The Peninsula New York

The Peninsula New York is in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It is on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue to the east and 55th Street to the north. To the west and south, the hotel is surrounded by the clubhouse of the University Club of New York. The site shares the block with 5, 7, 9–11, 13 and 15 West 54th Street; 46 West 55th Street; and the Rockefeller Apartments to the west. The hotel is also near the Museum of Modern Art to the south; Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and 712 Fifth Avenue to the north; 550 Madison Avenue to the northeast; the St. Regis New York hotel to the east; and 689 Fifth Avenue to the southeast. == Architecture ==

The hotel was built in 1905 as the Gotham Hotel and was designed by Hiss and Weekes in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The hotel building is shaped like a "C" and is arranged around a light court that faces the University Club building to the south. Despite its sturdy-looking appearance, the facade is actually a curtain wall hung from the building's steel superstructure. Originally, the hotel was 19 stories high and rose above the sidewalk. After a renovation in the 1980s, the hotel had 23 stories. Base The base of the hotel is three stories high; the first two stories were originally one double-height level. There is a cornice above the 6th story, which is designed as a continuation of the cornice above the University Club's second tier. On the 7th through 16th stories, only the outermost bays are rusticated, while the center bays contain a facade of smooth ashlar. The outermost sections of the Fifth Avenue and 55th Street elevations contain two windows per story on each corner. The penthouse, which consists of an angled framework, is not easily visible from street level. Basements and first story The hotel had two basement levels. One of these basements contained the hotel's kitchen and commissary department, directly beneath the dining room. The garbage disposal was directly beneath the hotel's kitchen. Also in the basement was a bar, which was not open to the public at the time of the hotel's opening in 1905. a brown-and-gold ceiling, and a bronze chandelier. A square palm room connected the writing room with a dining room. The palm room had marble columns with Corinthian capitals; a leaded-glass skylight with green panels; and a bronze chandelier. The dining room measured across, with a ceiling measuring high, Second and third stories As a result of the mid-20th-century modifications, the modern hotel's lobby is on the second floor, above the storefronts. The Peninsula New York has a small lobby to discourage loitering. Following a 2024 renovation, the lobby was described as a double-height space with a grand staircase. The second floor contained a women's parlor and a ballroom. Following the hotel's 1980s renovation, the second floor contained a dining room with 76 seats, a bistro with 38 seats, and a cocktail lounge with 36 seats. By the 2010s, the restaurant spaces were occupied by the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Clement Restaurant and Bar (named after Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels CEO Clement Kwok By the 21st century, there were five function rooms with a combined floor area of . Guestrooms Originally, the larger suites were placed on the exterior of the "C", facing the streets; the single rooms were placed on the interior and faced the light court. The hotel had 400 guestrooms at its opening, consisting of both single rooms and en-suite units. The dumbwaiters connected with butlers' pantries that were adjacent to each suite. By the late 1980s, the Peninsula New York contained 250 units, including the presidential suite and 30 additional suites. , the hotel has 219 units. While each guestroom is at least , the largest units (known as the deluxe suites) are on the 16th to 20th floors and cover . The rooms were renovated in the 1980s with burgundy, gold, and black decorations, as well as purple bathtubs beside the beds. These were removed in 1986 before the hotel reopened as the Maxim's de Paris. The Maxim's bathrooms were clad in travertine, while the bedrooms contained wood-cherry paneling with ebony inlays. When the hotel became the Peninsula New York, the rooms were redecorated in the Art Nouveau style. The guestrooms were redecorated in a beige, gold, and grayscale palette in 2024, Fitness center The fitness center at the hotel is located on the 22nd floor. The pool is in a glass-enclosed room; during the summer, a sundeck is available. The hotel's spa spans over three floors. The spa contains 12 treatment rooms, a steam room, and an Asian lounge among other features. The spa also hosts various health and wellness classes. After the hotel was acquired by the Peninsula chain, the roof included a terrace called the Pen-Top Lounge. The original Pen-Top was closed in 2008 and replaced with Salon de Ning, which itself was renamed the Pen-Top following the 2024 renovation. The renovated Pen-Top Lounge has a retractable roof canopy with louvers. == History ==

Fifth Avenue between 42nd Street and Central Park South (59th Street) was relatively undeveloped through the late 19th century, and many row houses were developed on the avenue. By the early 1900s, that section of Fifth Avenue was becoming a commercial area. The southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street was part of the old campus of St. Luke's Hospital, which had moved to Morningside Heights, Manhattan, in 1893. The southern part of the St. Luke's site became the University Club's clubhouse, completed in 1900. Development The site at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street was sold twice in 1901. The first time it was sold, the seller received $575,000. The buyers, Henry L. Goodwin and Henry R. Hoyt, resold the property in April 1902 to the newly formed 55th Street Company, of which Goodwin was a chief executive. The 55th Street Company announced that it would develop a 18-story hotel on the site. The building would be designed by Hiss and Weekes and constructed by the General Building and Construction Company at a cost of $3.5 million. It was one of four large sites on Fifth Avenue between 42nd and 59th Streets to be sold for development during the preceding six months. Hiss and Weekes filed plans for the site at the end of June 1902. U.S. senator Mark Hanna of Ohio, along with the philanthropist Thomas Fortune Ryan, were major investors in the project, the lease was not officially recorded until May 1905, by which time the hostelry was known as the Gotham Hotel. Hanna had been one of Bennett's close friends in Washington, D.C., and had helped introduce Bennett to the Gotham Hotel's other developers. Even after Hanna's death in 1905, his estate was one of the Gotham Hotel's biggest shareholders. The hotel's construction was delayed significantly because of strikes, The facade and roof were completed in early 1904, and, as late as March 1905, the hotel was planned to open the following month. John Jacob Astor IV, who was simultaneously developing the St. Regis Hotel across Fifth Avenue, had attempted to obtain a liquor license for his hotels, despite high opposition from local residents. At the time, New York state law required that any establishment with a liquor license was required to gain the approval of the owners of two-thirds of all private property within , and was required to be at least 200 feet from any church. The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, which was within 200 feet of both the St. Regis and the Gotham, objected to the liquor license. Although the St. Regis eventually secured a liquor license by moving its entrance, the Gotham had no such recourse, as it was much closer to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. In May 1905, the Gotham's operators petitioned the New York State Legislature to change the state's liquor laws so that hotels with more than 200 rooms were exempt from the 200-foot restriction. The hotel did originally have an enclosed dining terrace overlooking Fifth Avenue. Meanwhile, in 1906, New York state legislators attempted once more to amend state law so the Gotham could obtain a liquor license without the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church's consent. Governor Higgins let the bill expire, so the bill was introduced again in early 1907. The state legislature passed the bill in May 1907, only for governor Charles Evans Hughes to veto the bill. Bennett only operated the hotel for two years, and he sold his lease in October 1907 to restaurateur Carl Berger. The Hotel Gotham Company, which operated the hotel, surrendered it to the 55th Street Company in December 1907 due to non-payment of rent. Berger angrily quit as the hotel's manager on July 1, 1908, when Luke M. Boomer, Harry Merry, and E. R. Grabow took over the hotel. Two days later, Gilbert H. Montague was appointed as the hotel's receiver, despite Henry Goodwin's claim that the receiver had no rights to the hotel's operation. At the time, the hotel had never made a profit. Bennett fatally shot himself at his Gotham Hotel apartment in September 1908. By late 1908, the hotel was unable to pay off relatively small debts such as a butcher's $741 bill. The Gotham was overshadowed by more luxurious hotels, like the St. Regis across the street and the Plaza Hotel a few blocks north, but the Real Estate Record and Guide reported that the foreclosure was solely because of the liquor bill. The sale did not affect Wood and Weatherbee's management of the hotel; as did another in 1911. Mid-20th century 1910s to 1930s Among the Gotham's guests in the early 20th century were composer Victor Herbert, as well as pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who lived there for sixteen years. Weatherbee and Wood continued to operate the hotel, even after the Hotel Holdings Company sold the Gotham to William and Julius Manger of Manger Hotels in October 1920. The next month, the 2 West 55th Street Corporation took title to the hotel on behalf of the Manger brothers. The brothers attempted to sell the Gotham for $5 million in early 1925, but they did not receive any offers that they deemed acceptable. The Manger brothers eventually bought out Weatherbee and Wood's lease in 1927. By 1931, the Gotham was one of the few remaining buildings on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan that still did not have shops. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company moved to foreclose on a $2 million mortgage that it held on the hotel in March 1932. Leon Leighton and Raymond J. Scully were appointed as receivers. The Metropolitan Life took over the hotel in July 1932. The hotel's managers added an airplane departure board in the lobby in 1933, which they claimed was the first such board in a hotel lobby, and they also installed a marine room at the Gotham to complement the hotel's rooftop "sun deck". The hotel was also the site of a notable suicide in 1938, when 26-year-old John William Warde jumped from the 17th floor in front of 10,000 spectators; the incident inspired the 1951 film Fourteen Hours. the bronze-and-glass storefronts were recessed from the facade. As part of this project, the original dining room on Fifth Avenue was closed and demolished in May 1938, and a new dining room was built within the hotel offices on the opposite side of the lobby. The hotel's offices were then relocated to the space previously occupied by the second-floor ballroom. In addition, space for exhibitions was created on the second floor. and the Grand Central Art Galleries. The renovations coincided with the beginning of the 1939 New York World's Fair. At the beginning of April 1939, a syndicate of Chicago investors, led by Arnold S. Kirkeby, leased the hotel for five years. 1940s to 1970s In 1944, a syndicate headed by Kirkeby bought the hotel from Metropolitan Life. At the time, the hotel had 358 rooms and was valued at $2.25 million. That November, Webb & Knapp and Stevens sold the Gotham and the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to an investor for a combined $11 million. The Kirkeby Hotel Corporation retained its lease of the Gotham Hotel. The Hotel Investors Syndicate, led by Peter J. Sharp, acquired the Gotham, Beverly Wilshire, and Saranac Inn in May 1957. Subsequently, Sharp Ltd. Hotels operated the Gotham, and it renovated the hotel. Webb and Knapp agreed in August 1961 to repurchase the Gotham, Stanhope, and Beverly Wilshire hotels from Evelyn Sharp, Peter Sharp's mother. At the time, the Gotham contained 400 rooms and 18-hour maid service. A syndicate led by Alvin Greenstein bought the hotel in December 1961 and leased it back to Webb and Knapp for 21 years, with sixteen renewal options. Under the terms of the lease, the hotel had to remain in operation until at least 1971, but Webb and Knapp could demolish the hotel afterward. In 1963, Neal Lang was appointed as the hotel's general manager. Webb and Knapp had lent $2 million toward a $3.568 million mortgage loan that had been placed on the hotel (with the Dry Dock Savings Bank holding the remaining stake), but the firm sold that stake in 1964. Wellington appointed Frank C. Bromber as the Gotham's executive director. The new owners redecorated and repainted the main lobby and dining room, and they cleaned and illuminated the facade. Wellington also bought two buildings at 23 and 25 West 55th Street and converted these structures into a parking garage. Prior to the garage's completion, guests had used various garages between Second and Ninth avenues; however, about 90 percent of short-term guests did not bring their cars to the hotel. By the next year, the Gotham's renovation had been completed at a cost of $1.5 million. The Gotham's main dining room and banquet department were closed in July 1970; the dining room reopened in March 1971 but only served meals on weekdays. The hotel also continued to lease space to commercial tenants, including shipping company Italian Line and shoe store Charles Jourdan. Goldman began experiencing financial issues after DiLorenzo died in 1975, but he continued to own the Gotham. Goldman and the heirs of DiLorenzo's estate eventually agreed to split up Wellington's holdings; as part of this process, Goldman retained ownership of the Gotham. a larger version of the Hotel Nova-Park Élysées in Paris. He planned to operate the Gotham as an ultra-luxury hotel, charging up to $1,750 per night. Hatt hired Stephen Jacobs to design the renovation, which included rehabilitating the interior and reducing the 330-room hotel to 250 rooms. This renovation added the hotel's rooftop pool and fitness center. The Nova-Park Gotham was expected to include multiple restaurants and bars, a nightclub, various meeting rooms, and a business center. The hotel's reopening was scheduled for October 1983, The project had stalled by early 1984 after Nova-Park AG had invested $120 million on the project, which had originally been budgeted at $30 million. Real-estate experts estimated that the developers needed another $40 million to complete the renovation, but Nova-Park AG had not even paid rent for several months, and they owed $5 million in taxes. Hatt had taken out $23 million worth of additional mortgages without the consent of his first-mortgage lenders. One observer attributed the cost overruns to the "design-as-you-go" nature of the project, saying that Hatt had "unrealistic" expectations about the quality of the work. By November 1984, Nova-Park AG surrendered the Gotham to its lenders, a group of European banks. Helmsley-Spear was hired to market the hotel, By then, the per-room construction cost had increased to an estimated $500,000. Meanwhile, the European banks continued to pay rent on the site, even though the hotel was not making any profit. An investment group headed by Arthur Cohen began negotiating to lease the hotel from Goldman. The European banks were not willing to sell the Gotham at a substantial loss, so the negotiations took 18 months. In exchange, the European banks were indemnified against all unresolved liens on the property, Pratt planned to spend $40 million to complete the renovation. The hotel would be rebranded '''Hotel Maxim's de Paris''', an outpost of Parisian restaurant Maxim's. Ivan Boesky offered to buy the hotel for $45 million, but Pratt Hotels CEO Jack Pratt refused, citing the hotel's "prime Manhattan location". Work resumed in August 1986. Hirsch Bedner Associates designed the renovation. By November 1987, the hotel's owners had launched an advertising campaign for Maxim's. A preview event for the hotel was hosted the same month. Maxim's was also intended as a luxury hotel, Even though the hotel had opened after the Black Monday financial crash, the owners hoped to take advantage of a tax break that expired at the end of 1987. but a formal opening for Maxim's did not occur until June 10, 1988. Maxim's made less money than its owners expected. As a result, the hotel was placed for sale a few months after it reopened, and several foreign companies expressed interest in buying Maxim's. the owners had evicted all the commercial tenants. Peninsula Hotels ownership 1980s and 1990s In August 1988, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (HSH), the operator of the Peninsula Hotels chain, agreed to buy Maxim's New York for $127 million. HSH planned to rename the hotel after the Peninsula Hong Kong, a hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong. HSH officials believed the purchase price was justified by the presence of the ground-floor storefronts facing Fifth Avenue, as well as the three-story health club atop the roof. When HSH took over the hotel on October 3, 1988, its occupancy rate averaged 30 percent; this had grown to 50 percent by April 1989. Manfred Timmel, who was appointed as the Peninsula New York's general manager, had to wait three months before his liquor license was approved. The Peninsula group faced a similar delay when it tried to obtain permits for the rooftop fitness center. HSH also had to pay $5 million a year for the ground lease, in addition to the usual operating expenses and mortgage payments. A spa opened at the Peninsula New York in early 1991; the spa was expanded by the late 1990s. By the beginning of 1996, HSH had raised the hotel's room rates and was planning to renovate the Peninsula New York. The Washington Post, citing unnamed industry experts, said the renovations were intended to justify the increased room rates. Crazy Shirts leased a storefront in the hotel in early 1997. That December, the hotel's managers announced that the hotel would close for renovations the following month, although the fitness center on the top stories would remain open. The renovation cost between $45 million and $55 million. The project mainly focused on refurbishing the suites and guestrooms, although the public rooms received minor alterations. During the renovation, HSH added 14 units and replaced the plumbing and electrical systems. but business was even more negatively impacted by the September 11 attacks, prompting the Peninsula's operators to discount the hotel's room rates significantly. The hotel's business had recovered by 2004. During the early 2000s, the hotel's rooftop terrace was popular among those in the media industry, and Salon de Ning opened on the hotel's roof in mid-2008, replacing the Pen-Top. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, and a corresponding downturn in tourism globally, the Peninsula's hotel rooms were temporarily closed in March 2020. The hotel did not reopen until June 1, 2021. In 2024, the hotel's operators began renovating the Peninsula again, with electronic controls and an Art Deco-inspired color scheme in all rooms. The Bill Rooney Studio oversaw the renovation, which took several months. == Impact ==

Critical reception The New York Times said that, because of the development of the nearby Plaza Hotel in 1907, "the Gotham never acquired its cachet. But its classically ornate exterior helped maintain Fifth Avenue's carefully crafted image as a boulevard of the elite." By contrast, Laura Landro of The Wall Street Journal wrote in 2003 that the hotel's architecture severely constrained its layout. After HSH acquired the former Gotham, in 1989, a writer for The Wall Street Journal wrote: "You will check in at a leather-trimmed writing desk and never set eyes on anything so crass as a cash register or a mail slot. ... Even a lowly basket of bran muffins is served by a waiter in tails." A writer for the Toronto Star said in 2003, "If you feel flushed one weekend, the Peninsula's bathroom would be a great place to soak away your troubles." A reviewer for CN Traveler said the Peninsula's "huge, luxurious guest rooms, a top notch spa and swimming pool, an excellent restaurant (Clement), and one of the best service staffs in NYC make for an exceptional experience". The Times of London gave the Peninsula New York a score of 9 out of 10 in 2024, particularly praising its rooms and central location. The first edition of the Michelin Keys Guide, in 2024, ranked the Peninsula New York as a "one-key" hotel, the third-highest accolade granted by the guide. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had considered designating the Gotham Hotel as an official city landmark in 1966, in part because of its architecture. During the 1980s, preservationists had proposed designating the Gotham as a contributing property to a planned historic district along the midtown section of Fifth Avenue. The historic district was never created. The LPC again considered designating the Peninsula New York as a city landmark in the late 1980s; the Peninsula group did not object to the proposed designation. The LPC ultimately designated the Peninsula New York as a city landmark on June 6, 1989. == See also ==