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Wyndham New Yorker Hotel

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Mixed use is a type of urban development , urban design , urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses , such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some degree physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections. Mixed-use development may be applied to a single building, a block or neighborhood, or in zoning policy across an entire city or other administrative unit. These projects may be completed by a private developer, (quasi-)governmental agency, or a combination thereof. A mixed-use development may be a new construction, reuse of an existing building or brownfield site , or a combination.

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118-814: The New Yorker Hotel is a mixed-use hotel building at 481 Eighth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . Opened in 1930, the New Yorker Hotel was designed by Sugarman and Berger in the Art Deco style and is 42 stories high, with four basement stories. The hotel building is owned by the Unification Church , which rents out the lower stories as offices and dormitories. The upper stories comprise The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel , which has 1,083 guestrooms and

236-480: A frontage of 197.5 ft (60.2 m) on Eighth Avenue to the west and 150 ft (46 m) on both 34th Street to the south and 35th Street to the north. Manhattan Center abuts the hotel to the west, while One Penn Plaza , Madison Square Garden , and Pennsylvania Station are to the southeast. Just prior to the New Yorker's development, the site was occupied by 17 buildings, owned by Frederick Brown and

354-535: A loss reserve of $ 5.5 million on the hotel. The New York Daily News reported in June 1975 that the New Yorker owed the second-most real-estate taxes of any building in New York City, with $ 1.8 million in back taxes . A syndicate led by Irving Schatz had acquired a purchase option for the hotel by early 1976; at the time, the New Yorker's only occupant was a ground-level bank branch. Schatz planned to convert

472-538: A $ 500,000 advertising campaign for the hotel, which at the time was far removed from many of Midtown Manhattan's major attractions. Hitz also hired Bernie Cummins 's orchestra to play at the hotel. The hotel's facade had been completed in September 1929. The hotel required massive amounts of materials, including 51,000 bedsheets, 85 miles of carpets, 45 tons of glass, and six carloads of china. The New Yorker ultimately cost $ 22.5 million and contained 2,500 rooms, making it

590-520: A cafe. The terrace restaurant abutted an outdoor "summer terrace" with a retractable ice rink. The terrace restaurant hosted both ice shows and Big Bands . The ice shows were discontinued in 1946 because of the expense of replacing the ice rink and because of the American Guild of Variety Artists ' support for removing the ice shows, although they resumed in 1948 due to high demand. The Terrace Room's shows were discontinued permanently in 1950 after

708-542: A catalyst for economic growth, may not serve their intended purpose if they simply shift economic activity, rather than create it. A study done by Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) found that "90 percent of Hudson Yards' new office tenants relocated from Midtown." Some of the more frequent mixed-use scenarios in the United States are: The first large-scale attempt to create mixed-use development in Australia

826-484: A chandelier suspended from the coffered ceiling , and added new check-in and concierge desks. In addition, storefronts within the lobby were removed to make way for entrances to the Tick Tock Diner and Cooper's Tavern restaurants. A mezzanine overlooked the lobby. On the mezzanine level was a double-height main ballroom with walnut paneling and more murals by Jambor on each wall. The main ballroom also contained

944-716: A city can be impacted by mixed-use development. With the EPA putting models in the spreadsheet, it makes it much easier for municipalities, and developers to estimate the traffic, with Mixed-use spaces. The linking models also used as a resource tool measures the geography, demographics, and land use characteristics in a city. The Environmental Protection Agency has conducted an analysis on six major metropolitan areas using land usage, household surveys, and GIS databases. States such as California, Washington, New Mexico, and Virginia have adopted this standard as statewide policy when assessing how urban developments can impact traffic. Preconditions for

1062-579: A combination of public and private interests, do not show a decrease in carbon emissions in comparison to metropolitan areas that have a low, dense configuration. This is possibly because hybrid metropolises are prone to attract car traffic from visitors. Due to the speculative nature of large scale real estate developments, mega-mixed-use projects often fall short on meeting equity and affordability goals. High-end residential, upscale retail, and Class A office spaces appealing to high-profile tenants are often prioritized due to their speculative potential. There

1180-427: A combined 3,700 hp (2,800 kW). The plant could generate up to 2,575 kW (3,453 hp), but the hotel only used 850 kW (1,140 hp) on average. It was anticipated that the excess electricity would be sold to nearby buildings, but this did not happen. At the time, this was the largest private power plant in the United States, as well as an early example of a cogeneration plant. The power plant saved

1298-419: A double-story lobby. It originally had green-marble paneling; some of Jambor's murals, depicting scenes from New York City's history, were placed on the lobby's north and south walls and on the ceiling. The lobby was redesigned in 1953 with glass screens and wooden paneling, as well as classical details like Corinthian columns and chandeliers. During a 2009 renovation, designers restored the marble floor, installed

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1416-523: A foreclosure proceeding. The hotel was closed in 1972 and sold to the French and Polyclinic Medical School and Health Center , which unsuccessfully attempted to develop a hospital there. The Unification Church purchased the building in 1976 and initially used it as a global headquarters. After the top stories of the building reopened as a hotel in 1994, the lower stories were used as offices and dormitories. The hotel rooms have undergone multiple renovations since

1534-656: A hospital, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) had to approve the plans, and the New York State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) had to agree to a mortgage commitment for the project. NYSDOH did not approve the plans until eight months after the hotel closed. Afterward, the HFA twice rejected French and Polyclinic's application for a mortgage commitment, saying that the medical center did not have enough capital for

1652-524: A hotel at Eighth Avenue and 34th Street in February 1928, while they were developing the Navarre Building. The hotel was to have 38 stories rising 400 ft (120 m), as well as five basements descending 75 ft (23 m). With 2,503 rooms, it would be larger than the nearby Hotel Pennsylvania , which at the time had the most rooms of any hotel in the city. The New Yorker would also be

1770-412: A linen room and valet shop, while on the third basement was the laundry room. The lowest of the hotel's basements contained the power plant. There was a Manufacturers Trust bank branch on the first basement and second floor, designed by Sugarman and Berger. The branch's main entrance was a carved bronze door leading to a lobby, where stairs led up to the second floor and down to the basement. The stairs to

1888-425: A power plant and boiler room on its fourth basement, which could support the needs of 35,000 daily guests at the time of the hotel's opening. When the New Yorker opened, it was one of the few large buildings in New York City with its own power plant. The power plant included four uniflow steam engines and one 530 hp (400 kW) diesel engine. One of the steam engines was rated at 640 hp (480 kW), while

2006-428: A projection room at its rear. Also at mezzanine level was a terrace ballroom with space for 300 people; it had tapestries on its walls. When the hotel reopened in the 1990s, the two ballrooms on the mezzanine (now the second floor) were restored, and seven meeting rooms were constructed on the third floor. In the mid-2000s, an exhibit with 500 artifacts from the hotel's history was installed on the mezzanine. Joseph Kinney,

2124-407: A renovation in 2009, the hotel was retrofitted with a four-pipe system of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), allowing guests to set their own temperature settings. Most of the building's modern-day hot water supply comes from the cogeneration plant. The building contains a storage tank with a capacity of 50,000 U.S. gal (190,000 L; 42,000 imp gal). Water from

2242-429: A ring with an elongated stone or setting, a diamond cut as a navette (late 19th century), and a style of woman's hat (1889). The oldest form of the word's root *merg- meant "boundary, border." Other words that descended from this Proto-Indo-European root include margin , margrave , and mark . Early examples of the modern use of marquee include Movie marquee designs in the United States are closely related to

2360-417: A role in 1986 with a zoning bylaw that allowed for commercial and residential units to be mixed. At the time, Toronto was in the beginning stages of planning a focus on developing mixed-use development due to the growing popularity of more social housing. The law has since been updated as recently as 2013, shifting much of its focus outside the downtown area which has been a part of the main city since 1998. With

2478-465: A sign with the name "New Yorker" in 21 ft-high (6.4 m) capital letters. The original sign was illuminated from 1941 to 1967. The sign was dark until 2005, when it was replaced with an LED sign manufactured by LED Solution of Kitchener, Ontario . The sign can be seen from northern New Jersey , across the Hudson River to the west. Each of the letters can be illuminated separately, allowing

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2596-509: A significant focus on affordable housing provisions in these plans. Mixed-use buildings can be risky given that there are multiple tenants residing in one development. Mega-mixed-use projects, like Hudson Yards , are also extremely expensive. This development has cost the City of New York over 2.2 billion dollars. Critics argue that taxpayer dollars could better serve the general public if spent elsewhere. Additionally, mixed-use developments, as

2714-618: A significant intersection in Toronto, portions of the Mirvish Village project site are zoned as "commercial residential" and others as "mixed commercial residential". Within the City of Toronto's zoning by-laws, commercial residential includes "a range of commercial, residential and institutional uses, as well as parks." Mirvish Village's programmatic uses include rental apartments, a public market, and small-unit retail, while also preserving 23 of 27 heritage houses on site. The project

2832-512: A single-bedroom unit to $ 30 for a suite with a terrace. The New Yorker also employed 92 "telephone girls", as well as 95 switchboard operators and 150 laundry staff, who washed 450,000 pieces of linen per day. The hotel had been completed at the beginning of the Great Depression , so it was initially largely empty. The New York Observer said that, according to one urban legend, the hotel's management attracted business by turning on all

2950-569: A strong ability to adapt to changing social and economic environments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, New York retailers located on long, commercially oriented blocks suffered severely as they were no longer attracting an audience of passersby. By combining multiple functions into one building or development, mixed-use districts can build resiliency through their ability to attract and maintain visitors. More sustainable transportation practices are also fostered. A study of Guangzhou, China , done by

3068-648: A student dormitory. The New Yorker Hotel was built by Mack Kanner, who had helped create the Garment District of Manhattan during the mid-1920s. Kanner had previously hired Sugarman and Berger to design the Navarre Building within the Garment District. Kanner wished to build a hotel on 34th Street, which he believed was "destined to be the most important crosstown thoroughfare in the city". Kanner and Jacob S. Becker announced plans for

3186-517: A tax exemption. Although the Appeals Court ruling did not specifically name the New Yorker Hotel, church officials insisted that the hotel was also tax-exempt. City officials disagreed and, in August 1982, initiated foreclosure proceedings on the hotel, which had $ 4.5 million in unpaid back taxes. At the time, church officials used the hotel as a dormitory and conducted services there. Ultimately,

3304-457: A wrought-iron grille with the bank's initials. The space itself contained coupon desks and a private conference room, all with wood paneling. The bank branch was closed during the 1980s and was abandoned for several decades. By 2017, the old safe-deposit department had been converted into the Butcher and Banker restaurant. The restaurant retained many of the bank's original design features, such as

3422-407: Is a 36 ft-high (11 m) LED sign that could change color during special occasions. The fifth through 43rd stories are clad in face brick with some terracotta ornament. The facade mainly consists of vertical bays of windows, separated by vertical gray-brick piers . According to architect Robert A. M. Stern , the alternating bays and piers gave "an impression of boldly modeled masses. This

3540-618: Is also a trend towards making residential spaces in mixed-use developments to be condominiums, rather than rental spaces. A study done by the Journal of the American Planning Association found that a focus on homeownership predominantly excludes individuals working in public services, trades, cultural, sales and service, and manufacturing occupations from living in amenity-rich city centers. Despite incentives like density bonuses, municipalities and developers rarely put

3658-462: Is also absent in Germany and Russia where zoning codes make no distinction between different types of housing. America's attachment to private property and the traditional 1950s suburban home, as well as deep racial and class divides, have marked the divergence in mixed-use zoning between the continents. As a result, much of Europe's central cities are mixed use "by default" and the term "mixed-use"

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3776-535: Is also found in these districts. This development pattern is centered around the idea of "live, work, play," transforming buildings and neighborhoods into multi-use entities. Efficiency, productivity, and quality of life are also increased with regards to workplaces holding a plethora of amenities. Examples include gyms, restaurants, bars, and shopping. Mixed-use neighborhoods promote community and socialization through their bringing together of employees, visitors, and residents. A distinctive character and sense-of-place

3894-399: Is created by transforming single use districts that may run for eight hours a day (ex. commercial office buildings running 9am - 5pm) into communities that can run eighteen hours a day through the addition of cafes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Safety of neighborhoods in turn may be increased as people stay out on the streets for longer hours. Mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings have

4012-469: Is derived from the Middle French word marquise (the final /z/ probably being mistaken as -s plural), the feminine form corresponding to marquis ('nobleman'). The word marquise was also used to refer to various objects and fashions regarded as elegant or pleasing, hence: a kind of pear (1690), a canopy placed over a tent (1718), a type of settee (1770), a canopy in front of a building (1835),

4130-422: Is incentivized in these regions. By taking undervalued and underutilized land, often former heavy industrial, developers can repurpose it to increase land and property values.  These projects also increase housing variety, density, and oftentimes affordability through their focus on multifamily, rather than single-family housing compounds. A more equal balance between the supply and demand of jobs and housing

4248-464: Is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel , theatre , casino , train station , or similar building. It often has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist(s) appearing at that venue. The marquee is sometimes identifiable by a surrounding compound of light bulbs, usually yellow or white, that flash intermittently or as chasing lights . The current usage of

4366-717: Is much more relevant regarding new areas of the city where an effort is made to mix residential and commercial activities – such as in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands . Expanded use of mixed-use zoning and mixed-use developments may be found in a variety of contexts, such as the following (multiple such contexts might apply to one particular project or situation): Any of the above contexts may also include parallel contexts such as: Mixed-use developments are home to significant employment and housing opportunities. Many of these projects are already located in established downtown districts, meaning that development of public transit systems

4484-582: Is notable for its public consultation process, which was lauded by Toronto city officials. Architect Henriquez and the developer had previously collaborated on mixed-use projects in Vancouver , British Columbia , including the successful Woodward's Redevelopment . In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborates with local governments by providing researchers developing new data that estimates how

4602-402: Is operated by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts . The 1-million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) building also contains two restaurants and approximately 33,000 square feet (3,100 m) of conference space. The facade is largely made of brick and terracotta, with Indiana limestone on the lower stories. There are setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution , as well as a large sign with

4720-562: Is the US's largest project to ever be financed by TIF ( tax increment financing ) subsidies. It did not require voter approval, nor did it have to go through the city's traditional budgeting process. Rather, the project is financed by future property taxes and the EB-5 Visa Program. This program provides VISAs to overseas investors in exchange for placing a minimum of $ 500,000 into US real estate. Marquee (structure) A marquee

4838-729: The Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit as the first hotel in the chain in January 1932. Hitz renewed his original five-year lease for 30 more years in 1933, and Frank L. Andrews was hired the next year as the hotel's general manager. When Andrews was promoted to a vice president of the National Hotel Management Company in 1936, George V. Riley became the hotel's resident manager, overseeing day-to-day operations. The Equitable Life Assurance Society gave

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4956-555: The Manufacturers Trust Company . When the New Yorker was built, a bank branch for Manufacturers Trust was constructed at its base. The New Yorker Hotel was designed by Sugarman and Berger and is 42 stories high. The New Yorker Hotel also has four basement levels. Much like the contemporary Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building , the New Yorker was designed in the Art Deco style, which

5074-472: The 1960s. Since the 1990s, mixed-use zoning has once again become desirable as it works to combat urban sprawl and increase economic vitality. In most of Europe, government policy has encouraged the continuation of the city center's role as a main location for business, retail, restaurant, and entertainment activity, unlike in the United States where zoning actively discouraged such mixed use for many decades. In England, for example, hotels are included under

5192-399: The 19th story. The New Yorker was built by Mack Kanner and was originally operated by Ralph Hitz , who died in 1940 and was succeeded by Frank L. Andrews. Hilton Hotels bought the hotel in 1954 and, after conducting extensive renovations, sold the hotel in 1956 to Massaglia Hotels. New York Towers Inc. acquired the New Yorker in 1959 but surrendered the property to Hilton in 1967 as part of

5310-790: The Journal of Geographical Information Science, found that taxis located in regions where buildings housed a greater variety of functions had greatly reduced traveling distances. Shorter traveling distances, in turn, support the use of micro-mobility . Pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure are fostered due to increased density and reduced distances between housing, workplaces, retail businesses, and other amenities and destinations. Additionally, mixed-use projects promote health and wellness, as these developments often provide better access (whether it be by foot, bicycle, or transit) to farmer's markets and grocery stores. However, hybrid metropolises, areas that have large and tall buildings which accommodate

5428-541: The Manufacturers Trust bank branch at the hotel's base opened the next day. The hotel officially opened on January 2, 1930. Eight hundred guests made reservations on the first day, many of whom took home souvenirs, prompting Hitz to predict that "the total loss will exceed everything in the past history of hotel openings". Upon the hotel's completion, it employed 17 manicurists, 43 barbers, and numerous multilingual waiters. Nightly room rates ranged from $ 3.30 for

5546-581: The New Yorker Hotel a loan of $ 6.5 million in 1938, and Leo A. Molony of the Hotel Pennsylvania was hired as the New Yorker's resident manager the same year. Hitz continued to acquire hotels for his chain, which contained seven hotels when it was disbanded upon his death in January 1940. After Hitz died, Andrews became the New Yorker Corporation's president. The hotel had received three million total guests by 1941. The same year,

5664-402: The New Yorker consistently lost money from the 1930s to the early 1950s. The Manufacturers Trust Company's president disclosed in early 1946 that it had taken over control of the hotel. The New Yorker's managers announced the same year that they would install television sets in some of the public rooms. The hotel's managers also installed TVs in 100 guestrooms in 1948, making it the second hotel in

5782-571: The New Yorker for $ 12.5 million, prompting Andrews to announce that he would retire from the New Yorker Hotel Corporation. Hilton Hotels took title to the hotel the following month and immediately started renovating the hotel, completing the first phase of the project in March 1954. A meditation chapel opened within the New Yorker that May. The chain allocated another $ 1.5 million to further renovations in June 1954, and it hired

5900-425: The New Yorker into a homeless shelter for 500 families who had been displaced by emergencies. Manhattan Community Board 4 , which represented the neighborhood, indicated that October that it needed additional time to consider plans for the shelter. French and Polyclinic unsuccessfully attempted to obtain private funding for the hospital from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith , and the city government rejected

6018-402: The New Yorker project. State assemblyman Andrew Stein said the medical center's bankruptcy was a direct result of its acquisition of the New Yorker. The medical center's president, Stanley Salmen, resigned in late 1973 after controversies over the bankruptcy filing and the New Yorker's delayed renovation. To reduce its increasing losses, in September 1974, the medical center proposed converting

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6136-483: The New Yorker received an 83 percent property-tax exemption. The New Yorker did not operate as a commercial hotel, as all of the guestrooms were reserved for church members. The hotel largely housed unmarried adherents of the Unification Church, but their numbers had dwindled after the church conducted a mass-marriage ceremony at Madison Square Garden in 1982. Consequently, the New Yorker was closed during

6254-680: The New Yorker. Hilton sold the New Yorker in May 1956 to Massaglia Hotels for $ 20 million, despite the fact that the chain had already sold the Roosevelt. As partial payment for the New Yorker, Joseph Massaglia Jr. of Massaglia Hotels sold the Senator Hotel in Sacramento, California , to Hilton. Massaglia took over the hotel at the beginning of September 1956, paying an estimated $ 20 million. Charles W. Cole of Massaglia Hotels began managing

6372-457: The United States came after World War II when planner and New York City Parks Commissioner , Robert Moses , championed superhighways to break up functions and neighborhoods of the city. The antithesis to these practices came from activist and writer, Jane Jacobs , who was a major proponent of mixed-use zoning, believing it played a key role in creating an organic, diverse, and vibrant streetscape. These two figures went head-to-head during much of

6490-473: The Walter M. Ballard Corporation to convert the hotel's former Empire Tea Room into a restaurant for $ 175,000. Hilton Hotels refurbished the hotel's cafe and installed an escalator from the lobby to the cafe, the first escalator in a hotel in New York City. The chain planned to repaint all of the rooms, as well as renovate hallways and guestrooms on four stories so they could be used for trade exhibits. In addition,

6608-407: The building into 1,000 apartments. Hilton and Equitable Life allowed Schatz to extend his option, but he could not obtain financing from major savings banks because of the low occupancy rate of a nearby residential development, Manhattan Plaza . The Unification Church , led by Sun Myung Moon , agreed to buy the hotel in May 1976. The church paid $ 5.6 million, a discount of more than $ 3 million from

6726-644: The chain planned to replace twin beds in 100 guest rooms, redecorate 45 luxury suites, and install air-conditioning in several public rooms. Meanwhile, Hilton Hotels had purchased the Statler Hotels chain in 1954. At the time, it owned large hotels in many major cities, including the New Yorker, the Roosevelt, the Pennsylvania, the Plaza , and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Consequently,

6844-412: The church's global headquarters. The Unification Church had about 1,500 full-time volunteers in the New York City area at the time; these volunteers would renovate the hotel themselves and use it as a dormitory. U.S. representative Bella Abzug criticized the fact that Moon planned to hire his adherents, rather than unionized laborers, for the renovations. By August 1976, there were 150 volunteers living on

6962-546: The city with guestroom TVs, after the Roosevelt . That year, the hotel spent $ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 634,000 in 2023) to combine eight double rooms into one luxury suite. Gene Voit was named as the New Yorker's general manager in 1951. Andrews announced in early 1953 that he planned to spend $ 600,000 on renovating the hotel, hiring Eleanor Le Maire to redesign the lobby. Hilton Hotels agreed in November 1953 to acquire

7080-589: The city's largest hotel. In addition, it was the world's second-largest hotel behind the Stevens Hotel in Chicago. The New Yorker was one of 37 hotels to be built in Manhattan during 1929, and it was one of two hotels near Penn Station with more than 1,000 rooms to be completed that year, the other being Hotel Governor Clinton . A pre-opening ceremony for the New Yorker was hosted on December 28, 1929, and

7198-421: The conversion. French and Polyclinic also spent around $ 210,000 per month on the hospital building, including $ 80,000 on a first mortgage, $ 75,000 on maintenance fees, and $ 60,000 in taxes. The medical center received a tax abatement for the hotel building in June 1973. French and Polyclinic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that July, allowing the medical center to defer payment of other debts and allocate funding for

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7316-531: The early 1990s, when the local government wanted to reduce the then-dominant car-oriented development style. The Metropolitan Area Express , Portland's light rail system, encourages the mixing of residential, commercial, and work spaces into one zone. With this one-zoning-type planning system, the use of land at increased densities provides a return in public investments throughout the city. Main street corridors provide flexible building heights and high density uses to enable "gathering places". Hudson Yards project

7434-464: The federal government filed an antitrust action against Hilton in April 1955. The New Yorker was making a profit by the end of 1955, At that point, Conrad Hilton was negotiating to sell the hotel, amid rumors that the chain was planning to sell multiple hotels to resolve the federal lawsuit. To resolve the suit, Hilton Hotels agreed to sell three hotels in February 1956, including either the Roosevelt or

7552-489: The federal government imposed a 20 percent excise tax on such shows. By 1999, the Terrace Room operated as a television studio for TV channel MSG . The fourth story was supposed to contain an in-house medical department with four operating rooms, as well as a beauty parlor and a women's parlor. Originally, the hotel had 2,503 guestrooms. The fourth story contained some public rooms and some guestrooms. The hotel

7670-505: The fourth story to the roof. Lajos "Louis" Jambor had painted 26 murals for the hotel's interior, which cost a total of $ 150,000 (equivalent to $ 2,661,600 in 2023). The public rooms, originally decorated in the Art Deco style, were redecorated in various styles over the years. Many of Jambor's murals were covered up during the mid-20th century. When the New Yorker reopened as a commercial hotel in 1994, its guestrooms were concentrated on

7788-569: The hospital, Hilton Hotels agreed to take back the hotel, which it did in February 1975. Hilton had no plans to reopen the hotel at the time. The chain tried to sell the hotel but struggled to find a buyer. The New Yorker was one of three shuttered hostelries on Eighth Avenue in Midtown that were having trouble attracting buyers; the others were the Royal Manhattan Hotel and the 51st Street YWCA . By mid-1975, Hilton Hotels maintained

7906-403: The hotel for $ 8.8 million; it made a down payment of $ 1.8 million and received a $ 7.1 million mortgage loan. In addition, it leased the underlying land from Hilton for 99 years, acquiring an option to purchase the land in the future Hilton closed the hotel on April 19, 1972. French and Polyclinic had wanted to begin converting the New Yorker immediately, with plans to open the hospital in 1974. At

8024-468: The hotel had lost $ 4 million since New York Towers bought it. The next month, the New Yorker's owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, claiming $ 21.5 million in debt, half of which came from seven mortgages. At an auction in December 1967, Hilton repurchased the New Yorker Hotel for $ 5.6 million. Hilton's public relations director said the chain had reacquired the hotel because the surrounding neighborhood

8142-440: The hotel in 2001, providing 50 percent of the hotel's electricity in the summer and 80 percent in the winter. The cogeneration plant has a total capacity of 600 kW (800 hp). The building also purchases electricity from New York City's power grid, operated by Consolidated Edison . The cogeneration plant reduced the hotel's reliance on the power grid, saving an estimated $ 400,000 annually by 2009. The three largest motors in

8260-515: The hotel received a $ 9.5 million mortgage loan from the Manufacturers Trust Company. At a ceremony on October 25, 1928, Kanner drove a golden rivet into the hotel's steel frame, where the superstructure had begun to rise above the foundation . By this point, the hotel was planned to contain 45 stories above ground. Seven hundred masonry workers and helpers began constructing the facade in January 1929. The hotel's construction

8378-522: The hotel reopened. The New Yorker joined the Ramada chain in 2000 and was transferred to the Wyndham brand in 2014. The Wyndham New Yorker Hotel is at 481 Eighth Avenue , occupying the western side of the avenue between 34th Street and 35th Street, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . The land lot is rectangular and covers 34,562 sq ft (3,210.9 m). It has

8496-475: The hotel's 20th through 30th floors. According to the Unification Church, its volunteers had been placed in "the best rooms, where the best plumbing is". The church requested in 1977 that the New York City Board of Estimate grant a tax exemption to the New Yorker, which had been valued at $ 11 million the prior year. The church stopped paying taxes in 1978, while its application for a tax exemption

8614-463: The hotel's chief engineer and unofficial archivist, collected the artifacts. There were ten private dining "salons" and five restaurants employing 35 master cooks. The dining salons could fit between 15 and 200 people each. The restaurants included the main restaurant; a "terrace restaurant", featuring live events and entertainment; a men's grill room called the Manhattan Room; a tea room; and

8732-499: The hotel's managers installed custom-made ultraviolet devices in the hotel's bathrooms, which it advertised under the name "Protecto-Ray". Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the New York Observer said that "actors, celebrities, athletes, politicians, mobsters, the shady and the luminous—the entire Brooklyn Dodgers roster during the glory seasons—would stalk the bars and ballrooms, or romp upstairs". In spite of its popularity,

8850-399: The hotel's name. The hotel contains a power plant and boiler room on its fourth basement, which was an early example of a cogeneration plant. The public rooms on the lower stories included a Manufacturers Trust bank branch, a double-height lobby, and multiple ballrooms and restaurants. Originally, the hotel had 2,503 guestrooms from the fourth story up. The modern-day hotel rooms start above

8968-737: The hotel's operators an estimated $ 48,000 per year. In 2008, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers designated the New Yorker Hotel's direct current power plant as a Milestone in Electrical Engineering ; at the time, the hotel was one of 75 worldwide recipients of that award. The hotel's own direct current generators were still in use during the Northeast blackout of 1965 . The hotel's power system had been modernized to alternating current by 1967. Due to increased energy costs, four cogeneration units were installed in

9086-500: The hotel, and Douglas Shaffer was appointed as the hotel's resident manager in July 1957. Massaglia then negotiated for a year and a half to sell the hotel to New York Towers Ltd., an investment syndicate led by Alexander Gross. New York Towers ultimately bought the hotel in September 1959 with plans to spend $ 2 million on renovations. New York Towers renovated the main ballroom, lobby, and guestrooms, and it added air conditioning throughout

9204-410: The hotel. The New Yorker's managers announced these changes at a reception in September 1960. The hotel experienced a large fire that November, which killed one person and damaged the sixth floor. The New York City Fire Department ordered seven stories to be closed after the fire, although these stories reopened within two days, after the hotel's owners had conducted emergency repairs. In anticipation of

9322-456: The initial one with new policies focused on economic and urban renewal issues. In particular, the 1988 Plan was designed in collaboration with a transport strategy and was the first to recommend higher development densities. Since then, Australian planning authorities have given greater priority to mixed-use development of inner-city industrial land as a way of revitalising areas neglected by the decline in manufacturing, consolidating and densifying

9440-404: The late 2000s, the hotel had 912 rooms, arranged in 17 layouts. During that renovation, the guestrooms were largely redesigned in the Art Deco style, with geometric carpets, star-shaped ceiling lights, and curtains. There are two rooms with terraces directly under the hotel's large "New Yorker" sign. In addition, Educational Housing Services operates 169 rooms on the 24th to 27th stories as part of

9558-436: The lights, announcing that the hotel was fully booked, and directing would-be guests to the Pennsylvania. In its first year of operation, the New Yorker recorded a profit of $ 1.293 million. Hitz added 12 suites of "sample rooms" in early 1931, where products and furnishings were exhibited. Hitz then decided to create the National Hotel Management Company, a national hotel chain managed by the New Yorker Hotel's staff. He acquired

9676-409: The mid-20th century, the guestrooms on the fifth through eighth stories typically hosted trade-show exhibits throughout the year. When the hotel reopened in 1994, it had 250 guestrooms, which by 1999 had been expanded to 1,005 guestrooms. These included 35 mini-suites, which overlooked the Hudson River and Lower Manhattan , as well as four deluxe suites, which had balconies. Following a renovation in

9794-500: The modern English word marquee, that in US English refers specifically to a canopy projecting over the main entrance of a theater, which displays details of the entertainment or performers, was documented in the academic journal American Speech in 1926: " Marquee , the front door or main entrance of the big top." In British English "marquee" refers more generally to a large tent, usually for social uses. The English word marquee

9912-476: The opening of the nearby Madison Square Garden arena, New York Towers renovated the New Yorker's two main ballrooms, as well as several smaller public rooms. The hotel's operators predicted that the arena's opening would attract additional conventions to the hotel. Gross's firm had fallen behind on mortgage payments by 1966, and the hotel went into receivership that April. According to The Wall Street Journal , "other real estate industry sources" indicated that

10030-458: The original power plant were each capable of 200 hp (150 kW) and supplied three of the hotel's four chillers (the fourth chiller was supplied by a steam engine). The ice plant was capable of making 400,000 blocks of ice per day. The modern-day hotel receives ice from a chiller plant in a neighboring building; the chillers produce ice at night, when energy costs are lower. The chiller plant replaced air conditioners that were installed within

10148-465: The others were rated at 960 hp (720 kW). Each of the engines drove a direct current generator. The power plant was operated from a switchboard measuring 60 ft (18 m) long and 7 ft (2.1 m) high. The switchboard contained manual pushbuttons; one button crushed coal that was blown into the furnaces, while another button deposited ashes. When the hotel opened, the power plant contained more than 200 direct current motors, rated at

10266-417: The postwar years, these building materials were mostly dedicated to building civilian housing for returning soldiers and their families. Concrete and glass, two building materials that were not restricted, became essential to movie theater architects. Light was also an unrestricted resource for architects, and combined with glass it produced striking visual effects. The mild climate of certain locations, such as

10384-412: The previously underpopulated urban centres. This new urban planning approach has had a significant impact on the use of land parcels in major Australian cities: according to 2021 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics , mixed zoning already suppose more than 9% of new housing approvals. One of the first cities to adopt a policy on mixed-use development is Toronto . The local government first played

10502-485: The price that French and Polyclinic had paid several years earlier. As part of the sale, Hilton Hotels agreed to pay $ 1.1 million in back taxes to the city. The church also acquired the neighboring Manhattan Center , which it had similarly bought at a deep discount. After acquiring the New Yorker Hotel, the Unification Church converted the hotel for use by its members, and it became the World Mission Center,

10620-441: The protection of property values stood as the motivation behind this separation. In the United States, the practice of zoning for single-family residential use was instigated to safeguard communities from negative externalities , including air, noise, and light pollution, associated with heavier industrial practices. These zones were also constructed to alleviate racial and class tensions. The heyday of separate-use zoning in

10738-501: The regulations in place, the city has overseen the development of high-rise condominiums throughout the city with amenities and transit stops nearby. Toronto's policies of mixed-use development have inspired other North American cities in Canada and the United States to bring about similar changes. One example of a Toronto mixed-use development is Mirvish Village by architect Gregory Henriquez . Located at Bloor and Bathurst Street ,

10856-405: The same umbrella as "residential," rather than commercial as they are classified under in the US. France similarly gravitates towards mixed-use as much of Paris is simply zoned to be "General Urban," allowing for a variety of uses. Even zones that house the mansions and villas of the aristocrats focus on historical and architectural preservation rather than single family zoning. Single family zoning

10974-413: The second floor were made of red and black marble and were decorated with a pair of murals by Jambor, which symbolized industry and commerce. The banking room itself had a terrazzo floor and marble walls and columns, as well as large windows on 34th Street. The room contained glass tellers' desks made of bronze and glass, and there was a department for the bank's officers on the eastern wall. The banking room

11092-562: The second-tallest hotel in New York City, behind the Ritz Tower . The building was planned to cost $ 8 million. Workers began excavating the site the same month. The George J. Atwill Company, the excavation contractor, employed 350 workers in three shifts. Plans for the hotel were filed in March 1928, when Sugarman and Berger submitted blueprints to the New York City Department of Buildings . The American Bridge Company

11210-404: The shelter plan that November. The medical center continued to use the hotel as an office and dormitory but only occupied one-tenth of the building. French and Polyclinic officially abandoned its plans for the hospital at the end of November 1974. The cancellation of the hospital eventually forced French and Polyclinic to close completely in 1977. After French and Polyclinic abandoned its plans for

11328-433: The sign and text, combined with the flashing lights and color, made the façade easily visible to fast-passing cars. Movie marquee designs in the 1930s prompted theater historian Ben M. Hall to call them "electric tiaras." During World War II , aesthetic considerations of the marquee were dictated by the availability of labor and materials. Building materials such as steel, copper, bronze, and aluminum were limited. Even in

11446-422: The sign to display various messages on special occasions such as celebrations. The hotel contained 23 elevators when it opened. Of these, 12 were passenger elevators, six were service elevators, and two were freight elevators. There was also one elevator from ground level to the subway station; one elevator from ground level to the ballroom; and one elevator within a bank branch in the building. The hotel contains

11564-483: The social, political, and economic forces of the 20th century. The invention of the automobile influenced many elements of theater architecture. The marquee in particular became larger, and stood out from the street to serve as a physical and aesthetic landmark from other businesses along the sidewalk. The shape also evolved from a small rectangle to a trapezoid, making it more readable to automobile traffic. The text also became less detailed but larger. The larger size of

11682-463: The success of mixed-use developments are employment, population, and consumer spending . The three preconditions ensure that a development can attract quality tenants and financial success. Other factors determining the success of the mixed-use development is the proximity of production time, and the costs from the surrounding market. Mixed-use zoning has been implemented in Portland, Oregon , since

11800-433: The tank is transferred into the cogeneration units. There are water tanks on the 25th, 35th, and 44th stories. Sewage is pumped from the basements to the New York City sewage system , and a sump pump supplies soapy warm water to the hotel's restaurants. The New Yorker spans 1 × 10 ^  sq ft (93,000 m). The original hotel contained public rooms on its first through fourth stories, as well as guestrooms from

11918-404: The time of the New Yorker's closure, the number of hotel rooms in New York City was declining, and the city had lost 3,800 rooms in 1972 alone, over half of which had been in the New Yorker. French and Polyclinic added some living spaces and administrative offices for nurses and staff, as well as space for its postgraduate medical school. Before the medical center could fully convert the hotel into

12036-411: The upper stories, while the lower stories remained in use as offices. The building also contains two restaurants and approximately 33,000 sq ft (3,100 m) of conference space. The hotel has four basement levels. The first basement contained the kitchen, which had a dishwashing room; divisions for fish, meat, and poultry; an ice cream room; and a pastry room. On the second basement level were

12154-664: The vault door and safe-deposit drawers. The first basement contained a tunnel linking to the original Pennsylvania Station as well as to 34th Street–Penn Station on the New York City Subway 's Eighth Avenue Line ( A , ​ C , and ​ E trains). Through Penn Station, this tunnel also connected to 34th Street–Penn Station on the New York City Subway's Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line ( 1 , ​ 2 , and ​ 3 trains). This tunnel opened in February 1930 but

12272-538: The windows of 2,000 rooms. Steam exhaust from the original power plant was used for functions such as heating. All services that used heat, such as cooking equipment, laundry machines, lights, vacuum cleaners, refrigeration, and air conditioning units were supplied by steam from the power plant. A boiler plant was installed at the New Yorker in 1998, reducing the need to buy steam from the New York City steam system . The boiler plant, which cost $ 1.5 million to install, saved an average of $ 3 million annually by 2009. Following

12390-416: The winter of 1982–1983 because the Unification Church could not pay its fuel costs. The church began renovating the hotel in 1987, evicting 1,200 members who lived there; Newsday reported that the church had not decided what it would do with the hotel. During the next decade, an increasing proportion of residents got married and moved away, and quality of life in the neighborhood improved. In addition, there

12508-421: Was "coming back to life" with the development of Madison Square Garden and nearby office buildings. Hilton began refurbishing the hotel yet again in June 1968, spending $ 5 million on the main ballroom and lobby. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the hotel largely catered to guests in the garment industry, as well as businessmen who were attending trade shows there. The New Yorker had downsized to 2,000 rooms, but it

12626-423: Was almost entirely composed of guestrooms from the fifth story up. At the time of the hotel's opening, each guestroom had a radio set that could be tuned to one of four channels; according to the hotel's managers, this made the New Yorker the first large hotel in the world with "a central system of radio with a radio receiving set in every room". Approximately 50 suites on the upper stories had private terraces. During

12744-517: Was closed by the 1960s; it was being used as a storage area by the 2000s. The Coffee House cafe and the 250-seat Mosaic Room ballroom were constructed in the basement in 1955. The cafe and ballroom were connected to the lobby via a pair of escalators. After the hotel reopened, the basement had a self-service laundry and fitness center . In the early 2010s, the basement laundry room was converted to meeting spaces, each covering 2,500 sq ft (230 m). The main entrance on Eighth Avenue leads to

12862-431: Was delayed for two weeks that February, when all masonry workers went on strike. The strike took place amid allegations that masonry contractor John J. Meehan had directed workers to install brickwork of substandard quality. Kanner drove the last rivet into the hotel's steel frame in April 1929. Ralph Hitz was hired as the hotel's first manager that July. Hitz hired about fifty of his colleagues from Cincinnati, and he led

12980-411: Was furthered by the deep-cut light courts, which produced a powerful play of light and shade that was enhanced by dramatic lighting at night". The building contains setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution . The setbacks, characterized by architectural writer Anthony W. Robins as "blocky", are ornamented with stone parapets that contain floral and rhombus patterns. The western facade contains

13098-512: Was hired in June 1928 to manufacture the hotel's steel frame, which was to include 12,000 short tons (11,000 long tons; 11,000 t) of steel. The site had been cleared by August 1928, after 2.5 × 10 ^  cu ft (71,000 m) of rock had been removed from the site. The excavation cost $ 1 million and, according to the New York Herald Tribune , was "perhaps the deepest cut ever excavated in Manhattan". That September,

13216-420: Was increasing demand for hotel rooms in New York City. In May 1994, the Unification Church decided to convert the New Yorker's top eight stories to 250 guestrooms, marketing them to business travelers visiting Javits Center , Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden. The church also redeveloped the ground-floor banking space, although the remaining stories continued to operate as offices and dormitories. The hotel

13334-605: Was pending. During the same time, the Board of Estimate had refused to give the Unification Church a tax exemption for three other properties, on the basis that it was not a true church. The New York Supreme Court affirmed the city's refusal to give a tax exemption for these buildings, but the New York Court of Appeals overturned the Supreme Court's decision in May 1982, ruling that the three properties did qualify for

13452-522: Was popular in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s. The New Yorker has a relatively plain facade. The first story of the hotel is clad with 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m) of Deer Island granite. The second through fourth stories are clad with Indiana Limestone . The lowest stories are decorated with cast-stone blocks that contain floral designs. There are also some geometric designs on these stories. The hotel also contains marquees above its entrances on Eighth Avenue and 34th Street. Above each marquee

13570-776: Was reopened in stages, and the first 178 rooms opened on June 1, 1994, operated by the New Yorker Hotel Management Company. The New Yorker contained 240 rooms by 1995. Barry Mann became the hotel's general manager. The hotel's clientele largely consisted of tourists from Asia, Europe, and South America, and between 60 and 80 percent of bookings came from wholesalers and travel brokers. Mixed-use development Traditionally, human settlements have developed in mixed-use patterns. However, with industrialization , governmental zoning regulations were introduced to separate different functions, such as manufacturing, from residential areas. Public health concerns and

13688-446: Was still one of New York City's largest hotels. By December 1971, Hilton Hotels planned to sell the New Yorker for $ 13.5 million to the French and Polyclinic Medical School and Health Center , which planned to convert the building into a 749-room hospital. According to French and Polyclinic vice president Xavier Lividini, Hilton officials did not believe the area could support "too many hotels". The medical center ultimately agreed to buy

13806-405: Was surrounded by a mezzanine on three sides. The soffit under the mezzanine was made of wood, and there were various pieces of marble furniture. The second floor also contained a women's lounge and service rooms for the bank. From the ground-floor lobby, a terrazzo stair with an iron railing led to the safe-deposit department in the basement. The entrance to the safe-deposit department was through

13924-670: Was the Sydney Region Outline Plan , a plan that identified Sydney 's need to decentralise and organise its growth around the metropolitan area. Its main objective was to control the city's rapid post-war population growth by introducing growth corridors and economic centres that would help prevent uncontrolled sprawl and the overuse of the car as a means of transport Several city centres such as Parramatta or Campbelltown benefited from these policies, creating economic hubs with his own inner-city amenities along Sydney's main thoroughfares. Subsequent plans complemented

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