Thomas White Lamb (May 5, 1870 – February 26, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect . He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century.
100-598: The Paramount Hotel (formerly the Century-Paramount Hotel ) is a hotel in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City , United States. Designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb , the hotel is at 235 West 46th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway . The Paramount Hotel is owned by RFR Realty and contains 597 rooms. The hotel building, designed in a Renaissance style,
200-542: A Business Improvement District organization dedicated to improving the Theater District, defines the district as an irregularly shaped area within the bounding box of 40th Street, 6th Avenue, 53rd Street, and 9th Avenue. As of 2024, the Vivian Beaumont Theater (part of Lincoln Center ) is the only Broadway-class theater not located in the Theater District. The area known as Theatre Row
300-548: A cabaret venue. The hotel was sold yet again in the late 1960s, and its basement operated as a burlesque venue by 1969. In addition, a production studio for Sear Sound was built within the hotel in 1972. During much of the 1970s, the basement operated as a Broadway-class theater, while the hotel itself was called the Century-Paramount. By 1980, the Century-Paramount was operating as a mid-priced hotel with single rooms ranging from $ 36 to $ 46 per night. A reviewer at
400-569: A $ 140 million loan from Aareal Bank . The Paramount Hotel closed indefinitely in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City . In late 2020, Rosen considered selling the hotel to Breaking Ground , a supportive housing group. According to Curbed , the hotel's quality had degraded by then, and "complaints on review sites ranged from mold on the ceiling to stained carpets to
500-523: A 2013 renovation. The piers on either side of the Sony Hall entrance contain bronze-framed sign boards. The upper portion of each arch contains a tripartite iron frame, which separates the cast-iron spandrels between the ground and mezzanine windows, as well as the mezzanine windows themselves. The tops of the arches are surrounded by moldings, and the keystone of each arch contains a volute with ribbons on either side. A marble string course runs above
600-622: A 299-seat off-Broadway venue, which opened in March 1961. The following May, a real-estate syndicate headed by Frank H. Klein, Sheldon Hertz, Blair H. Goldberg, and Robert M. Rose acquired the Paramount's leasehold, and the Courtesy Operating Corporation took over the hotel's operations. At the time, the previous owners had spent $ 750,000 over the previous five years to renovate the hotel. The Mayfair lasted two years as an off-Broadway house before Maidman converted it to
700-561: A center ellipse containing a fiber optic night sky. The walls are lined with antique faceted mirrors above curving banquette seating built in tiers with curving railings. Additional raised seating pods dot the space. The hotel's original decorative features included bronze elevator doors in the Baroque style, as well as marble stairs with iron handrails. After the 1990 renovation, the elevators were refitted with multicolored lights in emerald, ruby, indigo, and amber colors. The elevator lobby
800-464: A cockroach in the bed". Breaking Ground formally proposed in early 2022 that the hotel be converted into 510 housing units and a 136-unit shelter for homeless adults. The plan required the support of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), a labor union representing the Paramount's workers. Although HTC supported legislation that allowed buildings to be converted to affordable housing, the conversion plan
900-580: A coffee bar called Corso were also opened inside the hotel. The Diamond Horseshoe closed in 2015 and served as a private space for three years. In March 2018, Blue Note Entertainment Group and Sony Music reopened the nightclub as the Sony Hall concert venue. RFR closed the Paramount Bar and Grill and the Corso coffee bar in February 2018, and it discontinued room service as well. That April, Rosen got
1000-518: A copper mansard roof with dormer windows, while the center bays are topped by a hip roof . Along the north elevation (facing 47th Street), the lowest ten stories are obscured by neighboring buildings such as the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, though the 11th through 19th stories are visible from 47th Street. The setbacks on this elevation all span the width of the facade. The facade is made of brick, stone, and terracotta . Most of
1100-563: A national historic site" ( H.R. 6885 ). The proposed legislation, which was not enacted, would have required the Federal Government to aid financially and otherwise in preserving the district and its historic theatre houses as an official National Historic Site . The Save the Theatres campaign then turned their efforts toward supporting the establishment of the Theater District as a New York City historic district under
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#17327756698691200-405: A reproduction of a Vermeer painting. The beds were designed with gold-colored headboards beneath the paintings. Other features of the design include conical sinks as well as "high-backed chairs with unusual curves". The hotel also has mirrors that can display weather forecasts. As of 2024, there are 597 rooms; the smallest room available is a 140-square-foot (13 m) studio. Times Square became
1300-439: A room". The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had started considering protecting the interior of the Century-Paramount's basement as an official city landmark in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years; The LPC denied landmark status to the basement interior in 1987, during a wide-ranging effort to grant landmark status to Broadway theaters. Philip Pilevsky and Arthur G. Cohen acquired
1400-550: A structure of up to 23 stories. That June, Thomas W. Lamb filed plans for a hotel on the six lots on behalf of the 235 West 46th Street Company. The building was to contain a 1,015-seat theater at ground level with a ballroom, offices, and hotel rooms above it. Known as the Hotel Paramount, the building would have a Spanish Renaissance lobby, a 22-seat dining room, and nine storefronts, in addition to 12 stories of hotel rooms. By January 1927, excavations had been completed on
1500-471: Is a New York City designated landmark . The hotel is 19 stories tall and is H-shaped in arrangement, with light courts to the west and east. The north and south faces of the hotel contain numerous setbacks . The facade is made of brick, stone, and terracotta ; most of the decorative detail is concentrated on the south facade, along 46th Street. The hotel building contains a double-height colonnade at street level, as well as several terraces above each of
1600-473: Is a string course and a balustrade across all twelve bays; metal grates are installed at several points. Within each bay, the windows at the 12th and 13th stories are placed within the same terracotta molding, as are the 14th- and 15th-story windows in each bay. On each of the 12th through 15th stories, there are bands of quoins separating each of the bays, except for the two outermost bays on either side, which are separated by plain brick. Another cornice runs above
1700-613: Is an area on 42nd Street from Ninth Avenue to Eleventh Avenue , which includes many Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theaters. In 1836, mayor Cornelius Lawrence opened 42nd Street to encourage the city's northern expansion, saying " move up town and enjoy the pure, clean air". The Theater District began attracting theaters and restaurants after the Metropolitan Opera House moved to West 39th Street and Broadway in 1883. Oscar Hammerstein I opened his Victoria Theatre on 42nd Street in 1899. Accessibility to
1800-413: Is another setback across all twelve bays at the 14th story, though the center bays on the 14th and 15th stories are still recessed. Above the 16th story, the three outermost bays on each side are recessed significantly. Diagonal wall sections link the outermost bays with the four center bays, which continue straight up from the 14th-story setback. At the 18th and 19th stories, the outer bays on each side form
1900-472: Is decorated with stucco, and the marble walls have niches decorated with roses, which enclose a newsstand, reception desk, cashier, and concierge. A 2,000 sq ft (190 m) white-gold-leaf panel is placed on one wall. There is also furniture in various designs, as well as a carpeted central seating area with sofas, chairs, and a checkerboard carpet. Furnishings by designers such as Marc Newson , Antoni Gaudí , and Jean-Michel Frank are also featured in
2000-629: Is the name given to the section of Broadway which runs through the Theater District. It also contains recording studios, record label offices, theatrical agencies, television studios, restaurants, movie theaters, Duffy Square , Shubert Alley , the Brill Building , and Madame Tussauds New York . The City of New York defines the subdistrict for zoning purposes to extend from 40th Street to 57th Street and from Sixth Avenue to Eighth Avenue, with an additional area west of Eighth Avenue from 42nd Street to 45th Street. The Times Square Alliance,
2100-461: The Big Apple . Schrager also paid Wieden & Kennedy to create three advertisements for the hotel, which aired during the 1992 Academy Awards . The city's hotel-occupancy rate at the time was relatively high, and the surrounding neighborhood was rundown, leading one observer to write: "That Schrager would spend more than $ 1 million on ads right now is questionable." Despite its central location,
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#17327756698692200-593: The Ed Sullivan , Royale (Bernard B. Jacobs) , Shubert , St. James , and Winter Garden . In March 1988, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the 28 landmark designations that had been approved in 1987 and 1988. Of these, both the interior and exterior of 19 theaters were protected, while only the interiors of seven theaters (including the Lyceum, whose exterior was already protected) and
2300-575: The Irving Trust Company took over. In April 1930, the Hotel Paramount was sold to William J. Knott 's Knott Hotel Corporation, along with seven other hotels; the operators hired Charles L. Ornstein as the new manager shortly thereafter. Following a yearlong investigation, in mid-1930, the United States government requested an injunction against the hotel's grill room because it violated Prohibition -era ordinances. A judge granted
2400-628: The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission describe the building as being French Renaissance -inspired. Due to the presence of a mezzanine level above the ground story, sources differ as to how many stories the hotel contains. While the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and SkyscraperPage give a figure of 19 stories (excluding the ground-story mezzanine), the New York City Department of City Planning cites
2500-641: The Palace in mid-1987. The LPC designated the Al Hirschfeld , Belasco , Booth , and Brooks Atkinson (Lena Horne) , as well as the Broadhurst , Ethel Barrymore , and Biltmore (Samuel J. Friedman) in early November 1987. This was followed by the Cort (James Earl Jones) , 46th Street (Richard Rodgers) , John Golden , Hayes , Hudson , Imperial , and Mark Hellinger later the same month, as well as
2600-562: The Paramount Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Lamb died in 1942 in New York City at the age of 71. His architectural archive is held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University . During the last ten years of his practice, Lamb's associate was the architect John J. McNamara. After Lamb's death, McNamara continued as an architect of theaters under his own name. McNamara
2700-693: The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre to the north; the Ethel Barrymore Theatre , Longacre Theatre , and Morgan Stanley Building to the northeast; the Richard Rodgers Theatre and Music Box Theatre to the southeast; the Imperial Theatre to the south; and the off-Broadway 47th Street Theatre to the west. The surrounding area is part of Manhattan 's Theater District and contains many Broadway theaters . Prior to
2800-549: The Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . The rectangular land lot covers 15,062 sq ft (1,399.3 m), with a frontage of 150 ft (46 m) on 46th Street and a depth of 100.42 ft (30.61 m). The Paramount Hotel shares the block with the Lena Horne Theatre to the north and the Hotel Edison and Lunt-Fontanne Theatre to the east. Other nearby buildings include
2900-489: The " Theater Subdistrict ", is an area and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, in addition to other theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels, and other places of entertainment. It is bounded by West 40th Street on the south, West 54th Street on the north, Sixth Avenue on the east and Eighth Avenue on the west, and includes Times Square . The Great White Way
3000-452: The "Theater Subdistrict". Each theater's land lot could be developed with a certain maximum floor area, but many theaters used far less floor area than the maximum. The zoning plan allowed the unused development rights on the theaters' site to be sold to developers of nearby buildings that needed more than the maximum floor area. The LPC considered protecting close to 50 "legitimate theaters" as individual city landmarks in 1982, following
3100-404: The 11th story. At the 12th-story setback, there is a terracotta balustrade in front of the eight center bays. Each of these bays is separated by an urn with a terracotta finial . Metal security grates are installed between the facade and the urns, dividing the balcony into several sections. The four outer windows on the 12th story are filled with iron balustrades. At the 14th-story setback, there
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3200-429: The 12th, 14th, 16th, and 18th stories. Because the setbacks are only placed on the northern and southern elevations of the facade, they are only visible from the west and east. Along 46th Street, the first eleven stories occupy nearly the entire site (except for the light courts), extending outward to the lot line . The eight center bays on the 12th and 13th stories are recessed from the two end bays on either side. There
3300-471: The 15th story, supported by pairs of brackets and acanthus leaves. At the 16th and 17th stories, the four central bays rise without setting back further. The three outermost bays on either side are significantly set back, creating the impression of a projecting central pavilion. The central bays and the outer bays are connected by diagonal wall sections, which are decorated with urns atop volutes. The two outermost bays on either side have stone balustrades, while
3400-1024: The 1929 Fox Theatre in San Francisco and the 1919 Capitol Theatre in New York, both now demolished. Among his most noted designs that have been preserved and restored are the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (1928) (now the Boston Opera House ), Warner's Hollywood Theatre (1930) in New York (now the Times Square Church ), the Hippodrome Theatre (1914) in Baltimore, and the Loew's Ohio Theatre (1928) in Columbus, Ohio. Among Lamb's existing Canadian theaters are
3500-519: The 1930s. The Paramount became popular after Billy Rose 's Diamond Horseshoe nightclub (now Sony Hall) opened in the basement in 1938. When the Diamond Horseshoe closed in 1951, the hotel began to decline, and the property was sold multiple times over the next few decades. The hotel was known as the Century-Paramount during the 1970s and 1980s. Philip Pilevsky and Arthur G. Cohen acquired the hotel in 1986, and Ian Schrager operated it for
3600-696: The 1982 plan were the Neil Simon , Ambassador , and Virginia (August Wilson) in August 1985. The landmark plan was then deferred temporarily until some landmark guidelines were enacted; the guidelines, implemented in December 1985, allowed operators to modify theaters for productions without having to consult the LPC. The three theaters' operators objected to the landmark statuses. Landmark designations of theaters increased significantly in 1987, starting with
3700-417: The 2nd story. The 3rd through 10th stories are mostly clad in plain brick with rectangular window openings. The 3rd-story window openings are surrounded by eared moldings; above each window are volutes flanking swags, which support segmental-arched and triangular pediments. The 4th- through 10th-story windows are plain in design, except for window sills and air-conditioning vents below each window. Starting on
3800-446: The 3rd story, the two outer bays are flanked by narrow bands of brick quoins . The 11th-story windows contain eared moldings, swags below each window, and elaborate keystones. There are marble panels between most of the 11th-story windows (except in front of the quoins); the panels have alternating lozenge and circular shapes. Each of these marble panels is topped by three brackets shaped like acanthus leaves . A string course runs above
3900-450: The 8th story, as well as stone bands at the 12th, 14th, 16th, and 18th-story setbacks. The north elevation contains terracotta balconies at each setback, which span the width of the facade. The setbacks also have metal security grates. The hotel's southern and northern wings share a hip roof at the center, flanked by mansard roofs on either side of each wing. The central hip roof is topped by a frieze with ribbons and swags, with cartouches at
4000-504: The Century-Paramount in 1986 for either $ 30 million or $ 35 million. The partners planned to renovate the hotel, including the basement theater. Pilevsky and Cohen delegated the operation to Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell , the former operators of the nightclub Studio 54 . Schrager fired all of the hotel's 130 workers, interviewing 4,000 people to fill the positions; he advertised in entertainment magazines like Playbill and Variety , hosting auditions for candidates. Schrager had replaced
4100-570: The City of New York as an inspector. His architecture firm, Thomas W. Lamb, Inc., was located at 36 West 40th Street in Manhattan, New York. Lamb achieved recognition as one of the leading architects of the boom in movie theater construction of the 1910s and 1920s . Particularly associated with the Fox Theatres , Loew's Theatres and Keith-Albee chains of vaudeville and film theaters, Lamb
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4200-540: The Embassy, which was never a Broadway venue. In December 1987, the LPC designated the Eugene O'Neill , Henry Miller's (Stephen Sondheim) , Longacre , Lunt-Fontanne , Majestic , Music Box , and Plymouth (Gerald Schoenfeld) as landmarks, as well as the Lyceum's interior. These actions brought the number of current or former Broadway theaters with landmark status to 26. Five more landmarks were designated by early 1988:
4300-510: The Federal Bankruptcy Act. The hotel was again placed for auction in early 1935, with Chase taking over the building after submitting a bid of $ 500,000. In late 1938, entertainer Billy Rose hired Albert Johnson to design a nightclub in the hotel's basement, within the old grill room. The club opened that Christmas under the name Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe, earning $ 2 million over its first two years. Chase National Bank sold
4400-608: The Hard Rock Hotel New York. The renovation did not occur and the partnership between Sol Melia and Hard Rock dissolved in 2006, with the hotel being operated as the Paramount. Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida that year, and its ownership stake in the Paramount was sold to Walton Street Capital in 2007. The hotel was renovated in a project that was completed in April 2009. The LPC designated
4500-486: The Hotel Paramount in 1945 to Louis Ritter and Eugene Bogdanffy. The next year, the hotel was resold for $ 3.6 million to a Chicago-based syndicate represented by Abbell, Edelman, Portes, and Abbell. Charles Ornstein continued to manage the hotel. At the time, the Paramount was characterized as a "commercial transient hotel" with many full-time residents in the late 1940s. During this time, the hotel prospered and guests had full room service . The Diamond Horseshoe nightclub in
4600-693: The LPC's designations of these theaters the next year. The dispute went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States , which upheld the designations in 1992. In January 2001, the New York Appellate Division , First Department in Fisher v. Giuliani , partially upheld the 1998 expansion of the Theater Subdistrict zoning regulations, which added receiving sites along Eighth Avenue where development rights from
4700-591: The New York Building Congress gave craftsmanship awards to 20 construction workers, and the Realty Acceptance Corporation placed a second mortgage loan of $ 350,000 on the building (equivalent to $ 4,908,000 in 2023). The hotel ultimately cost $ 5 million to erect (about $ 70 million in 2023). The Eighth Avenue Association presented a plaque to celebrate the hotel's completion, recognizing the hotel's "contribution to
4800-607: The Pantages Theatre in Toronto (1920) (now the Ed Mirvish Theatre ). and Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres . The Cinema Treasures website, which documents the history of film theaters, lists 174 theaters designed by Lamb's company. Aside from movie theaters, Lamb is noted for designing (with Joseph Urban ) New York's Ziegfeld Theatre , a legitimate theater, as well as the third Madison Square Garden and
4900-485: The Paramount Hotel's development in the 1920s, the site contained several low-rise buildings. The Paramount Hotel was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and built by the O'Day Construction Company. It was one of Lamb's few non-theatrical buildings; most of his work consisted of over 300 theaters and cinemas. An early source characterized the hotel as being Italian Renaissance in design, but the hotel's own website and
5000-531: The Paramount charged less than $ 100 per night for the cheapest rooms. The hotel's restoration was part of a revival of the Times Square area. After the renovations, Schrager and Pilevsky fell behind on paying city taxes on the property, and they owed $ 2.6 million by 1991. The Whiskey Bar opened at the hotel in 1991 and was instantly popular; this was followed in 1992 by a restaurant called Brasserie des Theatres. Schrager planned to spend $ 2 million on renovating
5100-530: The Paramount from the Abbell hotel group in 1957. The Hotel Paramount's new owners obtained a $ 350,000 loan for the hotel in 1959, and George Geiger signed a lease to operate the hotel the same year. The hotel's operators leased the Paramount's basement as a theater in December 1960 to the partnership of Irving Maidman and Norman Twain . Russell Patterson renovated the basement into the Mayfair Theatre,
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#17327756698695200-405: The Paramount's basement closed in 1951, and figure skater Sonja Henie then attempted to operate an ice rink in the basement. After the nightclub's closure, the prices of rooms began to decrease, and room service was eliminated. Subsequently, the U.S. federal government began negotiating to lease the Paramount Hotel. In October 1953, after 14 months of negotiations, the government agreed to take over
5300-511: The Theater District improved as electrified trolley lines started in 1899, followed by the opening of the New York City Subway 's first line in 1904. "The Great White Way" is a nickname for a section of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan that encompasses the Theater District. In 1880, Broadway between Union Square and Madison Square was illuminated by Brush arc lamps , making it among the first electrically lighted streets in
5400-558: The Theater Subdistrict Council (TSC), a not-for-profit corporation. The TSC administers the Theater Subdistrict Fund and allocates grants. The New York City Zoning Resolution for special purpose districts, as amended on April 30, 2012, contains special regulations for the Theater Subdistrict, including the transfer of development rights, incentives for the rehabilitation of existing theaters,
5500-552: The Theatres " in Manhattan. The primary initial goal of the "Save the Theatres" effort, which was sponsored by Papp's not-for-profit group and supported by the Actors Equity union, was to save several theater buildings in the Theatre District neighborhood from their impending demolition by monied Manhattan development interests. Papp provided financial resources, campaign buttons, posters, and newspaper ads for
5600-519: The United States. By the 1890s, 23rd Street to 34th Street was so brightly illuminated by electrical advertising signs people began calling it "The Great White Way". As the theater district shifted uptown just before the turn of the century, the nickname stuck and became synonymous. Over the years, the district has been referred to by New Yorkers as "the Rialto", "The Main Stem", and "Broadway". Around
5700-419: The corners. A plain coping runs above the rest of the roof. To the south, the hip-roofed section is flanked by two volutes on either side. The four center windows contain stone dormers at the 18th story; these are topped by arched pediments decorated with shells and foliate decorations. The center of the 19th story has three circular copper dormers with pediments, which alternate with the 18th-story windows. On
5800-511: The creation of a theater council to promote theaters, and zoning and signage for theaters, and contains a list of theaters that qualify for special provisions in the regulations. Informational notes Notes Bibliography Further reading Thomas W. Lamb Born in Dundee, Scotland , United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb came to the United States at the age of 12. He studied architecture at Cooper Union in New York and initially worked for
5900-408: The decorative detail is concentrated on the south elevation, facing 46th Street. The most ornate decorations are on the ground story, mezzanine, and 2nd story, since that is the most prominent portion of the facade from the street level. The other floors contain simpler decorative details. At ground level, the 46th Street facade consists of a double-height colonnade with twelve round arches, spanning
6000-481: The destruction of the Helen Hayes and Morosco theatres. A city-landmark status would prevent the theaters from being modified without the LPC's permission, thereby protecting them from development. The landmarks under consideration included both facades and interiors, which were designated separately. Manhattan Community Board 5 , under whose jurisdiction the vast majority of the theaters fell, supported many of
6100-563: The effort; recruited a publicist and actors to promote the cause; and provided a various stage and street venues for public events in support of the campaign for saving the historic theatres. At Papp's behest, in July 1982, U.S. Representative Donald J. Mitchell of New York and 13 co-sponsors introduced a bill titled "A bill to designate the Broadway/Times Square Theatre District in the City of New York as
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#17327756698696200-525: The epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression . During the 1900s and 1910s, most theaters in the neighborhood were clustered around Broadway, but the boundaries of the Theater District expanded westward to Eighth Avenue after World War I. In the late 1920s, dense developments were constructed around Eighth Avenue in conjunction with the construction of the New York City Subway 's Eighth Avenue Line . Four of
6300-611: The exterior of the Lyceum Theatre became the first Broadway theatre to receive the landmark status designation from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). This was followed in 1979 by the exterior and interior of the New Amsterdam Theatre . In early 1982, Joseph Papp , the Broadway theatrical producer, and director who had established The Public Theater , led a campaign called " Save
6400-571: The exteriors of two theaters were approved. Several theater owners argued that the landmark designations impacted them negatively, despite Koch's outreach to theater owners. The Shuberts , the Nederlanders , and Jujamcyn collectively sued the LPC in June 1988 to overturn the landmark designations of 22 theaters on the merit that the designations severely limited the extent to which the theaters could be modified. The New York Supreme Court upheld
6500-617: The first-story colonnade. The 2nd-story windows are rectangular sash windows surrounded by eared moldings. All of the windows share a paneled window sill , which contains swags just beneath each window. There are volutes flanking each window, above which rise vertical bands of foliate decoration. The tops of each window contain keystones with shells and foliate swags. The windows are separated by marble panels that are alternatively round and rectangular, with ornate frames. The panels contain shells at their bottoms, as well as swags, curved pediments , and angels' heads above. A cornice runs above
6600-433: The ground-floor space. The ground and mezzanine levels are connected by a plexiglass-and-marble stairway, which is designed to give the impression that it is floating. After the renovation in 1990, the mezzanine level had a movie theater, a fitness center, and a business center. The lobby mezzanine also contained a playroom designed by Gary Panter , though the playroom has since been dismantled. Starck designed custom lamps for
6700-515: The hotel alone, his first venture without his longtime partner. Pilevsky considered selling the hotels that he had co-owned with Rubell and Schrager, including Morgans , the Royalton , and the Paramount. Nonetheless, Harper's Bazaar credited the three hotels with popularizing the boutique hotel industry. The hotel was closed for an 18-month remodeling project in 1988. The space, redesigned by Haigh Architects with decorations by Philippe Starck,
6800-574: The hotel and convert it into offices for the Internal Revenue Service , but this conversion did not occur. At the time, the General Services Administration , which controlled the federal government's office space, was trying to reduce the amount of space it was leasing. Anthony Parella also proposed opening a legitimate theatre venue in the old Diamond Horseshoe space in 1954. Herbert A. Weissberg bought
6900-482: The hotel as being 18 stories tall, and Emporis gives a figure of 20 stories. Originally, the hotel had 700 rooms. The hotel is H-shaped in arrangement. The northern and southern elevations are twelve bays wide, while the western and eastern elevations are narrower and have light courts at their centers. The northern elevation faces the center of the block, toward 47th Street , and the southern elevation faces 46th Street. The massing includes several setbacks at
7000-415: The hotel was completed, it contained an 850-seat grill room measuring 75 by 100 ft (23 by 30 m), with a 19 ft-high (5.8 m) ceiling and attached dressing rooms. In 1938, the room became a night club called Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe. The basement space then became a theater and was known by several names, including as the Stairway Theatre, Mayfair Theatre, and Century Theatre. Since 2018,
7100-405: The hotel's exterior as a New York City landmark on November 17, 2009, citing the Paramount's importance as one of Lamb's few non-theatrical buildings. By 2011, the hotel's owners Walton Street Capital and Highgate Holdings sought to sell off the hotel, which at the time had 597 rooms. That June, the hotel was sold to Aby Rosen 's RFR Holding. RFR took out $ 40 million of mezzanine loans to finance
7200-592: The hotel's rooms were very small. Similarly, a review in Oyster.com described the hotel as having a trendy yet unpretentious design, despite its small rooms and lack of on-site amenities. A writer for Westchester Magazine wrote in 2014 that the hotel carried a "mid-century-modern aesthetic with a 21st-century feel" and that the small room sizes was not unexpected given the hotel's location. Theater District, Manhattan New York City 's Theater District , sometimes spelled Theatre District and officially zoned as
7300-490: The injunction in July 1930, prohibiting the grill room from operating. Afterward, the Hotel Paramount Grill was being used for musical performances. Charlie Barnet led a band there from 1932 onward. The Chase National Bank foreclosed on the hotel's first mortgage loan in 1933, and Joseph A. Gavagan was named as the receiver. The next year, the 235 West 46th Street Company announced plans to reorganize under
7400-427: The landmarked Broadway theaters could be sold. Community and civil society organizations opposed the expansion of the district as it would impinge the nearby residential neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen/Clinton. The court objection, filed in 1999, did not challenge the pre-existing Theater Subdistrict itself or the original development rights zoning legislation. Under the 1998 zoning regulation, New York City also created
7500-588: The latter owned by Tammany Hall figure "Big Tim" Sullivan . His first complete theater design was the City Theatre, built on 14th Street in 1909 for film mogul William Fox . His designs for the 1914 Mark Strand Theatre , the 1916 Rialto Theatre and the 1917 Rivoli Theatre , all in Times Square , set the template for what would become the American movie palace. Among his most notable theaters are
7600-490: The lobby. On the main level was also a brasserie operated by Dean & DeLuca , as well as a take-out restaurant. At the rear of the lobby was the Whiskey Bar, designed in a "semi-industrial" manner with Polaroids on the walls. One reviewer said of the lobby: "Despite its severe, concrete-like interiors, the lobby has something spunky about it." The lobby also has a mezzanine spanning 2,000 square feet, which wraps around
7700-530: The lots on the Paramount Hotel site, at 235–241 West 46th Street, had been acquired in 1925 by the Spear Construction Company. In December 1925, the 235 West 46th Street Company (a partnership between Isidore Zimmer, Samuel Resnick, and Frank Locker bought the sites at 235–241 West 46th Street. Zimmer, Resnick, and Locker further expanded the site in March 1926 with the acquisition of two lots at 243–245 West 46th Street, which could accommodate
7800-455: The mezzanine, which subsequently were sold commercially under the name "Miss Sissi". Restrooms, decorated with multicolored tiles, are also placed on this level. When the hotel was renovated, Pierre Sabatti redesigned the mezzanine restrooms with stainless-steel sinks, shaped like cones and decorated with etchings of leaves and feathers. A writer for Newsday characterized the mezzanine bathrooms as among New York City's ten best restrooms. When
7900-437: The next two decades. Starck renovated the hotel from 1988 to 1990, and several renovations have taken place since then. The hotel was sold in 2004 to Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts and Hard Rock Cafe , then in 2007 to Walton Street Capital. In 2011, the hotel was sold to Aby Rosen 's RFR Holding. The Paramount Hotel is at 235 West 46th Street , on the north sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Broadway , near Times Square in
8000-403: The original design elements were too badly deteriorated to be restored. Sony Hall's entrance leads to a grand marble staircase, which has been distressed with scenic painting techniques. The main room's interior, is largely new construction but takes design cues from Lamb's original intent, such as lunettes and a frieze . The hall's ceiling is designed with multiple domes and trim framing out
8100-414: The prestige of the district". A. Lincoln Scott was hired as the Hotel Paramount's first manager, and he assumed operation of the hotel when it informally opened on June 5, 1928. The Paramount Hotel formally opened on June 12, 1928, with a dinner banquet attended by 600 to 800 guests. The GSA opened its own clubhouse in the hotel on August 1 of that year. The Hotel Paramount was in receivership by 1929, and
8200-430: The proposed landmark protections. An advisory panel under mayor Koch voted to allow the LPC consider theaters not only on their historical significance but also on their architectural merits. In response to objections from some of the major theatrical operators, several dozen scenic and lighting designers offered to work on the LPC for creating guidelines for potential landmarks. The first theaters to be landmarked under
8300-473: The purchase and subsequently renovated the hotel for $ 40 million. The cost included a $ 20 million conversion of the long-abandoned basement into the Diamond Horseshoe entertainment venue, which opened at the end of 2013. RFR renovated the hotel again in 2015 and started soliciting buyers for the property. The renovation, designed by Stonehill & Taylor and Meyer Davis Studios, included the guestrooms, lobby, and other public areas. The Paramount Bar & Grill and
8400-404: The purview of the LPC. In December 1983, Save the Theatres prepared "The Broadway Theater District, a Preservation Development and Management Plan," and demanded that each theater in the district receive landmark designation. Mayor Ed Koch ultimately responded by creating a Theater Advisory Council, that included Papp as a member, and which eventually led to the area being officially zoned as
8500-574: The remainders of the outer pavilions contain iron railings and metal security grates. Within each bay, the windows at the 16th and 17th stories are placed within the same terracotta molding. Each of the four center bays is separated by a row of quoins. At the 17th story, the center bays have pediments decorated with cartouches and volutes. A terracotta frieze separates the 17th story from the roof. The west and east elevations are generally designed in plain brick with rectangular window openings. The southern sections of these elevations contain chimneys above
8600-519: The setbacks. The building has a double-height hip roof flanked by mansard roofs . The basement contains an event venue named Sony Hall , which has historically been used as a nightclub and theater. The double-height lobby's design dates to a 1990 renovation by Philippe Starck . Isidore Zimmer, Samuel Resnick, and Frank Locker developed the Hotel Paramount starting in 1927, and it opened on June 12, 1928. The property went into foreclosure shortly after its completion, and Chase National Bank took over in
8700-535: The site. At this time, the plans for the hotel were changed to provide for 612 rooms across 18 stories. Ultimately, the hotel was designed as a 700-room structure with 20 stories. The builders secured a $ 2 million loan (about $ 28 million in 2023) from Hughes and Hammond in May 1927. That November, the Garment Salesmen's Association (GSA) leased the 19th story of the hotel for use as a clubhouse. In March 1928,
8800-473: The south elevation, the side bays each have three copper dormers on the 18th and 19th stories, with segmentally arched pediments. To the north, there are two square dormer windows at the 18th story. The hotel's lobby was originally decorated in marble and contained art from Cornelius Vanderbilt 's estate. The modern lobby design dates to a 1990 renovation by Philippe Starck , who drew inspiration from science-fiction themes and 19th-century ocean liners. The lobby
8900-516: The staff because he preferred workers who had "quirky beauty and elegance", as opposed to tenured hospitality workers, who he said were "too cynical" and "had too many ideas". Schrager was extremely selective about appearances as well; when he was selecting a uniform for workers at the hotel's bar, models tried on over a hundred outfits before Schrager found a uniform he liked. Occupancy rates more than doubled from 38 percent in 1986 to 82 percent in 1988. When Rubell died shortly afterward, Schrager operated
9000-508: The theater in the basement has operated as an event venue named Sony Hall. Lamb's original design for the space was a nostalgic take on a saloon from the 1890s. The design was based on that of grill rooms and restaurants in Europe, with pink, blue, and white Celanese satin at the entrance. The current design dates to a renovation in 2013, carried out by architectural firm Stonehill & Taylor and interior designer Meg Sharpe , as most of
9100-497: The time said that, though the rooms were "not quaint" with excessively small closets, the reviewer said that "everything is well-kept". The next year, the Century Theatre in the hotel's basement was closed and converted to a school for accountants. During the mid-1980s, The New York Times characterized the hotel as "a scruffy tourist stop off Eighth Avenue", appealing to "low-budget European travelers willing to sleep four to
9200-524: The turn of the 20th century, it was simply called "The Street". By the 1970s, 42nd Street was seedy and run-down; X-rated movie houses, peep shows , and so-called grindhouses began to locate there. It was considered by some New Yorkers as a somewhat dangerous place to venture. However, in the 1990s the entire area was significantly revitalized by the city. Most of the adult theater businesses closed and an array of new theaters, multiplex movie houses, restaurants, and tourist attractions opened. In 1974,
9300-419: The vacant basement into a nightclub similar to Studio 54, but it remained empty. A restaurant named Coco Pazzo Teatro opened in the Paramount Hotel in 1996. Starck designed another renovation for the hotel in 1998, which took seven months and cost $ 7 million. The lobby's lighting was brightened, while the rooms were largely painted white and were refitted with new furniture. By that time, revenue per available room
9400-423: The width of the hotel. The arches are supported by white marble piers above a granite water table . Most of the ground-level openings contain storefront windows or doors. The third and fourth bays from the right contain the hotel's entrance, while the fifth bay from the left contains an entrance to Sony Hall. Two ornate marquees , one each in front of Sony Hall's and the hotel's entrances, were installed as part of
9500-421: Was about 6.6 percent higher than the average rate in the hospitality industry. The Whiskey Bar relocated to the W Times Square in 2001, and the space was replaced with a small bar. In 2004, Schrager sold the hotel for $ 126 million to Becker Ventures LLC, Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts, and Hard Rock Cafe . Sol Melia and Hard Rock, who were the minority stakeholders, planned to renovate the hotel and rename it as
9600-523: Was instrumental in establishing and developing the design and construction of the large, lavishly decorated theaters, known as " movie palaces ", as showcases for the films of the emerging Hollywood studios. As early as 1904, Lamb was credited with renovations for two existing theaters in the city: the Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall at 1215 Broadway, and the Dewey Theater on East 14th Street,
9700-519: Was redecorated with mirrored walls, which one publication likened to a "funhouse". After a 1990 renovation, the hotel was divided into 610 rooms, which include both single and double rooms. Most suites are small, measuring only 8 by 10 feet. Newsday compared the sizes of the suites to a "janitorial supply closet", and a reviewer from the Orlando Sentinel wrote that his single room "was very small, verging on confining". Each suite contained
9800-412: Was renovated and renamed the Paramount Hotel. The project, which cost $ 31.3 million, added several amenities and eateries. The hotel's 610 rooms were reopened gradually starting in late 1989, with forty rooms being completed every two weeks. The hotel officially reopened in August 1990; to publicize the renovation, large numbers of apples were mailed to travel agents, an allusion to New York City's nickname,
9900-646: Was responsible for renovating some of Lamb's older New York theaters, and among his original designs was one for the 1969 Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan, which replaced Lamb's original building. In 1920, Lamb designed for himself a private summer home in the Adirondacks in the village of Elizabethtown, New York . The house, which is still extant as a residence, is situated on the Boquet River . The eight-bedroom manor, referred to today as Cobble Mountain Lodge,
10000-567: Was ultimately canceled after HTC requested that Breaking Ground buy out the workers' contract for $ 50 million, which the organization could not afford. As a result, the Paramount Hotel reopened as a hotel in late 2022. RFR selected the management firm Generator to operate the hotel. In a review of the Paramount Hotel, the U.S. News & World Report wrote that the hotel "oozes trendiness, from its sophisticated lobby to its refined Paramount Bar & Grill to its stylish accommodations to its popular Diamond Horseshoe nightclub", although it noted that
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