decade it hosted such events as car shows 114 charity balls 115 a circus 116 fashion shows 117 and wrestling matches 118 The Commodore also hosted a party in 1924 to celebrate the removal of the Grand Central elevated station on 42nd Street 119 which had been directly above the hotel s main entrance 35 U S president Calvin Coolidge attended a large party at the Commodore in 1925 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of 42nd Street s opening 120 Bowman also hosted a circus in 1927 with an elephant in the grand ballroom to impress other hoteliers 121 By 1930 the Commodore was the second most valuable hotel in New York City after the Savoy Plaza Hotel with an assessed value of 16 3 million 122 Bowman continued to operate the Commodore until he died in 1931 123 and David Mulligan took over as Bowman Biltmore s president the next year 124 Frank J Crohan began operating the Commodore after he became president of Bowman Biltmore in 1934 125 The Commodore began serving alcoholic drinks in December 1933 after Prohibition in the United States was repealed although patrons could initially order drinks from rolling carts 126 After New York state repealed a Prohibition era ban on standing bars in May 1934 127 128 Bowman Biltmore Hotels installed a 125 ft long 38 m bar in the Commodore 128 129 That October the Commodore s managers opened an English style grill room decorated with recessed lighting and wooden panels 130 131 Biltmore Bowman added a 165 ft long 50 m bar at the Commodore in 1936 hiring 25 bartenders 132 The hotel was renovated in 1937 for 750 000 according to Crohan this was the first major renovation of the Commodore in its history The project involved renovating three ballrooms and all 2 000 guest rooms installing ten new elevators and adding a new kitchen and grill room 39 The renovations were completed by 1939 125 Crohan died in 1940 125 and Martin Sweeny was appointed as the Commodore s general manager 133 134 The hotel s guests during this time included Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie who established the personal headquarters of his 1940 election campaign at the hotel 135 The Officers Service Committee also occupied space in the hotel during World War II at the end of the war the committee s space became a bureau for United Nations delegations 136 An air conditioning system was installed in the Century Room in 1946 allowing the room to operate during the summer 40 and the entire hotel was air conditioned by the next year 137 Sweeny died in 1950 shortly after becoming chairman of the Commodore Hotel s board 138 The storefront at the corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street was leased by a drugstore in 1954 139 and was extensively remodeled at a cost of 200 000 140 Zeckendorf and Realty Hotels operation edit Webb and Knapp led by developer William Zeckendorf offered to buy all of the Commodore Hotel s outstanding common stock in October 1957 for 18 per share 141 142 At the time Webb and Knapp wished to control 8 000 hotel rooms in New York City 143 Zeckendorf Hotels took over the Commodore in September 1958 acquiring 96 percent of the stock 144 145 As part of a leaseback agreement Zeckendorf immediately sold the lease on the land to Joseph I Lubin for 6 million subleasing the site from Lubin for three years 145 Zeckendorf also began looking to sell his lease of the hotel building itself in early 1960 although he would continue to operate the hotel 146 Claude Philippe was hired as the hotel s general manager in June 1960 147 but Philippe resigned seven months later to work for the nearby Summit Hotel 148 The Glickman Corporation renamed the Franchard Corporation in 1963 149 150 bought the land lease from Lubin in November 1960 151 Glickman s lease ran until the end of December 1967 after which control of the hotel would revert to the New York Central 151 Around the same time Zeckendorf contemplated selling his leases of the Astor Commodore and Manhattan hotels to raise money for the Freedomland U S A amusement park in the Bronx in which Zeckendorf also owned a majority stake 152 153 This plan was approved in June 1961 and Freedomland U S A assumed the leases on the three hotels 154 155 The hotel was renovated the same year As part of the project a cocktail lounge and two large obelisks were installed in the lobby and two ballrooms were also refurbished 156 In 1962 amid competition from other hotels the Biltmore Commodore and Roosevelt hotels formed an alliance to attract conventions with 1 500 to 5 000 guests The alliance allowed the three hotels to host a single convention across 4 000 guestrooms 90 meeting rooms 15 restaurants and 50 000 sq ft 4 600 m2 of exhibit space 157 The 78013 Corporation the subsidiary of Webb and Knapp that operated the hotel owed over 850 000 in back rent by February 1964 158 159 Amid continued rent disputes Franchard evicted Webb and Knapp as the hotel s operator in May 1964 and began managing the Commodore directly 150 160 161 This prompted a dispute between Franchard and several companies that had supplied materials for the hotel which were collectively owed 590 000 162 As a result in September 1964 a creditors committee was established to resolve the dispute 163 Realty Hotels a subsidiary of the New York Central agreed in November 1966 to take over the Commodore from Franchard effective January 1 1968 164 The chain formally acquired the hotel s leasehold in June 1967 several months ahead of schedule 165 166 Realty Hotels immediately announced plans to spend 6 million renovating the Commodore 165 167 During the 1960s Realty Hotels replaced about half of the manually operated elevators at the Barclay Biltmore Commodore and Roosevelt 168 and it renovated these hotels as part of a 22 million modernization program 169 Realty Hotels president said the renovations had helped attract new and returning customers to the hotels 170 Conversion into Grand Hyatt edit The New York Central had experienced financial decline during the 1960s merging with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 to form the Penn Central Railroad 171 Penn Central continued to face financial issues and failed to make mortgage payments By late 1970 the Commodore Hotel was facing foreclosure as were several other buildings that Penn Central owned around Grand Central Terminal 172 After Penn Central went bankrupt that year the company sought to sell its properties including the land below the Commodore Hotel 173 174 The buildings were placed for auction in October 1971 175 but the proceedings were delayed for several years 176 Penn Central which had placed all of Realty Hotels properties for sale subsequently withdrew its offer to sell the hotels 177 Both Penn Central and the Commodore continued to struggle financially 178 and the hotel recorded a 49 percent occupancy rate in 1974 179 180 Penn Central which had not paid taxes on the site since June 1970 owed over 10 million in back taxes by the beginning of 1976 181 The Commodore could not be converted to an apartment building because of its large size and inefficient room layouts Even razing the hotel would cost 7 million 182 Trump offer and closure edit Donald Trump s Trump Organization and the Pritzker family s Hyatt hotel chain entered a formal agreement in May 1975 making a joint offer to purchase the Commodore 183 184 185 Trump planned to buy the hotel for 10 million and convert it into a hotel called the Hyatt Regency spending 70 million on renovations 185 Trump had one year to purchase the hotel and another 18 months to conduct renovations after which Hyatt would take over the hotel 183 184 Trump planned to re clad the hotel with a glass facade and expand its public rooms 181 providing additional space for conventions 186 The project was planned to create 1 500 jobs boosting the city s struggling tourism industry and was one of Trump s first major projects 187 One unidentified real estate expert said that if Trump succeeded in redeveloping the Commodore you could call him the William Zeckendorf of Bad Times 15 188 Trump wanted to buy an option from Penn Central allowing him to purchase the Commodore at a later date 189 190 but he did not have 250 000 on hand to pay for the option 189 191 City officials asked Trump to supply a copy of his agreement with Penn Central but Trump sent the option agreement paperwork without signatures 189 Penn Central spent 1 million on renovations in 1975 181 remodeling the Commodore s bar and renaming it the New York New York 192 In early May 1976 Penn Central asset manager Victor Palmieri announced that the Commodore would be closed the next week having lost 1 3 million in 1975 By then the hotel s occupancy rate had decreased to 33 percent and hotel officials said the Commodore was projected to lose 4 6 million that year Trump was still negotiating to buy the option 179 180 The hotel closed on May 18 1976 and Penn Central laid off all of the hotel s 500 employees 192 193 The Commodore hosted 19 guests and four small events on its last day of operation 193 the very last guest had not been notified of the hotel s closure until the day before 192 Tax abatement and financing edit Then mayor Abraham Beame had proposed a tax abatement in January 1976 to encourage commercial and industrial development in New York City 194 Beame and Trump s father Fred Trump had a longtime political connection and Beame s deputy mayor Stanley Friedman championed the tax abatement program even as the city experienced the worst fiscal crisis in its history 195 191 Trump formally requested a tax abatement from city officials in March 1976 194 196 he was the first developer to request a tax abatement under Beame s program 196 Hyman B Cantor of the Carter Hotels Corporation made another offer for the Commodore in April 1976 while city officials continued to discuss the tax abatement 197 Although Beame originally planned to give the hotel a 50 year tax abatement he later proposed reducing the tax abatement to 35 years to which Trump objected 198 By then several members of the New York City Council had expressed concerns about the proposed abatement 199 as did rival developers and hotel operators 195 Opponents said the city government would forfeit 4 million a year in tax revenue if the abatement was approved 200 The New York City Board of Estimate approved the Commodore s tax abatement two days after the hotel closed 201 202 To receive the abatement Trump would pay Penn Central 10 million and resell the hotel for 1 to the Urban Development Corporation UDC a New York state government agency which would lease back the hotel to Trump Organization subsidiary Wembley Realty Inc for 99 years 203 Trump would make payments in lieu of taxes during the hotel s renovation The hotel s rent would be discounted for 40 years and the rent payments would increase gradually to 2 27 million after 40 years 50 195 203 The tax abatement would allow Trump and Hyatt to save 56 million over forty years 204 If the hotel earned more than 5 5 million per year the city government would receive half of the hotel s profits 49 50 195 Law professor Leon Wein filed a lawsuit alleging that the tax abatement violated the Constitution of New York but the New York Court of Appeals the highest court in New York state ruled in December 1977 that the tax abatement was constitutional 205 206 nbsp The hotel s taxi stand on the Park Avenue Viaduct The Commodore remained largely empty after its closure except for some stores that continued to operate at ground level 50 One apparel store owner at the Commodore s base refused to vacate the site and ultimately signed a long term lease with Trump 207 Penn Central agreed in September 1976 to pay the city government 5 million after it sold the hotel to Trump 208 and the UDC agreed to buy the hotel from Trump the same month 209 Trump exercised his option for the hotel in January 1977 placing a down payment of 250 000 210 211 Penn Central s trustees next asked a federal district court for permission to sell the Commodore 212 213 as the railroad was bankrupt and could not sell the hotel by itself 211 In December 1977 the Bowery Savings Bank agreed to lend Trump and Hyatt 45 million for the Commodore s redevelopment and the Equitable Life Assurance Society agreed to lend 35 million Trump and Hyatt were to provide the remaining 20 million 49 50 209 Ultimately Trump received 140 million in long term financing and short term loans for the Hyatt Regency s renovation 214 215 Renovation edit In preparation for the hotel s renovation National Content Liquidators started auctioning off about one million furnishings and decorations in January 1978 216 Thousands of people visited the hotel on the first day of the auction 217 218 Trump announced in May 1978 that he would start renovating the hotel 214 He wanted the hotel to reopen in time for the completion of Javits Center a convention center on Manhattan s west side 214 HRH Construction a division of the Starrett Housing Corporation received the general contract for the Commodore s renovation 215 219 The firm of Gruzen amp Partners was hired to redesign the hotel and architect Der Scutt who later designed Trump Tower 220 was hired as a design consultant 14 15 Trump hired Barbara Greene of GKR Design Consultants 15 221 as well as Dale Keller amp Associates to design the interiors 15 54 A groundbreaking ceremony for the Hyatt Regency took place on June 28 1978 222 223 with Beame mayor Ed Koch and governor Hugh Carey in attendance 223 The Hyatt Regency was one of several hotels in midtown Manhattan to be developed during the late 1970s 224 225 The hotel s renovation was temporarily delayed by a labor strike in August 1978 226 The city government originally planned a sales tax on construction materials to fund other improvements in the area 227 including 2 million for a cleaning of Grand Central Terminal s facade 228 The city waived the sales tax after Trump agreed to fund the facade restoration project directly 229 230 As part of the project a mezzanine was constructed between the Hyatt hotel and the terminal 231 The project had become known as the Grand Hyatt New York by early 1979 232 233 The Commodore was gutted almost entirely to its steel frame 70 although the Trump Organization salvaged 200 copper faces on the original facade s cornice 20 The Hyatt s new facade was being installed by the end of 1979 234 Hotel officials began conducting job interviews in mid 1980 235 and they hired Fred Alexander as the hotel s first general manager 236 The renovation ultimately cost 100 million 237 238 This amounted to approximately 80 000 per room although Trump estimated that a new hotel on the same site would have cost twice as much 239 Hyatt operation edit Reopening and early years edit The hotel officially reopened in September 1980 as the Grand Hyatt New York 56 240 The Grand Hyatt was one of 13 large hotels with a combined 9 000 rooms that had opened in New York City during the early 1980s 241 The Grand Hyatt s opening coincided with the revival of the surrounding area 200 242 although there was disagreement over whether the hotel s renovation impacted the neighborhood s revival 240 At the time of its reopening all of the rooms had been booked 54 59 but the next year an unidentified hospitality industry expert estimated that as many as 40 percent of the hotel s rooms were empty 238 Nonetheless the Sun Garden bar quickly became popular with nearby office workers 243 The Grand Hyatt began hosting Major League Baseball teams during World Series games 244 accommodating all visiting MLB teams 245 246 A restaurant called Trumpets opened within the hotel s base in early 1981 247 The same year the Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA announced that they planned to use eminent domain to acquire 3 600 sq ft 330 m2 of the Grand Hyatt s basement and reconstruct a subway entrance there 248 Regional newspaper Newsday estimated that in the first five years of the hotel s operation the tax abatement saved Trump and Hyatt 5 5 million annually 200 Local civic group Grand Central Partnership installed floodlights on the hotel s facade in 1989 both for illuminating Grand Central Terminal and discouraging crime on nearby streets 249 The terminal s operators also proposed constructing a loading dock and garbage collection facility next to the Grand Hyatt but Trump opposed these plans 250 This loading dock which separated the Grand Hyatt from the Graybar Building was replaced in the 1990s with a pedestrian passageway 251 Financial troubles and decline of partnership edit In late 1989 state officials ordered the hotel to pay the city government 2 9 million in back rent which the hotel had withheld in 1986 after changing its accounting procedures 252 253 An investigation by city auditors found that the hotel was missing basic financial records and was using procedures that violated Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 252 Mayor Koch asked the UDC to collect the rent from Trump but the UDC declined to do so 253 New York City s auditor general had been investigating the case but Koch s successor David Dinkins subsequently disbanded the auditor general s office 254 Several of Trump s companies were struggling financially by 1990 and he considered selling his stake in the Grand Hyatt to pay off outstanding debt 255 256 That June Trump offered his stake in the Grand Hyatt as collateral for a 65 million syndicated loan from several banks 257 At the time the hotel had a relatively high net operating income of 15 7 million real estate experts estimated that Trump s stake was worth between 157 million and 186 million 258 By the following year Trump was negotiating to sell most of his stake in the Grand Hyatt to one of his lenders Bankers Trust 259 260 Trump and Hyatt s partnership deteriorated during the early 1990s 261 Trump sued several members of the Pritzker family in 1993 accusing them of racketeering he sought full control of the hotel and 500 million in damages 262 263 Trump claimed that Hyatt wanted to force him out of the partnership because their agreement prevented the chain from operating other Hyatt branded convention hotels in New York City 262 264 Due to a non compete clause Hyatt could not advertise the nearby UN Plaza Hotel as being part of the chain 265 Hyatt also wished to renovate the hotel for 35 7 million funded equally by Trump and the Pritzkers so the Grand Hyatt could remain competitive with other hotels 266 267 Trump initially agreed to pay for his half of the renovation 268 but he later reneged claiming the repairs were too extravagant When the Pritzkers opened arbitration proceedings to force Trump to pay for the renovations the New York Supreme Court s Appellate Division granted a stay of proceedings in late 1993 blocking the arbitration proceedings 266 267 The Pritzkers countersued in March 1994 alleging that Trump had violated their partnership by failing to remain solvent using his share as collateral for loans and refusing to fund his portion of the renovation 268 269 The Pritzkers also sued Bankers Trust and Chemical Bank claiming that Trump had diluted the partnership by conveying his financial interest to his lenders while retaining veto power 268 270 Trump and the Pritzkers agreed to a settlement in mid 1995 261 and Trump and Hyatt announced in March 1996 that they would renovate the hotel for 25 million 271 272 Hughes Design Associates designed the renovation which included updated furnishings and a new fitness center 273 The hotel continued to undergo renovations through mid 1997 274 275 Pritzker family control edit nbsp The H shaped Hyatt Grand Central New York as seen from One Vanderbilt s observation deck The Pritzkers bought Trump s share in the hotel for 140 million in October 1996 276 277 which lifted the non compete clause against the UN Plaza 265 Following the acquisition Hyatt owned a 99 percent stake in the hotel while the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund owned the remaining share 276 By the early 2000s the hotel s lobby was a popular place for informal meetings 278 Hyatt agreed to replace the hotel s cooling system in 2003 after over a thousand workers went on strike 279 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA which operated Grand Central repaired a steam room under the Grand Hyatt in 2005 the steam room supplied the terminal and had partially collapsed during the preceding decade 280 By 2007 the Grand Hyatt was the fourth most valuable hotel in New York City having been appraised at 300 9 million 281 Hyatt announced in mid 2009 that it would spend 12 million renovating the Empire Ballroom 282 The next year Hyatt commenced a wider ranging renovation of the hotel for 130 million The hotel remained open during the renovation and only a few floors were closed at any given time 52 Carol and Paul Bentel of the firm Bentel amp Bentel were hired to renovate the public spaces while Looney amp Associates redesigned most of the suites and rooms 52 60 During the renovation a restaurant called New York Central opened next to the hotel s lobby in late 2010 283 284 In addition Hyatt added the Market a food market where customers could select what they wanted instead of waiting for room service At the time only about 50 daily guests ordered room service while other guests chose to leave the hotel to eat 285 After the Market opened Hyatt cut back its room service hours 286 The Grand Hyatt installed several green building features in early 2016 including a new exhaust control system LED lighting and an updated HVAC system 287 In addition as part of the development of the nearby One Vanderbilt skyscraper the subway station under the hotel was renovated in the late 2010s The project involved relocating several of the hotel s support columns demolishing 40 percent of the Hyatt s basement to expand the subway mezzanine and enlarging a subway entrance in another part of the hotel s base 8 9 Project Commodore edit The New York City government enacted the Midtown East rezoning in the 2010s this allowed developers to transfer unused air rights from Grand Central Terminal to neighboring sites enabling the construction of high rise buildings on these sites Developers expressed interest in redeveloping several sites around the terminal including the Grand Hyatt 288 In February 2019 the media reported that TF Cornerstone MSD Partners and RXR Realty planned to redevelop the Grand Hyatt site A new 2 600 000 sq ft 240 000 m2 mixed use structure with office and retail space as well as a smaller hotel would be built on the site The proposal required approval from the state and city governments of New York though no final agreement had been signed 289 290 Before the developers could construct the skyscraper they had to buy out Hyatt s lease which ran through 2077 291 292 At the time the developers planned to close the hotel permanently after the end of 2020 292 In November 2020 preliminary plans for an 83 story mixed use tower on the site known as Project Commodore were revealed 293 The tower designed by T J Gottesdiener of Skidmore Owings amp Merrill would be 1 646 ft 502 m tall making it the second tallest in New York City if completed 294 293 The structure would contain office space on the 7th through 63rd floors and a 500 room Grand Hyatt hotel on the 65th through 83rd floors 293 The basement first and second floors would contain retail and the first floor would also connect to the adjacent railroad terminal and subway station A public plaza and a stair to the Park Avenue Viaduct would also be built If the project were approved the demolition process would take 18 months and the construction process would take 47 months with a preliminary completion date in 2030 295 Preliminary renderings were released in February 2021 296 297 and the New York City Council approved the plans that December 298 299 The developers planned to demolish the hotel in 2023 297 Temporary closure and reopening edit The Grand Hyatt New York was closed indefinitely in early 2020 following the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City 300 The hotel was supposed to have been closed permanently but Hyatt officials decided to reopen the Grand Hyatt after the New York City Council passed legislation in September 2021 301 302 The legislation required hotels that closed due to the pandemic to pay severance to their employees if they did not reopen with at least 25 percent of their pre pandemic staff 303 304 The hotel reopened on November 1 2021 and was rebranded as the Hyatt Grand Central New York 305 306 Upon its reopening the Hyatt Grand Central largely served visitors from Europe particularly those from the United Kingdom 307 The Hyatt Grand Central offered limited services as its meeting facilities function rooms restaurants and bars remained closed the hotel s permanent closure date was postponed to at least 2023 305 as of December 2023 update the hotel s closure has been postponed because no major tenants had been found for the office building 308 work on Project Commodore is scheduled to start in 2026 309 Critical reception editOriginal hotel edit When the original Commodore Hotel opened multiple media sources described the Commodore as one of the world s largest hotels 3 310 The American Architect magazine wrote that the Commodore adds a very important architectural feature to a location that is bound to become one of New York s busiest civic centers 3 The New York Tribune said the hotel undoubtedly adds strength and decorum to the group of high class hotels in the vicinity of Grand Central Terminal 34 while The New York Times wrote that the Commodore s completion made the surrounding area the greatest hotel centre in the world 310 The Washington Post considered it to be equal from the standpoint of architectural design to the nearby Hotel Pennsylvania which had opened the same week 19 Grand Hyatt editBefore the renovation of the Grand Hyatt New York began Paul Goldberger of The New York Times said it is too bad that there was no willingness to consider a design in some material other than glass 14 Nonetheless Goldberger praised some elements of the design including the cantilevered restaurant the large lobby and an expanded ballroom 14 By the time the renovation was complete Goldberger wrote It is the sort of flashy hotel one would expect in Atlanta or Houston but certainly not in New York 204 The Architectural Guidebook to New York City referred to the facade as a mirror box and an utter and inexcusable outrage 311 The Guidebook continued The old Commodore was a brick and masonry structure of appropriately modest and deferential design The Grand Hyatt imposes its garish vacuity with a painful lack of concern about the way it relates to one of the most architecturally significant streets in America 311 Conversely Ada Louise Huxtable wrote that the Grand Hyatt s atrium had been adapted to the existing steel frame with ingenuity and elegance and the result is not only a vast improvement over the spiritless interior court that has become an overreaching cliche but also give or take a few details one of the handsomest public spaces in New York 312 The Atlanta Constitution wrote that the atrium seems vast despite being only three stories high 58 while The New York Times said the lobby was a place for sitting and watching the custom that flows back and forth before the eyes 313 Joseph Giovannini of the Times wrote that the lobby exemplifies many of the architectural ideas of the 1970 s and 80 s along with some of its cliches 314 Shortly after the hotel reopened reporters for Newsweek said that the glistening mass of reflecting glass seemed to be a world apart from that grubby cluster of porn shops and X rated movie theaters along the section of 42nd Street within Times Square 59 A writer for The Washington Post said the Grand Hyatt reaches for the present and future in contrast to the Helmsley Palace Hotel which had opened the same year but had tried to embrace the past by incorporating the historical Villard Houses 243 See also editList of hotels in New York CityReferences editNotes edit The passenger and service elevators all had a capacity of 3 000 lb 1 400 kg The passenger elevators were capable of moving at 600 ft min 180 m min while the service elevators moved at 450 ft min 140 m min Nine of the passenger elevators and six of the service elevators ran from the lobby to the roof one passenger elevator traveled from the ground level to the roof and two of the freight elevators traveled from the basement to the roof 24 The brass sculpture is sometimes described as measuring 71 ft 22 m 59 or 77 ft 23 m high 15 Citations edit a b White Norval Willensky Elliot Leadon Fran 2010 AIA Guide to New York City 5th ed New York Oxford University Press p 316 ISBN 978 0 19538 386 7 a b c 109 East 42 Street 10017 New York City Department of City Planning Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved March 20 2022 a b c d e f g h The American Architect 1919 p 337 a b c The Real Estate Field Loan of 4 500 000 for Twenty eight story Hotel Commodore on Central Railroad Block West End Avenue Sale Bronx and Suburban Buyers Larchmont Inns Sold The New York Times September 13 1916 p 16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 97852219 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 a b c Fifth Avenue No Bar to Determined Horse New York Tribune September 13 1916 p 9 ProQuest 575620473 Grand Central Terminal Metropolitan Transportation Authority Archived from the original on December 6 2003 Retrieved February 24 2019 Grand Central Subdistrict PDF New York City Department of City Planning November 1991 p 44 Archived PDF from the original on October 18 2020 Retrieved April 1 2020 a b Barone Vincent Pereira Ivan October 17 2016 A glimpse at One Vanderbilt s transit improvements am New York Retrieved October 19 2016 a b Hawkins Andrew J 210M upgrade for Grand Central s subway unveiled Crain s New York Business Archived from the original on August 2 2017 Retrieved August 1 2017 a b c In the Real Estate Field the New York Central Railroad Buys Lexington Avenue Block Front Sale in the Pennsylvania Station Loft Zone an Active Suburban Market The New York Times November 26 1910 p 12 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 97081561 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 a b c d e f g Resumption of Work on Largest Hotels Sign of New Attitude of Government Toward Building New York Herald August 18 1918 p 14 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b c d Architecture and Building 1919 p 30 a b c d Deliveries of Steel Hasten Work on Commodore Hotel The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 100 no 2585 September 29 1917 p 410 via columbia edu a b c d e Goldberger Paul January 11 1978 The Commodore Being Born Again The New York Times p C20 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123863156 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b c d e f g h Stern Fishman amp Tilove 2006 p 472 a b c d Vast Transit Links Will Be Beneath Commodore Hotel Guests Will Experience No Difficulty in Travelling to Places in Greater City New York Tribune May 20 1917 p B7 ProQuest 575703442 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x The Hotel Commodore New York Architecture Vol 39 no 4 April 1 1919 p 98 ProQuest 910550211 nbsp This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain a b c d e f Thousands Admire Hotel Commodore At Notable Opening Belated Electrician Still Tinkers in Balcony as Throng Views the Attractions of Huge Hostlery New York Tribune January 28 1919 p 9 ProQuest 575969122 a b Glimpses of Washingtonians Visiting in the Metropolis The Washington Post January 27 1919 p 4 ISSN 0190 8286 ProQuest 145687068 a b Blair William G July 20 1980 Half of Architectural Art Objects Lost in Demolitions The New York Times p A1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 423949496 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Horsley Carter B August 19 1981 Real Estate An Atrium For Public In Midtown The New York Times p D16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 424161286 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Stern Fishman amp Tilove 2006 pp 474 475 a b c Steel Scarce for Hotels Commodore and Pennsylvania Delayed by Lack of Materials The New York Times October 28 1917 p R11 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 99891268 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b Architecture and Building 1919 pp 33 34 a b c Architecture and Building 1919 p 34 Architecture and Building 1919 pp 30 31 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Architecture and Building 1919 p 31 a b c d e f g h i j k l Architecture and Building 1919 p 32 a b Dunlap David W August 2 1998 Grand Central Reborn as a Mall Terminal Becomes Gateway to Shops and Restaurants The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 21 2018 Retrieved November 20 2018 a b Underground New York LIFE Time Inc November 7 1949 p 80 ISSN 0024 3019 City Engineers Aid Traffic by Subway Plans Entrances and Exits Placed Inside Buildings Lessen Congestion on Streets City Granted Easements Special Squad Makes Plans for Old and New Routes New York Herald Tribune August 24 1930 p E1 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1113202574 Dunlap David W January 29 1995 Grand Central Makeover Is Readied The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on March 1 2018 Retrieved February 11 2018 a b The American Architect 1919 pp 337 338 a b c War s Obstacles Overcome in Building of Greatest Hotels Commodore and Pennsylvania Finished Under Difficult Conditions Represent the Newest Ideas Providing Luxurious Accommodations They Show Remarkable Advance Over City s Early Hostleries New York Tribune January 26 1919 p A5 ProQuest 575995737 a b c d e f g h The American Architect 1919 p 338 Architecture and Building 1919 pp 31 32 a b c d 10 000 Meals a Day Will Be Served in Hotel Commodore Architects Plans Show Kitchen Will Be Largest in the World New York Tribune July 15 1917 p 4 ProQuest 575752068 Archived from the original on November 20 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b c Commodore Hotel Started The Sun October 22 1916 p 14 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b c Commodore Hotel Being Renovated Approximately 750 000 Being Spent in Modernizing Well Known Hostelry Redecorating All Rooms Work Being Done by Hotel Staff Under Direct Supervision of William J Donovan Ballroom Colors The New York Times August 1 1937 p 157 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 20 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 a b Orchestras Music Hotel Commodore Room Revamps for Reopening Variety Vol 163 no 8 July 31 1946 p 37 ProQuest 1285875386 Music Century Room Will Use Acts To Hypo Orks The Billboard Vol 59 no 18 May 10 1947 p 18 ProQuest 1040050506 Music NY Commodore Century Room To Drop Names The Billboard Vol 60 no 32 August 7 1948 p 35 ProQuest 1039906351 Orchestras Music Commodore Hotel N Y Uses Non Pro Aides For Selection of Band Variety Vol 172 no 5 October 6 1948 p 39 ProQuest 1285949388 Grutzner Charles April 13 1950 Dancing in Hotels Bows to 20 Tax New Yorker Joins Many That Have Cut Entertainment as Free Spending Era Dies The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 29 2022 Retrieved November 29 2022 Real Estate Field Cunard Steamship Co In 10 000 000 Bowling Green Deal active Buying by Investors The New York Times February 20 1918 p 17 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 99986505 The World s Newest and Largest Hotels The Hotel Pennsylvania and The Hotel Commodore Architectural Review Vol VIII no 3 March 1919 p 55 Archived from the original on May 19 2020 Retrieved May 6 2016 via Google Books a b c d e f Kennedy R J January 28 1917 Rapid Work on New Hotel Many Novel Features to Be Embodied in the Commodore Guests Rooms to Open on Outer Air a Room and a Bath Fold Two and a Half to Be Slogan of Hostlery New York Tribune p B7 ProQuest 575662544 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b Architecture and Building 1919 pp 32 33 a b c d Personal Appearance Hotel Construction To Give New York A New Inn Look Variety Vol 289 no 8 December 28 1977 p 51 ProQuest 1401322597 a b c d e f Kaiser Charles December 23 1977 Financing Arranged for the Commodore Reconstruction Begins in February for Opening in Spring of 1980 as Hyatt regency Hotel The New York Times p 42 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123052539 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Horsley Carter B July 1 1979 Manhattan as A Vegas Strip Hotels Are Making Plans The New York Times p E6 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 120783336 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b c d e f g h Bernstein Fred A January 11 2011 Grand Hyatt Makover Sheds the Trump Glitter The New York Times Archived from the original on March 14 2021 Retrieved April 22 2018 a b c Menking William August 5 2016 Donald Trump s Grand Hyatt Hotel illustrates what s wrong with development in New York The Architect s Newspaper Archived from the original on November 1 2020 Retrieved May 11 2021 a b c d e f g Slesin Suzanne August 24 1980 Four New Luxury Hotels in the City Elaborate Decor and Matching Prices The New York Times p R1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 423961485 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b c d e f g h i j Hooper 2013 p 75 a b c d Goldberger Paul September 22 1980 42d Street Is About to Add Something New and Pleasant the Grand Hyatt An Appraisal 42d St Adds Something New and Pleasant Atrium Is Four Stories High Space Is Well Organized The New York Times p M1 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 15 2022 Retrieved November 15 2022 a b Gwinn Linda September 1980 New York Hotels the New the Old the Bold Town amp Country Vol 134 no 5005 p 218 ProQuest 2137415211 a b c d Bessonette Colin June 14 1981 New York s new hotels pizazz a plenty Elegant structures represent final word in ultramodern innkeeping Atlanta Constitution p 1G ProQuest 1620453627 a b c d Nicholson Tom Friendly David T October 20 1980 More Stately Mansions Newsweek Vol 96 no 16 p 79 ProQuest 1882553740 a b c d e f Grand Hyatt New York s 130 Million Renovation Culminates With Opening of Grand Club and Installation of Dramatic Marble Twin Sculptures by Artist Jaume Plensa Hyatt Newsroom Press release December 6 2011 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b c Grand Hyatt New York completes major makeover DesignCurial December 8 2011 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Hooper 2013 p 76 a b c d e f g Grand Hyatt New York 130 Million Renovation Continues Hotel Business Review September 12 2011 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Roberts Sam March 4 2016 City Sidewalks Unsung Moneymakers The New York Times p A8 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 1771716539 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Hooper 2013 p 77 a b c d Grand Hyatt New York Enters Final Phase of 130 Million Renovation Hospitality Design October 26 2010 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Interiors Awards 2013 Hotel Contract Design January 25 2013 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Herman Robin Johnston Laurie January 1 1983 New York Day by Day The New York Times p 1 23 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 424542860 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b c d Grand Hyatt New York Floor Plan PDF Hyatt May 16 2018 Archived PDF from the original on December 23 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 a b The Commodore is getting a big raze Daily News November 18 1978 p 144 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Smith Randall January 14 1982 Ace Developer Donald Trump Builds A Real Estate Empire Using Loans Contacts Flashy New York Promoter Sells Prestige Glamour Along With His Buildings The Tax Deal of the Century Ace Developer Donald Trump Uses Cash Contacts To Build Up a Major New York Real Estate Empire Wall Street Journal p 1 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134768179 Sprague J L Cunningham J J 2013 A Frank Sprague Triumph The Electrification of Grand Central Terminal History IEEE Power and Energy Magazine Vol 11 no 1 pp 58 76 doi 10 1109 mpe 2012 2222293 ISSN 1540 7977 S2CID 6729668 WGBH American Experience Grand Central PBS January 8 1902 Archived from the original on October 23 2015 Retrieved November 8 2015 Fifteen Killed in Rear End Collision Trains Crash in Darkness of Park Avenue Tunnel The New York Times January 9 1902 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 10 2018 Retrieved December 10 2018 Fifteen Killed Thirty Six Hurt New York Tribune January 9 1902 p 1 Archived from the original on December 10 2018 Retrieved December 10 2018 Schlichting 2001 pp 55 56 a b Roberts Sam January 18 2013 100 Years of Grandeur The Birth of Grand Central Terminal The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 16 2018 Retrieved December 14 2018 Schlichting 2001 pp 60 62 Grand Central Terminal opens Railway Age September 2006 p 78 ISSN 0033 8826 Modern Terminal Supplies Patrons with Home Comforts The New York Times February 2 1913 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived PDF from the original on April 24 2022 Retrieved February 2 2018 Schlichting 2001 pp 188 Grand Central Zone Boasts Many Connected Buildings The New York Times September 14 1930 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on April 22 2020 Retrieved June 14 2020 Stern Robert A M Gilmartin Gregory Massengale John Montague 1983 New York 1900 Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890 1915 New York Rizzoli pp 353 354 ISBN 0 8478 0511 5 OCLC 9829395 Fitch James Marston Waite Diana S 1974 Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center A Historic critical Estimate of Their Significance Albany New York The Division p 6 Another Building for Terminal Zone 12 Story Commercial Structure to be Erected Opposite the Commodore Hotel The New York Times September 14 1920 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 17 2019 Retrieved October 17 2019 Gray Christopher August 19 2010 Covering Its Tracks Paid Off Handsomely The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 17 2019 Retrieved December 10 2018 a b To Improve Several Large Plots New York Tribune November 26 1910 p 12 ProQuest 572332231 a b Hotel Near Grand Central Rumor That One Will Be Built on Former Hospital Site The New York Times November 18 1911 p 4 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 97176830 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Loft Building in 25th Street Sold New York Tribune November 18 1911 p 10 ProQuest 574839131 Opening of the New Grand Central Terminal New York Railway Age Gazette Vol 54 no 6 February 7 1913 p 258 ProQuest 886882361 Alter Subway Plan at Grand Central New Express Station Will Be in Lexington Avenue From 42d to 43d Street The New York Times April 9 1913 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 20 2019 Retrieved October 19 2019 Board Again Votes for Diagonal Plan Hurries Action on Subway Connection at the Grand Central Station The New York Times June 28 1913 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 20 2019 Retrieved October 19 2019 Adopts New Route to Link Subways Service Board Approves Alternative Connection at 40th St For Lexington Av Line The New York Times November 15 1913 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 20 2019 Retrieved October 19 2019 Diagonal Route for Subway Link Connection for Old and New East Side Lines Decided on by Service Board The New York Times February 7 1914 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 20 2019 Retrieved October 19 2019 Subway Under Grand Central The Wall Street Journal January 16 1915 p 7 ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 42d Street Station Site The Sun February 5 1915 p 11 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 a b The Real Estate Field Vincent Astor Makes 400 000 Lease in Astor House Building Bowman Will Pay 175 000 Per Year for Hotel Commodore Private House Sales New Jersey Buyers The New York Times November 10 1916 p 20 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 97831204 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Hotel Commodore Site Rental The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 98 no 2539 November 11 1916 p 672 via columbia edu Current News Hotels Pennsylvania and Commodore Rentals Set New Mark The American Architect Vol 115 no 2253 February 26 1919 p 314 ProQuest 124689768 5 New York Hotels Combine Big Hostelries Near Grand Central Station Unite Their Interests The Washington Post May 6 1918 p 2 ISSN 0190 8286 ProQuest 145620527 5 Hotels in 40 000 000 Merger Here Belmont Murray Hill Biltmore Manhattan and Commodore Are Linked Bates and Bowman Sign Agreement Underground Access Given to Entire Chain From Grand Central New York Tribune May 6 1918 p 14 ProQuest 575890518 N Y Central to Build 6 000 000 Hotel Here New 26 story Structure Will Contain 2 000 Rooms New York Tribune May 12 1916 p 3 ProQuest 575573804 Private Realty Sales The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 98 no 2531 September 16 1916 p 392 via columbia edu a b Commodore The Sun May 6 1917 p 14 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 Sculptor Makes Huge Model of Commodore Hotel Francis T Gilling and Six Workmen Engaged on Task Six Months New York Tribune March 4 1917 p B7 ProQuest 575687904 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 Exhibit Tour for Hotel Model The New York Times June 3 1917 p 33 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 99886016 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Aero Hangars Planned Atop New Hotel Roof of Commodore Will Be Landing Place for Planes New York Tribune February 22 1918 p 1 ProQuest 575805263 Obtain Record Order The Real Estate Record Real estate record and builders guide Vol 99 no 2561 April 14 1917 p 529 via columbia edu a b By Parcel Post Steel Rivets Delivered by Mail for the Commodore The New York Times April 7 1918 p 46 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 100285821 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 New Monster Hotels in New York Some with More than 2 000 Rooms Mark Evolution of the Inn of 1641 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 21 1918 p 33 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 Complete Skeleton of the Commodore The New York Times July 28 1918 p 92 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 19 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 Commodore Opens Today Several Thousand Guests Inspect New Hotel The New York Times January 28 1919 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 20 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 Will See Hotel Commodore 10 000 Invitations Have Been Sent Out for Reception Tonight The New York Times January 27 1919 p 8 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 100300883 Archived from the original on November 20 2022 Retrieved November 19 2022 The Oasis Newest Woman s Club Offers A Haven to Out of Town Shoppers New York Tribune March 23 1919 p SM12 ProQuest 575996680 Another Building for Terminal Zone 12 story Commercial Structure to Be Erected Opposite the Commodore Hotel To Cost About 500 000 Remarkable Development of Section Since the Opening of New Terminal in 1913 The New York Times September 14 1920 p 31 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 98130594 Archived from the original on October 17 2019 Retrieved November 20 2022 Cars de Luxe The Keynote Of Salon Quality the Feature of the Fifteenth Automobile Held Recently at the Hotel Commodore New York Tribune November 30 1919 p B13 ProQuest 576123072 Numerous Entertainments Arranged in Aid of Charity First Benefit of Season Will Be Election Night Ball at Hotel Commodore the Proceeds From Which Will Go to St Ambrose Community Center New York Tribune October 31 1920 p C1 ProQuest 576284381 Wild Beasts Sleep in the Commodore The New York Times November 25 1922 p 12 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 22 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 Builders of Custom Bodies Make Styles Show at Hotel Commodore in New York Demonstrates This Fact Los Angeles Times December 25 1921 p VI7 ProQuest 161024089 Macbeth W J April 14 1921 Lewis to Defend Wrestling Crown Against Unknown Champion and Other Mat Stars Clash at Commodore Hotel Next Week New York Tribune p 14 ProQuest 576369695 42d St Has a Jubilee Elevated Spur s Removal Almost Finished Parade to Cap Festivities The New York Times May 18 1924 p 16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 103415967 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 42d St Celebrates 100th Year Today President Coolidge to Press Button Starting Program at the Commodore The New York Times September 28 1925 p 20 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 103531679 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 Business Hotels TIME March 4 1929 Retrieved November 22 2022 Most Valuable Hotel The New York Times July 20 1930 p RE30 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 98883063 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 John M E Bowman Hotel Builder Dies Head of Three Large Chains Succumbs in Hospital Here After Operation on Oct 12 The New York Times October 28 1931 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 8 2022 Retrieved November 8 2022 Biltmore Hotel Has Completed First 25 Years Began March Toward Second Quarter Last Night Opened Dec 31 1913 New York Herald Tribune January 1 1939 p C2 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1243032719 a b c Frank Crohan 58 Hotel Executive President of Commodore Since 1934 Dies of Heart Attack on Harrison Golf Course The New York Times May 2 1940 p 30 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 105322028 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 Lid Lifted Quietly in Hotels of City Drinking is Light in the Early Hours of Repeal as Many Fail to Get Stocks Gayety Mounts Later Midnight Finds Dining Rooms Filled With Merry Parties More Set for Tonight The New York Times December 6 1933 p 3 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 100814267 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 Oases Here Quick to Plan Big Bars Hotels Restaurants and Other Drinking Places Seek Rulings on Length Limits The New York Times May 15 1934 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 8 2022 Retrieved November 8 2022 a b Vertical Drinking Legal in New York on Monday Hotels Rush to Instal Bars Two Claiming Longest in World old Horseshoe Sought Daily Boston Globe May 17 1934 p 32 ProQuest 758608023 Makeshift Bars in Use Tomorrow Most Hotels Still Working on Elaborate Furnishings for Stand Up Drinking The New York Times May 20 1934 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 8 2022 Retrieved November 8 2022 Commodore Grill Opens Apartment Decorated in English Style Has Inaugural Dinner New York Herald Tribune October 4 1934 p 19 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1221405250 Parties at Grill Opening Dinner Dance and Supper Held at the Hotel Commodore The New York Times October 4 1934 p 21 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 101212195 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 New York s Newest Oasis Hotel Commodore Has Longest Bar In America 165 Feel With 25 25 Bartenders On Duty The Sun July 12 1936 p SC12 ProQuest 539677231 Sweeny Named as Head Of Hotel Commodore Heads Hotel Commodore New York Herald Tribune June 4 1940 p 38 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1249272846 Appointed as Manager Of Commodore Hotel The New York Times June 4 1940 p 42 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 105289403 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 Willkie Office to Open Personal Headquarters Will Be in the Hotel Commodore The New York Times July 11 1940 p 17 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 105192890 Archived from the original on November 21 2022 Retrieved November 21 2022 U N Hospitality Center New Service to Start Monday at Commodore Hotel The New York Times May 25 1946 p 16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 107596726 Hotel Commodore in New York Air Conditioned Daily Boston Globe July 20 1947 p A17 ProQuest 839481697 Martin Sweeny 66 Hotel Leader Dies Chairman of the Commodore Headed Sherry Caterers O Dwyer s Host at Saratoga Led Association Here The New York Times January 22 1950 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 13 2022 Commodore Hotel Store Is Leased New York Herald Tribune February 24 1954 p 27 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1319958728 Commodore Shop Gets a New Look Modern Pharmacy to Open Wednesday at 42d Street and Lexington Avenue The New York Times March 13 1955 p R1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 113185413 Zeckendorf Bids for Commodore Webb amp Knapp Subsidiary Offers 18 a Share for All Stock in Hotel The New York Times October 10 1957 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 13 2022 Webb amp Knapp Unit Offer Wall Street Journal October 10 1957 p 2 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132314068 Webb amp Knapp Says It Hopes to Control 8 000 New York Hotel Rooms Zeckendorf Cites Eventual Goal Says He Has Little Hope for Paying Common Dividends Soon Wall Street Journal August 27 1958 p 3 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132426688 Zeckendorf Takes Commodore Hotel The New York Times September 6 1958 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 20 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 a b Zeckendorf Hotels Buys Commodore Hotel Sells Leasehold Gets Lease Webb amp Knapp Unit to Buy Back Leasehold in Three Years Firm Put Up Third of Funds Wall Street Journal September 8 1958 p 14 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132431888 Commodore Leasehold Reported Up for Sale The New York Times February 26 1960 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 14 2022 Vaudeville Claude C Philippe New G M Of Commodore Hotel N Y In Webb amp Knapp Shuffle Variety Vol 219 no 4 June 22 1960 p 51 ProQuest 1032391668 Philippe Is Leaving Zeckendorf To Direct Summit Hotel Here Released From His Contract at Commodore Loew s Unit Will Open July 1 The New York Times January 10 1961 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on May 29 2022 Retrieved December 13 2022 Vartan Vartanig G April 27 1963 Glickman Corp To Change Name Franchard Corp Adopted at Stormy Meeting Loan to Glickman The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 14 2022 Retrieved December 14 2022 a b Vaudeville Bill Zeckendorf Loses Commodore N Y Central Gets Back Roosevelt Variety Vol 234 no 11 May 6 1964 p 69 ProQuest 962655604 a b Leasehold is Sold on the Commodore The New York Times November 24 1960 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 13 2022 Stern Walter H September 20 1960 Zeckendorf May Sell 3 Hotels To the Owners of Freedomland The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 5 2022 Retrieved December 5 2022 Freesdomland Mulls Hotel Offer New York Herald Tribune September 20 1960 p 42 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1324122973 Airline Holding Talks on Merger Discussions by Northeast Noted at Atlas Meeting The New York Times June 10 1961 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on December 14 2022 Retrieved January 8 2020 International Recreation Holders Approve Giving Control to Webb Knapp Wall Street Journal June 12 1961 p 9 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132643548 3 Hotels in City Being Renovated Commodore Prince George and Dryden East Work Valued at 4 Million The New York Times March 7 1961 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 14 2022 3 Hotels Join in Bid to Counter Rivals The New York Times September 20 1962 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 9 2022 Retrieved November 9 2022 Rent Debt is Laid to Webb amp Knapp 864 323 Is Due on Hotel Lease Civil Court Holds The New York Times February 22 1964 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 14 2022 Webb amp Knapp Plans To Pay Debt Totaling 854 064 09 This Week Unit of Its Subsidiary Consents To Judgment Which Stemmed From Commodore Hotel Lease Wall Street Journal February 24 1964 p 40 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132948417 Zeckendorf Evicted as Operator Of Commodore Over Back Rent The New York Times May 1 1964 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 14 2022 Franchard Corp Says Adverse SEC Ruling Could Spark Liquidation Franchard Takes Over Operation Of Hotel From Webb amp Knapp Disagree on Outcome of Talks Wall Street Journal May 1 1964 p 19 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132955922 Food Suppliers Press Webb amp Knapp to Pay 2 5 Million of Debt Firm Proposes Payment Schedule To Concerns Supplying Hotels It Runs Creditors Mull Plan Wall Street Journal May 12 1964 p 8 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132963363 Stage Is Set for Fight Between the Creditors Of Webb amp Knapp Unit Creditors Panel Trustee Chosen As Suppliers and Franchard Vie For Assets in Bankruptcy Case Wall Street Journal September 4 1965 p 5 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 132918125 News of Realty Commodore Shift N Y Central Unit Will Take The New York Times November 23 1966 p 64 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 15 2022 Retrieved November 15 2022 a b New York Central Unit Takes Over Big Hotel Franchard Gives Up Management Of Commodore 7 Months Early 6 Million Refurbishment Slated Wall Street Journal June 6 1967 p 7 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 133227564 Fried Joseph P June 8 1967 News of Realty Cointreau Builds 2 Million Jersey Plant Will Double Company s Space The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 27 2023 Retrieved December 13 2022 Whitehouse Franklin July 2 1967 Commodore Hotel New York Central Spending 6 million on Project The New York Times p 38 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 15 2022 Retrieved November 15 2022 Witehouse Franklin August 6 1967 Hotels Join Trend to Automatic Elevators But Some Cling to Older Note of Operator Service The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on October 24 2022 Retrieved October 24 2022 Cohen Joe January 22 1969 Vaudeville More Leisure Faster Travel Key Realty Hotels Future Plans Map 22 000 000 Revamp for N Y Inns Variety Vol 253 no 10 pp 51 52 ProQuest 962943270 Hammer Alexander R February 8 1970 Bookings Fat Profits Lean In N Y Hotels The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 9 2022 Retrieved November 9 2022 Hammer Alexander R January 31 1968 Court Here Lets Railroads Consolidate Tomorrow The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on April 24 2022 Retrieved November 5 2022 Ruling on Penn Central Unit s Bid to Defer 45 7 Million of Taxes Postponed by Judge The Wall Street Journal September 18 1970 p 5 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 133466044 Bedingfield Robert E June 3 1971 Pennsy Will Sell 23 Valuable Sites in Mid Manhattan The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 11 2020 Retrieved June 11 2020 Pennsy to Sell 1 Billion of Manhattan Property 10 Block Midtown Area Among Most Valuable in U S Los Angeles Times June 3 1971 p E12 ProQuest 156716148 Bids Trail Hopes On Penn Central Manhattan Sites Observers Note Weak State Of Market Legal Tangles And Long Terms of Leases Judge Mulls Trustees Plea The Wall Street Journal October 18 1971 p 6 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 133561272 Horsley Carter B February 8 1976 First Sale For Pennsy In Midtown 230 Park The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 11 2020 Retrieved June 11 2020 Tomasson Robert E May 4 1975 Deal Negotiated for Commodore The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 9 2022 Retrieved November 9 2022 Nevius James April 3 2019 The winding history of Donald Trump s first major Manhattan real estate project Curbed Archived from the original on October 9 2021 Retrieved October 9 2021 a b Kaiser Charles May 12 1976 The Commodore Closing Tuesday Owners Cite Climbing Cost of Hotel s Operations 500 Losing Jobs The New York Times p 60 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122638415 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Commodore Hotel In New York Closing Due to Large Losses Investor s Plan for Purchase Revitalization Needs City s Clearing of Tax Abatement Wall Street Journal May 12 1976 p 11 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134013710 a b c Horsley Carter B March 28 1976 Commodore Plan Is Key to the City s Tax Aid Strategy Plan to Rebuild commodore Is Key To the City s Tax Aid Strategy The New York Times p 224 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123005436 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Oser Alan S May 5 1976 About Real Estate Penn Central Seeks Terms on Realty Leases The New York Times p 84 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122638107 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Tomasson Robert E May 4 1975 Deal Negotiated for Commodore Hyatt Would Operate It After 70 million Renovation The New York Times p 41 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 120232256 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Hyatt and Developer Negotiating to Acquire A Penn Central Hotel Wall Street Journal May 5 1975 p 15 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 133952713 a b Edmonds Richard May 4 1975 Luxury Hotel Chain Buying Commodore Daily News p 65 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Horsley Carter B December 4 1977 Interest in Hotel Projects Stirs As Luxury Market Booms The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on August 9 2022 Retrieved November 9 2022 Stern Fishman amp Tilove 2006 pp 471 472 Klemesrud Judy November 1 1976 Donald Trump Real Estate Promoter Builds Image as He Buys Buildings The New York Times p 41 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b c Rosenthal Max J July 11 2016 The Trump Files How Donald Tricked New York Into Giving Him His First Huge Deal Mother Jones Archived from the original on July 24 2019 Retrieved May 8 2018 Traub James December 21 2000 Golden Boy The New York Review of Books Archived from the original on May 6 2016 Retrieved November 5 2018 a b Rich Frank April 29 2018 The Original Donald Trump New York Archived from the original on October 4 2018 Retrieved May 8 2018 a b c Kaiser Charles May 19 1976 Last Guest Checks Out of the Commodore Hotel The New York Times p 37 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122543121 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Rothmyer Karen May 19 1976 Commodore Hotel New York Fixture Closes Its Doors Long a Political Social Center Losses and Low Occupancy End 50 Years of Service Wall Street Journal p 25 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134112562 a b Lombardi Frank March 3 1976 Commodore s Lifeboat Seen in Hyatt Hotel Daily News p 393 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b c d Stern Fishman amp Tilove 2006 p 471 a b Estimate Board to Rule on Easing of Tax Allowing Commodore Transformation Proposal Detailed The New York Times March 3 1976 p 40 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123007316 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Horsley Carter B April 10 1976 New Offer Is Made for the Commodore The New York Times p 16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122657666 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Ranzal Edward April 23 1976 Talks Slated on Commodore Hotel Deal The New York Times p 39 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122689707 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 3 Lawmakers Are Critical Of Commodore Tax Relief The New York Times April 26 1976 p 30 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122678609 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b c Harris Amanda Moses Charles April 15 1985 Hyatt Saves 22 5 Million in Taxes Newsday p B13 ProQuest 1469954793 Fowler Glenn May 21 1976 Tax Plan Voted to Permit Rebuilding of Commodore Commodore Hotel Plan is Approved The New York Times p 1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 122642332 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Lombardi Frank May 21 1976 Commodore Hotel Plan Okayed After Taxing Study Daily News p 108 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Plan Gains to Replace New York s Commodore Wall Street Journal May 24 1976 p 8 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134112798 a b Blum Howard August 26 1980 Trump Development of a Manhattan Developer The New York Times p B1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 423959921 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 UDC s Bond Rate Cut Hotel Purchase Is OKd Newsday December 16 1977 p 16 ProQuest 964356659 Oeskes Michael December 16 1977 Court OKs Commodore Deal Daily News p 450 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Furman Phyllis November 27 1989 Strawberry s Secret Make Sweet Deals Crain s New York Business Vol 5 no 48 p 3 ProQuest 219165714 Lombardi Frank September 10 1976 City to Get 5M from Commodore Sale Daily News p 210 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Lieberman Mark December 23 1977 Builder Nails Down 100M for Commodore Hotel Rehab Daily News p 24 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Metropolitan Briefs Threat Suspect Seized Hotel Commodore Deal 7 Hurt in Bus Car Crash Dates Set for Bar Exam Council Crime Hearing 25 Years for 18 Robberies The New York Times January 12 1977 p 24 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123135038 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Lombardi Frank January 12 1977 Files to Buy Commodore Hotel Daily News p 209 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Penn Central Unit Seeks Permission From Court To Sell New York Hotel Wall Street Journal January 14 1977 p 16 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134222705 FTC Expected to Fight Anaconda Arco Merger Newsday January 14 1977 p 4 ProQuest 922699684 a b c Lombardi Frank May 1 1978 It s Checkout Time for Ex Commodore Daily News p 163 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 a b Starrett Housing Gets 40 Million Hotel Job Wall Street Journal May 25 1978 p 11 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134266417 Sale at Commodore To Begin Tomorrow The New York Times January 4 1978 p B4 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123853674 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 James George January 6 1978 Goodbuy Commodore Daily News p 277 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Gupte Pranay January 6 1978 All of the Commodore They Could Carry Color TV for 120 The New York Times p B3 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123854402 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Starrett Unit to Build Midtown Hyatt Hotel The New York Times May 25 1978 p D5 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123691734 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 Bernstein Fred A March 16 2010 Der Scutt Modernist Architect Dies at 75 The New York Times Archived from the original on August 29 2015 Retrieved April 22 2018 Lynden Patricia August 30 1979 Where the Donald Trumps Rent The New York Times p C1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 120736282 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Sterba James P June 29 1978 Koch Breaks Vow and Cuts Big Ribbons The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b Lewis John June 29 1978 Work Starts on Hyatt Hotel Replacing Commodore Daily News p 392 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Sick Man Recovers New York is Enjoying Construction Boom Improving Image and Tax Incentives Cited The Washington Post September 30 1978 p E33 ISSN 0190 8286 ProQuest 146990491 Carberry James June 5 1978 Construction Market In New York Shows Signs of Recovering Numerous Office Buildings Hotels Apartments Are in Works Citibank Aide Says Wall Street Journal p 20 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134228514 Building Strikes Ending 2 Unions Still Out Newsday August 23 1978 p 17Q ProQuest 964323582 Horsley Carter B April 30 1978 In Environs Of Grand Central New Strength A Dramatic Turn for the Better In Environs of Grand Central New Strength New Construction Reconstruction Renovations Purchases The New York Times p R1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123721201 Huxtable Ada Louise January 29 1978 Architecture View Grand Central at a Crossroads The New York Times p D25 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 123840157 Archived from the original on November 16 2022 Retrieved November 16 2022 1 5 Million Restoring Of Grand Central Near The New York Times July 23 1980 p A13 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 423958312 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 King Martin July 25 1980 1 5M to fix up Grand Central Daily News p 16 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 N Y D C train service to be improved Poughkeepsie Journal August 9 1979 p 14 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Lewis John February 11 1979 East Side West Side 42d St is Story Daily News p 690 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 42nd Street Renewal Taking Shape Newsday February 1 1979 p 23Q ProQuest 963718049 The Big Apple wears a hard hat Daily News December 29 1979 p 299 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Gentile Don July 2 1980 The new house on 42d is the Grand Hire Hotel Daily News p 4 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Sloane Leonard July 8 1980 Business People at Helena Rubinstein a Face Lift is in Order Grand Hyatt Manager Nabisco Official Adds Job The New York Times p D2 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 121352064 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 McDowell Edward September 14 1980 The New Hotels 6 000 Rms 56 170 Dbl Occ New York s Flock of New Hotels New York s New Hotels The New York Times p F1 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 121268902 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b Smith Randy May 31 1981 New York City Hotels Fall on Hard Times Boston Globe p 1 ProQuest 294068717 Guenther Robert December 2 1981 Lower Costs of Rehabilitation Lure Commercial Developers Wall Street Journal p 31 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 134674157 a b Hiltzik Michael A April 7 1985 Towering Presence in New York Donald Trump Stirs Controversy With Grandiose Structures Los Angeles Times p 1 ProQuest 292091606 Rounds Kate March 31 1986 How a Visitor to the Big Apple Distributes a Dollar All Around Crain s New York Business Vol 2 no 13 p T16 ProQuest 219154157 Kennedy Shawn G September 19 1986 Real Estate Grand Central Area Gains The New York Times p D28 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 110920123 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 a b Lokken Dean June 6 1981 New York Preens Proudly Over New Luxury Hotels The Washington Post p E20 ISSN 0190 8286 ProQuest 147325445 Rogers Thomas June 8 1983 Scouting Player Protection The New York Times p B8 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 424657005 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Breznick Alan March 5 1990 Business Strikes Out in Baseball Fracas Crain s New York Business Vol 6 no 10 p 3 ProQuest 219115087 Hurtado Patricia Firestone David October 17 1986 A Series Where It Oughta Be NY Newsday p 3 17 ProQuest 285434094 Sheridan Mimi May 8 1981 Restaurants Big and glittering small and intimate A la Carte The New York Times p C16 ISSN 0362 4331 ProQuest 121564882 Archived from the original on November 17 2022 Retrieved November 17 2022 Public Notice Metropolitan Transportation Authority Synopsis of Determination and Findings Pursuant to Sections 201 204 of the Eminent Domain Procedure Law New York Daily News January 13 1982 Retrieved December 25 2020 Lyons Richard D November 10 1989 Halogen Glow Will Envelop Grand Central 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Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 a b Henriques Diana B May 6 1995 Company News Trump Agrees to End Feud Over Hotel The New York Times p 27 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 18 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 a b Henriques Diana B July 29 1993 Trump Sues Pritzker As a Feud Goes Public The New York Times p D2 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on November 28 2022 Retrieved November 18 2022 Cohen Patricia July 29 1993 Trump Sues for Divorce In Hyatt Hotel Squabble Newsday p 13 ProQuest 278638832 Retrieved November 18 2022 Trump Sues Hyatt Seeks Sole Ownership Of New York Hotel Wall Street Journal July 29 1993 p C13 ISSN 0099 9660 ProQuest 746855533 a b Kamen Robin October 21 1996 Hyatt savors post Trump shot at New York hotel expansion Crain s New York Business Vol 19 no 43 p 34 ProQuest 219148949 a b Trump Wins Round in Hyatt Feud Chicago Tribune December 17 1993 p 3 ProQuest 283636489 span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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