The Hudson New York was constructed in 1928 by
Anne Morgan, daughter of
J. P. Morgan, as the American Women's Association clubhouse and residence for young women in New York. It was completed in 1929. The building contained 1,250 rooms, along with a swimming pool, restaurant, gymnasium and music rooms along with a multitude of specialized meeting rooms. The American Women's Association went bankrupt in 1941 and the clubhouse building was converted into
The Henry Hudson Hotel, open to both men and women. During
World War II the building housed Dutch soldiers. More recently, until 1997 the second through ninth floors served as the headquarters for public television station
WNET; the
MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour was broadcast from the building. and designer
Philippe Starck. When their rechristened Hudson opened, it was the team's second hotel collaboration in New York, following the
Paramount Hotel by 10 years. They made over the hotel to be relatively affordable but trendier, with the goal described as 'Cheap Chic'. In compensation for the constraints of the private spaces, the designers decided to focus their efforts on creating large and dramatic public spaces. Hudson Bar, with its glowing yellow glass floor by Mison Concepts and ceiling fresco by
Francesco Clemente, == References ==