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102-547: The Lexington Hotel, Autograph Collection is a hotel at 509 Lexington Avenue , at the southeast corner with 48th Street, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . The 27-story hotel was designed by Schultze & Weaver in the Romanesque Revival style and contains 725 rooms. The Lexington, one of several large hotels developed around Grand Central Terminal as part of Terminal City ,

204-668: A swing band around a jazz quartet ". During the Hawaiian Room's existence, the room hosted numerous Hawaiian musicians such as Alfred Apaka , Kui Lee , Emma Veary , Mahi Beamer , and Hilo Hattie , as well as bands led by Andy Iona , Ray Kinney , and Lani McIntyre . In addition, entertainer Arthur Godfrey broadcast his radio show live from the Hawaiian Room. When the Lexington was completed, trade publications such as Architect , The American Architect , Architectural Forum , and Architecture and Building reported on

306-408: A city block bounded by Lexington Avenue to the west, 48th Street to the north, Third Avenue to the east, and 47th Street to the south. The hotel occupies a rectangular land lot with an area of 17,522 sq ft (1,627.8 m). The site has a frontage of 100 ft (30 m) on Lexington Avenue and 175 ft (53 m) on 48th Street. The building is across from 245 Park Avenue to

408-478: A classic American cinematic moment in the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch in which Marilyn Monroe shot what would become her most famous scene. While standing on a subway grating outside the Loew's Lexington Theatre, her skirt billowed up from the wind underneath. While the footage showing the theatre in the background appeared in the finished film, the footage featuring the subway grate shot on September 15, 1954, on

510-415: A geometric pier, ornamented with a gilded capital at the first story and a stone lion above the second story. A small set of steps leads up to a recessed foyer, and there is also a wheelchair ramp. Above the entrance, there is a railing at the third story, behind which is a light court. The upper stories are generally clad with plain brick and contain random projecting groups of bricks. The spandrels, between

612-411: A geyser of hot steam up from beneath the avenue at 41st Street, resulting in one death and more than 40 injuries. Lexington Avenue runs one-way southbound for its entire length from 131st Street to 21st Street . Parallel to Lexington Avenue lies Park Avenue to its west and Third Avenue to its east. The avenue is largely commercial at ground level, with offices above. There are clusters of hotels in

714-696: A growth in popularity beginning in the 1980s when a resurgence in interest in historic preservation led to demand for architectural terracotta for restoration purposes. Historic manufacturers of terracotta such as Gladding, McBean , Ludowici-Celadon , and newer companies such as Boston Valley Terra Cotta all manufactured pieces used in the restoration of landmarks. Architects became interested in newer uses for terracotta and companies developed products such as rainscreen and wall cladding to allow for dynamic installations that retained terracotta's unique and distinct qualities while working with modern architectural styles. Terracotta can be made by pouring or pressing

816-499: A private park, which he called Gramercy Park . He was also developing property around Union Square and wanted the new road to improve the value of these tracts. The legislation was approved, and, as the owner of most of the land along the route of the new street, Ruggles was assessed for the majority of its cost. Ruggles named the southern section, below 20th Street , which opened in 1833, after his friend Washington Irving . The northern section, which opened three years later, in 1836,

918-420: A reputation for being a fireproof, lightweight cladding material that could protect metal from melting. Holes were bored in the hollow blocks in choice locations to allow for metal 'J' or 'Z' hooks to connect the blocks to the load bearing steel frame and/or masonry walls. The metal could be hung vertically or anchored horizontally. Pins, clamps, clips, plates, and a variety of other devices were used to help secure

1020-521: A small niche for meetings. The hotel also contains a two-story lobby with furnishings and art from the early 20th century, as well as a bar called the Mixing Room. The hotel originally had 801 guestrooms. Following a renovation in 2001, the hotel had 522 regular rooms, 101 deluxe rooms, and 82 suites. By 2012, the hotel had 712 rooms. At that time, the guestrooms were redecorated in a Jazz Age -inspired style with Art Deco patterns and furniture. One of

1122-509: A storefront at ground level. The tops of these piers contain Corinthian capitals, above which are engaged columns with winged lions atop them. Above the second-story windows of both wings are tympana, followed by a frieze with alternating rosettes and griffins. The 48th Street facade is similar in design to that on Lexington Avenue, except that some of the windows have been infilled and replaced with ventilation grates. The easternmost bay of

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1224-500: Is a New York City designated landmark . The hotel building contains a facade of brick, limestone, and architectural terracotta . It contains light courts facing north and west, as well as setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution . The limestone base is two to three stories high and contains storefronts, a main entrance on 48th Street, and an archway on Lexington Avenue. The upper stories are generally clad with plain brick and contain random projecting groups of bricks; there

1326-561: Is a narrow tower at the top of the building. The basement contains a restaurant space that formerly housed event venues, including the Hawaiian Room. When the hotel opened, it had 814 guestrooms, though this has been reduced over the years. The Lexington opened on October 15, 1929, and was originally operated by the Hotel Lexington Corporation, led by J. Leslie Kincaid . The hotel went into foreclosure in 1932, and Ralph Hitz 's National Hotel Management Company operated

1428-403: Is heated slowly to around 500°C to sweat off the loose or macroscopic water between the molecules. Then the temperature is increased to close to 900°C to release the chemically bonded water in gaseous form and the clay particles will begin to melt together or sinter. If the kiln reaches 1000°C then the clay particles will vitrtify and become glass like. After the maximum temperature was reached then

1530-756: Is often a cladding over a different structural material. Terracotta was made by the ancient Greeks , Babylonians , ancient Egyptians , Romans , Chinese , and the Indus River Valley and Native American cultures. It was used for roof tiles, medallions, statues, capitals and other small architectural details. Indian terracotta manufacturers hand pressed, poured, and double-molded the clay mix. Plaster casts have been found in several ancient sites in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Similarities in motifs and manufacturing processes have caused scholars to note cross cultural pollination between

1632-440: Is plastic and moldable. During the firing process the clays lose their water and become a hardened ceramic body. Fluxes add oxygen when they burn to create more uniform melting of the silica particles throughout the body of the ceramic. This increases the strength of the material. Common fluxing materials are calcium carbonate, alkaline feldspars, manganese, and iron oxides. Grog is used to prevent shrinking and provide structure for

1734-399: Is very strong in compression but weak in tension and shear strength. Any anomalous material expanding (ice, salts, incompatible fill material, or corroding metal anchors which cause rust jacking ) inside the clay body will cause it to crack and eventually spall . Inherent faults can severely impact the performance of the material. Improper molding can cause air pockets to form that increase

1836-464: The 1916 Zoning Resolution . It is variously cited as being 25, 27, or 30 stories high. This discrepancy is based on whether the towers atop the building, which have pyramidal roofs, are counted. The building's base is clad with limestone and ranges from two to three stories high. The rest of the facade is clad with red brick; at arbitrary intervals, there are projecting bricks which are laid on their header faces. In addition, there are light courts on

1938-602: The BMT Broadway Line ( N , ​ R , and ​ W trains) at Lexington Avenue/59th Street station . The Lexington Avenue–63rd Street station of the IND and BMT 63rd Street Lines ( F , <F> ​, and Q trains) is also located at Lexington Avenue, but it does not have a direct interchange with the Lexington Avenue Line. Lexington Avenue became part of

2040-476: The Bauhaus School and International Style further harmed the industry, despite attempts by manufacturers to create products suited to these styles. Structural problems of earlier terracotta resulting from incomplete waterproofing, improper installation, poor maintenance, and interior corroding mild steel provided bad publicity for terracotta and further harmed its reputation for architects. For much of

2142-689: The East 17th Street/Irving Place Historic District , and 19 Gramercy Park on the corner of 20th Street, part of the Gramercy Park Historic District . Offices located on Irving Place include those of The Nation magazine, the New York branch of AMORC and the Seafarers and International House mission. There are also a number of clinics and official city buildings along the street, including Washington Irving High School and

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2244-565: The New York City Subway runs under Lexington Avenue north of 42nd Street (at Grand Central–42nd Street station ) to 125th Street . South of Grand Central, this subway line runs under Park Avenue , Park Avenue South, and Fourth Avenue until Astor Place . The line interchanges with the IND Queens Boulevard Line ( E and ​ M trains) at Lexington Avenue/51st Street station and with

2346-706: The New Yorker Hotel 's manager Ralph Hitz , acquired the Lexington Hotel in March 1932. Reliance Property Management, headed by Frank W. Kriedel, was placed in charge of the Lexington's day-to-day operations. Shortly thereafter, as part of a foreclosure proceeding against the Lexington Hotel Corporation, a federal judge appointed Robert P. Patterson of Irving Trust as the hotel's receiver , and two groups were created to represent

2448-569: The Upper East Side , Midtown , and Murray Hill to a point of origin that is centered on Gramercy Park. South of Gramercy Park, the axis continues as Irving Place from 20th Street to East 14th Street . Lexington Avenue was not one of the streets included in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 street grid, so the addresses for cross streets do not start at an even hundred number, as they do with avenues that were originally part of

2550-501: The World Trade Center . The Lexington underwent a $ 518 million renovation, which was finished in 2001; several rooms were further renovated in 2004. MeriStar Hospitality bought a 49.99 percent stake in the hotel for $ 50 million in 2004. The hotel was renovated in 2006 for $ 20 million. LaSalle Bank placed a $ 100 million mortgage loan on the building in 2007. In May 2011, DiamondRock Hospitality agreed to pay $ 335 million for

2652-516: The 1850s, New York City architects like Richard Upjohn and James Renwick used it on some of their projects, but the material failed to gain widespread popularity and many American architects falsely believed it couldn't endure the North American climate. The Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed many of the wood and stone-constructed buildings of Chicago, Illinois , and spurred greater interest in fireproof building materials that could enable

2754-458: The 1890s most blocks were slip glazed or coated with a watered-down version of the clay mix. Liquefying the clay increased the amount of small silica particles that would be deposited on the surface of the block. These would melt during firing and harden. By 1900 almost all colors could be achieved with the addition of salt glazes. Black or brown were made by adding manganese oxide. The kiln firing process could take days, up to two weeks. The clay

2856-447: The 18th-floor suites, formerly occupied by baseball player Joe DiMaggio and his actress wife Marilyn Monroe , is themed to baseball and contains a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, two bathrooms, and a terrace. As of 2021, MCR Hotels operates the Lexington as a 725-room hotel. In the 19th century, New York Central Railroad lines north of Grand Central Depot in Midtown Manhattan were served exclusively by steam locomotives , and

2958-421: The 19th century onwards each piece of terracotta is composed of a hollow clay web enclosing a void space or cell. The cell can be installed in compression with mortar or hung with metal anchors; such cells are often partially backfilled with mortar. Terracotta can be used together with brick, for ornamental areas; if the source of the clay is the same they can be made to harmonize, or if different to contrast. It

3060-568: The 20th century the American terracotta industry was a fraction of its earlier scale and the few surviving companies largely subsisted on jobs producing less complex products like machine-produced ceramic veneers. Detailed architectural terracotta remained in use through the 1950s and 1960s, however it was often overlooked or misidentified. Architects during this time period did not embrace terracotta's natural properties and instead tended to use it to imitate other materials. Terracotta experienced

3162-451: The 30s and 40s, roughly from the avenue's intersection with 30th Street through to its intersection with 49th Street , and apartment buildings farther north. There are numerous structures designated as New York City Landmarks (NYCL), National Historic Landmarks (NHL), and National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on Lexington Avenue. From south to north (in increasing address order), they include: In contrast to Lexington Avenue,

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3264-414: The 48th Street entrance is recessed from the rest of the facade and contains a round arch with a service entrance. Directly above the service entrance, the second floor contains a pair of round-arched windows within a stone frame. The center of the 48th Street elevation contains the main entrance, which is three bays wide and is shielded by a projecting marquee with the hotel's name. Each bay is separated by

3366-895: The Hellenic and Indus River Valley sculptural terracotta traditions. Famous early examples include the Bhitargaon temple and the Jain temple in the Mahbubnagar district . Chinese, Korean, and Japanese terracotta making traditions were focused on non-architectural uses such as statuary or cookware but various forms of terracotta tiles were popular roofing materials. Greeks used terracotta for capitals, friezes, and other elements of their temples like at Olympia or Selenius. Domestically they used it for statuary and roof tiles. The Etruscans used terracotta for roof tiles, encased beams, and enclosed brick walls with it. The Roman terracotta innovation

3468-696: The LPC proposed protecting twelve buildings in East Midtown, including the Lexington Hotel, in advance of proposed changes to the area's zoning. On November 22, 2016, the LPC designated the Lexington Hotel and ten other nearby buildings as city landmarks. The hotel closed temporarily in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City . Hotel operator MCR Hotels , along with Three Wall Capital and Andrew Farkas 's firm Island Capital Group, acquired

3570-549: The Lexington Hotel Corporation), announced in May 1928 that he would begin demolishing existing structures on the site and construct a hotel at a cost of $ 6.5 million. S. W. Straus & Co. placed a $ 4.5 million mortgage loan on the hotel that month. At the time, many hotels, commercial structures, and office buildings were being developed on Lexington Avenue north of 42nd Street. Schultze and Weaver were hired as

3672-575: The Lexington Towers in 1990, including the 23rd floor, which contained non-smoking rooms. The Lexington Towers also contained a private lounge with a bar, as well as mini-fridges and turndown service in each room. In December 1999, Radisson Hotels announced that the hotel would operate as a Radisson franchise and would be renamed the Radisson Hotel New York-East Side. Highgate Oxford Hospitality took over

3774-457: The Lexington left the Radisson chain and became part of Marriott 's Autograph Collection . Since 2021, a joint venture between MCR Hotels , Three Wall Capital, and Island Capital Group has owned the Lexington. The Lexington Hotel is at 509 Lexington Avenue , at the southeast corner with 48th Street, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . It sits on the western portion of

3876-468: The Lexington's ground level originally had retail space instead of meeting areas. The basement of the hotel initially contained a dining room known as the Silver Grill, which opened in 1932 and was converted into the Hawaiian Room in 1937. Jac Lessman redesigned the Hawaiian Room with a wall mural painted by Carl Koeck, a blue ceiling, and palm-tree decorations. According to The Wall Street Journal ,

3978-590: The Paul Revere Tavern at the hotel in October 1937. The Hawaiian Room was extremely popular upon its opening, and it remained so in the early 1940s. Although Rochester became the president of Hotel Lexington Inc. in 1946, he continued to manage the Lexington. Louis Schleiffer acquired the hotel at the end of December 1954. As part of the agreement, Rochester was to continue operating the hotel, and general manager George W. Miller remained in his position. At

4080-658: The Radisson Lexington, making a 10 percent down payment . At the time, the new owner planned to sign a short-term agreement with Radisson. DiamondRock obtained a $ 170.4 million syndicated loan from a consortium of banks in March 2012. The hotel left the Radisson chain in September 2012, becoming an independent hotel known as The Lexington New York City. The Lexington was added to Marriott 's " Autograph Collection " brand in mid-2013. Highgate simultaneously announced that it would spend several million dollars renovating

4182-592: The S. Dynasty space into a 5,000 sq ft (460 m) meeting space. The ground level contains a pair of Art Deco-style meeting rooms known as the Speakeasy and the Interlude, which can collectively fit 120 people. The rooms are designed with neutral colors and purple hues, as well as artwork by Mao Kudo and Rose Dickson. The spaces are accessed from a pre-function space called the Swing Room, which adjoins

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4284-522: The architects, while Turner Construction was the general contractor. Several workers received craftsmanship awards at a ceremony in August 1929. The Hotel Lexington opened on October 15, 1929, one of several hotels to be built in Midtown Manhattan during the 1920s. From the outset, customers were banned from tipping the waitstaff at the hotel's bar and restaurant; instead, a 10 percent gratuity

4386-672: The art of courtesy and a desire to please." George Shepard Chappell , writing in The New Yorker under the pseudonym "T-Square", said the Lexington was "a romantic addition" to the avenue with which it shared a name. The hotel was also shown in the 2005 book Grand Hotels of the Jazz Age: The Architecture of Schultze & Weaver . In 1996, a writer for the New York Daily News described the Lexington as being "ideal for business travelers who need

4488-490: The avenue are the large apartment buildings which line the street from Gramercy Park to 17th Street . Also at 17th, a small bed-and-breakfast, the Inn at Irving Place, occupies two Greek Revival architecture townhouses built in 1840–1841 and renovated between 1991 and 1995. Historically and architecturally significant are 47 and 49 Irving Place—the latter where Washington Irving is said to have lived, but did not —which are part of

4590-511: The black-marble piers are large windows, which originally contained doorways. Next to these windows are angled piers, which contain depictions of eagles with shields at their capitals. A pair of flagpoles projects from these piers; the bases of the flagpoles are shaped like eagles. To the north and south of the Lexington Avenue archway are two-story wings, which are divided into multiple bays by angled piers. Each of those wings contains

4692-421: The blend through a sieve. An artist makes a negative plaster mold based on a clay positive prototype. 1–1¼" of the clay/water mixture is pressed into the mold. Wire mesh or other stiffeners are added to create the web, or clay body that surrounds the hollow cell. The product is air dried to allow the plaster to suck the moisture out of the green clay product. It is fired then slowly cooled. Mechanized extrusion

4794-485: The blocks. The joints would then be mortared and the block would be partially backfilled. Terracotta is made of a clay or silt matrix, a fluxing agent, and grog or bits of previously fired clay. Clays are the remnants of weathered rocks that are smaller than 2 microns. They are composed of silica and alumina. Kaolinite, halloysite, montmorillonite, illite and mica are all good types of clays for ceramic production. When mixed with water they create hydrous aluminum silica that

4896-443: The clay was slowly cooled over a few days. During firing a fireskin is created. A fireskin is the glass-like "bread crust" that covers the biscuit or interior body. Various kilns were used as technology developed and capital was available for investment. Muffle kilns were the most common kiln. They were used as early as 1870. The kilns burned gas, coal, or oil that heated an interior chamber from an exterior chamber. The walls "muffled"

4998-582: The corner of Lexington Avenue and 51st Street , was more of a publicity stunt; retakes were shot on a studio soundstage, and shots from both are seen in the film. This street was also featured in the film 1408 . The street is referenced in the Elton John song " Island Girl ", the first single from the album Rock of the Westies in 1976. Notes Further reading Architectural terracotta Usually solid in earlier uses, in most cases from

5100-434: The drawings were turned into a plaster reality by sculptors who would create the mold for the craftsmen. Clay selection was very important to manufacture of terracotta. Homogenous, finer grain sizes were preferred. The color of the clay body was determined by the types of deposits that were locally available to the manufacture. Sand was added to temper the process. Crushed ceramic scraps called grog were also added to stiffen

5202-496: The east. An assortment of restaurants and bars line Irving Place, including Pete's Tavern , New York's oldest surviving saloon, where O. Henry supposedly conceived of his short story " The Gift of the Magi ", and which survived Prohibition disguised as a flower shop. Irving Plaza , on East 15th Street and Irving, hosts numerous concerts for both well-known and indie bands and draws a crowd almost every night. Another component of

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5304-735: The elaborate construction of the era. James Taylor , an English-trained ceramicist , played a key role in establishing effective widespread terracotta production in the United States through his work for various firms such as the Chicago Terra Cotta Company, the Boston Terra Cotta Company, and the New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company . The American architectural terracotta industry peaked during

5406-531: The end of the 1920s and the onset of the Great Depression further harmed the industry: the number of terracotta companies dropped from eighteen in 1929 to eleven in 1933. This was largely attributed to architect's increasing preference for building with cheaper metal, glass, and cement. The time-intensive process of terracotta manufacture put it at a disadvantage compared to newer products. Changing fashions towards more minimalist, modern styles such as

5508-401: The fine clay matrix. The most common reasons for terracotta to fail are: poor manufacturing, improper installation, weathering, freeze/thaw cycling, and salt formation from atmospheric pollution. The porosity of terracotta greatly impacts its performance. The ability or inability for water and pollutants to enter into the material is directly correlated to its structural capacity. Terracotta

5610-464: The first decade of the 1900s. Architects began to employ combinations of colors to achieve dynamic designs and appearances. This usage diminished as time went on, especially after the success of Cass Gilbert 's Woolworth Building increased demand for monochromatic terracotta. Trends in the 1920s favored setbacks in skyscraper towers, leading to increasing demand for sculpted forms in low relief. Usage of terracotta in architecture had diminished through

5712-517: The flag at all." Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue , often colloquially abbreviated as " Lex ", is an avenue on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City . The avenue carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street . Along its 5.5-mile (8.9-kilometer), 110-block route, Lexington Avenue runs through Harlem , Carnegie Hill ,

5814-433: The gaps by rains water. The pollution creates a mildly acidic solution that eats at the clay body or a salt crust forms, causing similar issues as ice. With the majority of terracotta buildings being over one-hundred years old, failing terracotta has become a problem in many cities such as New York . Regular inspections and maintenance and repair programs are required by law, but nonetheless well-publicized incidents such as

5916-731: The headquarters of the New York City Human Resources Administration . The bottom of the street is anchored by the rear of the Zeckendorf Towers condominium apartment complex on the west side, and the Consolidated Edison Building on the east. The following buses use Lexington Avenue between the following streets (uptown buses run along Third Avenue): The IRT Lexington Avenue Line ( 4 , ​ 5 , ​ 6 , and <6> trains) of

6018-429: The heat so the greenware was not directly exposed to the flames. Down-draught kilns were also widely used. The interior chamber radiated heat around the terracotta by pulling in hot air from behind an exterior cavity wall. Like the muffle wall, the cavity wall protected the greenware from burning. The earliest terracotta elements were laid directly into the masonry but as structural metal became more popular terracotta

6120-484: The hostelry. During this time, the Lexington operated as a mid-priced hotel. The base of the hotel, which had been altered several times throughout its history, was rebuilt in the 1980s; the rebuilt base resembled the original design. The New York Playboy Club relocated to the Chateau Madrid's former space in 1983, but the club was only housed at the hotel for a short time. The hotel rebranded eight of its floors as

6222-519: The hotel in July 2021 for $ 185 million. The sale occurred amid a decline in tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Farkas reopened the hotel shortly afterward; prior to his purchase, the hotel had been closed since early 2020 due to the pandemic. In May 2024, the hotel was refinanced with a $ 155 million loan from Hudson Bay Capital . When the Lexington opened, some of the space on the southwest corner of

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6324-440: The hotel on May 2, 1955, he planned to lease it to a syndicate led by Saul Hertzig. In turn, Hertzig planned to spend $ 250,000 renovating the guestrooms. After Wien took title that May, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance placed a $ 3.25 million first mortgage on the hotel. Rochester resigned from his position as the hotel's manager that July. Hotel Lexington Associates, which owned the hotel, announced in 1963 that it would replace

6426-506: The hotel until 1937, when Hotel Lexington Inc. took over. Lawrence Wien bought the hotel in 1954 and leased it to a syndicate led by Saul Hertzig. Indian conglomerate Tata Group acquired the Lexington in 1981 and operated it for several years. The hotel became the Radisson Hotel New York-East Side in 1999 after becoming a franchise of Radisson Hotels . DiamondRock Hospitality acquired the hotel in 2011, and

6528-572: The hotel's bondholders. In August 1934, a group of bondholders asked the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to reorganize the Lexington Hotel Corporation; the corporation was reorganized the next year. The hotel's Silver Grill was one of the most popular entertainment venues in a New York City hotel by the mid-1930s, offering live music during lunch and dinner. The Silver Grill

6630-423: The hotel's manually-operated elevators with automatic cabs. To fund this renovation, the owner received a $ 140,000 mortgage loan on the property. After the Hawaiian Room's business declined sharply during the 1966 New York City transit strike , the room was closed temporarily, and the room was permanently shuttered after a fire the same year. The Chateau Madrid club moved into the Hawaiian Room's space in late 1968;

6732-539: The hotel's operation. Lexington Hotel LLC (a joint venture between the Blackstone Group , Goldman Sachs , Whitehall Street Real Estate , and Oxford Capital Partners) owned the hotel, while Highgate Hotels operated the hostelry. The retail space was rented to tenants such as Starbucks . Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, some of the hotel's space was offered to companies that had been displaced from

6834-450: The hotel, and the Lexington was renovated at a cost of $ 46 million. The project, completed in 2016, involved restoring architectural elements including the original brass elevator doors with songbird motifs. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) hosted public hearings in 2013 to determine whether the Lexington Hotel and four other structures in East Midtown should be designated as New York City landmarks. In mid-2016,

6936-569: The hotel. When Leonard B. Schultze of Schultze & Weaver applied for membership in the American Institute of Architects in 1929, he listed the then-recently-completed Lexington as one of twelve buildings in the U.S. that he designed. In a book published in 1932, W. Parker Chase wrote of the Lexington: "They term it 'The Hotel with a Heart' as everybody connected with the place from Bell Boy to President seems to have been drilled in

7038-450: The late 1800s and helped enable the construction of skyscrapers by allowing for more lightweight construction on top of tall metal-framed structures. The fire-resistance of terracotta protected structural steel on many buildings constructed during this period, such as New York City's Flatiron Building . There was an increase in popularity of architectural terracotta made with colored, or polychrome, glazed architectural terracotta during

7140-560: The late 19th century, when row houses and tenements , made of brick and brownstone, were developed in the area. The original architect was Schultze & Weaver , whose first major commission had been the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles. The hotel was designed in the Romanesque Revival style, with a facade of brick, limestone, and architectural terracotta . The hotel building contains setbacks to comply with

7242-409: The material. If the mortar used around and inside the blocks is too strong then the stress will be translated to the terracotta block which will fail over time. Corroding interior metal anchors expand at a faster rate than the surrounding ceramic body causing it to fail from the inside out. Improper loading of the hollow terracotta blocks can create stress cracks. Imperfect repair work often exacerbates

7344-783: The mezzanine was leased by the Sons of the American Revolution . The Hotel Lexington was home to many celebrities, including baseball player Joe DiMaggio , who resided at suite 1806; actress Marilyn Monroe , who lived with DiMaggio during their marriage; and actress Dorothy Lamour , who stayed at the hotel every time she visited the city. Later in the Lexington's history, its guests included U.S. President Bill Clinton , tennis player Roger Federer , and singer-actresses Patti LaBelle and Jennifer Lopez . The hotel's Silver Grill hosted performances by Artie Shaw 's band, which The New York Times described as "an ill-fated attempt to build

7446-454: The mix into a plaster or sandstone mold, clay can be hand carved, or mix can be extruded into a mold using specialized machines. Clay shrinks as it dries from water loss therefore all molds are made slightly larger than the required dimensions. After the desired green-ware, or air dried, shape is created it is fired in a kiln for several days where it shrinks even further. The hot clay is slowly cooled then hand finished. The ceramics are shipped to

7548-406: The north and west elevations above the 2nd floor, and there are windows with brick spandrels above the 5th floor. The center of the Lexington Avenue facade contains a round arch, which was originally an entrance but has since been converted to a storefront. The arch is flanked by black-marble piers, and there is an overhanging marquee and a semicircular glass window directly above the entrance. On

7650-487: The plan. Both Lexington Avenue and Irving Place began in 1832 when Samuel Ruggles , a lawyer and real-estate developer, petitioned the New York State Legislature to approve the creation of a new north–south avenue between the existing Third and Fourth Avenues , between 14th and 30th Streets . Ruggles purchased land in the area and was developing it as a planned community of townhouses around

7752-428: The prestige of a name-brand midtown hotel", saying that it was "decorated in a subdued traditional style, with plenty of lobby room to meet friends or business associates". Christopher Gray wrote for The New York Times in 2009 that the hotel's Lexington Avenue entrance was a " Frappuccino gauntlet" because there was a Starbucks on both sides, but that the flagpoles were a "disrespectful, throwaway cast. Better not to fly

7854-415: The product and help reduce shrinkage. Weathering the clay allowed pyrites to chemically change to hydrated ferric oxide and reduced alkali content. This aging minimizes the potential chemical changes during the rest of the manufacturing process. The weathered raw clay was dried, ground, and screened. Later, it would have been pugged in a mill that would mix the clay with water using rotating blades and force

7956-422: The project site where they are installed by local contractors. The hollow pieces are partially backfilled with mortar then placed into the wall, suspended from metal anchors, or hung on metal shelf angles. Academically trained artists were often the designers of the terracotta forms. Their drawings would be interpreted by the manufacturer who would plan out the joint locations and anchoring system. Once finalized,

8058-410: The rate of deterioration. If the block is not fired or cooled properly then the fireskin will not be uniformly adhered to the substrate and can flake off. Likewise, if a glaze is not fired properly it will crack, flake, and fall off. Discolorations can result from mineral impurities such as pyrites or barium carbonates. A fair amount of damage comes from clumsy transportation, storage, or installation of

8160-513: The restaurant was described as having the "best Polynesian cuisine east of the Pacific". By 2012, the hotel had three restaurants: a Latin-American cafe named Taina Café, a gourmet Chinese restaurant named S. Dynasty, and a casual eatery called Raffles. The lobby contained a reception desk with an illuminated clock behind it. The modern design of the Lexington's public rooms dates to a 2016 renovation by architectural firm dash design, which converted

8262-524: The rising traffic soon caused accumulations of smoke and soot in the Park Avenue Tunnel , the only approach to the depot. After a fatal crash in 1902, the New York state legislature passed a law to ban all steam trains in Manhattan by 1908. The New York Central's vice president William J. Wilgus proposed electrifying the line and building a new electric-train terminal underground, a plan that

8364-494: The same time as the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway . The widened street and the subway line both opened on July 17, 1918. Portions of the avenue were widened in 1955, which required eminent domain takings of the facades of some structures along Lexington. Lexington Avenue has carried one-way (downtown) traffic since July 17, 1960. The 2007 New York City steam explosion sent

8466-474: The second floor, the archway is flanked by windows with engaged columns on either side, which in turn are topped by tympana . In addition, the facade contains sculptural details such as griffins , rosettes , and six sculpted figures (two sitting, four standing) that signify the seasons. The third floor contains two arcaded windows, both of which are flanked by columns that contain winged lions at their bases and human faces at their capitals . On either side of

8568-460: The six-block stretch of Irving Place from 14th to 20th Street at Gramercy Park carries two-way traffic and is decidedly local in nature. After the opening of Union Square in 1839, the Irving Place area became one of the most sought-after residential neighborhoods in the city, a situation which was only enhanced by the development of Gramercy Park to the north and Stuyvesant Square to

8670-772: The southwest, 277 Park Avenue to the west, the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel and 299 Park Avenue to the northwest, and the New York Marriott East Side to the north. The Lexington was part of "Hotel Row", a collection of hotels developed along Lexington Avenue in the early 20th century. Prior to the development of the Hotel Lexington, the site had been occupied by a brick "elevator building". The surrounding section of Lexington Avenue from 42nd to 52nd Street did not experience significant development until

8772-494: The space could accommodate either 600 or 700 guests. Charles Hertzig served as the hotel's director until he died in 1968. By the 1970s, community college students were trying to encourage business at the Lexington Hotel. The Chateau Madrid was sold in 1974 but continued to operate at the hotel into the late 1970s. Indian conglomerate Tata Group acquired the Lexington in September 1981, and the Taj Hotels chain began managing

8874-480: The surrounding area, particularly in Terminal City , a commercial and office district created above where the tracks were covered. Terminal City soon became Manhattan's most desirable commercial and office district. 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." The Lexington

8976-399: The survival of terracotta. Different types of air pollution can cause different types of surface problems. When it rains, water and salts get sucked into the voids in and around the terracotta through capillary action. If it freezes then ice forms, putting internal stress on the material, causing it to crack from inside. A similar problem happens with atmospheric pollutants that are carried into

9078-438: The time, the hotel contained 801 rooms and was assessed at $ 3.75 million. The shareholders of Hotel Lexington Inc. approved the sale in early February 1955; Schleiffer would buy 83 percent of the corporation's 91,110 outstanding shares of common stock for $ 5.25 million. Before Schleiffer could finalize his purchase, real-estate investor Lawrence Wien agreed to buy Schleiffer's contract for the hotel. Wien planned to take title to

9180-440: The transom windows on this story (at the top of each arch) have been infilled. There are bird-shaped finials above the 21st-story spandrels and lintels. A narrow tower, with round arches and a pyramidal roof, rises above the Lexington Avenue facade on the 21st story. In addition, the southern wing on Lexington Avenue has a mansard roof and a chimney. There are an additional chimney and tower on 48th Street. Unlike in older hotels,

9282-399: The underlying problems, speeding up the decay of surrounding elements as well. Making penetrations in terracotta units to attach objects to the outside walls also allows moisture to enter the system, and often crack the terracotta as well. Installing sealant rather than mortar, or applying impervious coating, will trap moisture within the terracotta. The environment also plays a large role in

9384-429: The windows on each story, contain geometric motifs. The windows, parapets , and the side walls adjacent to the parapets are decorated in terracotta. Some of the bricks, windows, and terracotta detailing have been replaced over the years. In the easternmost bay on 48th Street, the third-floor windows have stone frames, while the fourth-floor windows have stone sills. The 21st-story windows consist of round arches, although

9486-540: Was applied to all guests. The Lexington was one of 33 hotels in the American Hotel Corporation chain. The restaurant space in the basement was initially unoccupied until 1932, when the Silver Grill opened there. Because the Lexington had opened at the beginning of the Great Depression , its business suffered, and the hotel defaulted on both its $ 3.9 million first mortgage and $ 600,000 second mortgage. The National Hotel Management Company, operated by

9588-454: Was fairly successful at making small architectural ornaments. Their company was taken over by George and Eleanor Coade in 1769. [See Coade stone , See Eleanor Coade ] George died a year later, leaving the company to his wife and daughter, both named Eleanor Coade. The Coade ladies popularized the grey mix of terracotta as an alternative to stone with the help of architects like Horace Walpole and Sir John Soane. Georgian architectural style

9690-417: Was implemented almost in its entirety. The old Grand Central Depot was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal. Construction on Grand Central Terminal started in 1903, and the new terminal was opened on February 2, 1913. Passenger traffic on the commuter lines into Grand Central more than doubled in the years following the terminal's completion. The terminal spurred development in

9792-545: Was in vogue and demand for repetitive, classically inspired décor was very fashionable. The Victoria and Albert Museum (1867–1880) and the Natural History Museum of London (1879–1880) buildings ushered in an era of mass-produced architectural terracotta. The earliest manufacturer of architectural terracotta in the United States was started by Henry Tolman Jr. in Worcester, Massachusetts , around 1849. In

9894-536: Was named after the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War . In 1899, Lexington Avenue was the location of the first arrest in New York City for speeding when a bicycle patrolman overtook cabdriver Jacob German, who had been racing down the avenue at the "reckless" speed of 12 mph (19 km/h). The portion of Lexington Avenue above East 42nd Street was reconstructed at

9996-639: Was one of several hotels developed in Terminal City, along with other hostelries such as the Barclay, Commodore , Roosevelt , and Biltmore . Tishman Realty & Construction had purchased the site at the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 48th Street, then quickly resold it to the Lexington Hotel Corporation, in the late 1920s. General J. Leslie Kincaid , the president of the American Hotel Corporation (parent company of

10098-406: Was renovated into the Hawaiian Room in mid-1937. The National Hotel Management Company stopped operating the Lexington in July 1937 because it wanted to focus on managing the nearby Hotel Montclair. John M. Stoddard, who had been elected as Hotel Lexington Inc.'s president, appointed Charles E. Rochester as the new manager. Within a month, hotel officials began planning an outdoor cafe, and they opened

10200-478: Was suspended by metal anchors. The development of cast and later wrought iron as a structural material was closely linked to the rise of terracotta. Cast iron was first used as columns in the 1820s by William Strickland. Over the course of the 19th century metal became more incorporated into construction but it was not widely used structurally until the late 1890s. A series of disastrous fires ( Chicago, 1871 ; Boston, 1872 ; and San Francisco, 1906 ) earned terracotta

10302-431: Was the underfloor or hypocaust heating system that they used for their bath houses. Medieval European architecture did not expand terracotta use beyond the ancients. The manufacture of tile roofs diminished with low cost thatch roofing widely available. Southern German , Italian and Spanish city states kept the tradition alive. Richard Holt and Thomas Ripley patented an artificial stone recipe in 1722. The business

10404-429: Was used for the mass-production of terracotta blocks, popular in the 1920s. Prepared clay was fed into a machine that would then push the mix through a mold. The technique required the blocks to be made with simple shapes, so this process was often used for flooring, roofing, cladding, and later hollow clay tiles. The last step before firing the greenware was glazing . True glazes are made from various salts but prior to

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