Algonquin Hotel facts for kids
The Algonquin Hotel is a famous historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It's known for its long history and for being a meeting place for many famous writers and artists. The hotel has 181 rooms and first opened its doors in 1902. It was designed by an architect named Goldwin Starrett.
Originally, the building was planned to be an apartment hotel, where people would rent rooms for a whole year. But it quickly became a regular hotel instead. Its first owner-manager, Frank Case, helped create many of the special traditions the hotel is known for today. The Algonquin Hotel became famous for hosting many important people from the worlds of literature and theater, especially the members of the Algonquin Round Table.
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A Look Back at the Algonquin's History
The Algonquin Hotel was first meant to be an apartment building. The owner wanted to rent out rooms and suites for a year at a time. But not many people wanted to sign year-long leases. So, the owner decided to make it a hotel. He was going to call it "The Puritan."
However, Frank Case found out that the Algonquian tribes were the first people to live in that area. He convinced the owner to name the hotel "The Algonquin" instead. This name honored the original inhabitants of the land.
Frank Case took over running the hotel in 1907. He later bought the building in 1927 for about $1 million. He stayed as the owner and manager until he passed away in 1946. After that, the hotel was sold a few times. It eventually became part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection brand.
The Famous Algonquin Round Table
In June 1919, the Algonquin Hotel became the daily meeting spot for a special group of people. This group was called the Algonquin Round Table. It included journalists, authors, publicists, and actors. They met almost every day for lunch in the main dining room. They would share witty remarks and interesting ideas. This group met for about ten years.
Some of the main members of this "Vicious Circle," as they sometimes called themselves, included Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, George S. Kaufman, Harpo Marx, and Alexander Woollcott. These creative individuals influenced many other writers, like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. They even helped start The New Yorker magazine. To this day, all guests at the hotel receive free copies of the magazine.
Frank Case, the hotel owner, made sure this talented group had a special place. He gave them free celery and popovers for lunch. More importantly, they had their own table and waiter. Even today, visitors often ask to eat at the actual "round table" where these famous people once met.
Special Traditions at the Hotel
Hotel Cats
The Algonquin Hotel has a fun tradition of having a hotel cat. This practice started in the 1930s. Frank Case took in a stray male cat named "Rusty." Legend says that actor John Barrymore thought the cat needed a more "dignified" name. He suggested renaming Rusty "Hamlet."
Now, whenever the hotel has a male cat, its name is "Hamlet." All female cats are named "Matilda." The last Matilda cat was a Ragdoll breed. She was even named "Cat of the Year" in 2006! You could often see Matilda relaxing on her personal lounge chair in the lobby. She also liked to hang out behind the front desk or on a baggage cart.
Matilda III passed away in October 2017. Since then, Hamlet VIII has become the hotel's cat. He was rescued from a group of cats on Long Island. Since the 1930s, the hotel also holds an annual cat fashion show every summer. This event helps raise money for animal charities.
Unique Drinks
Even though the Algonquin Hotel was "dry" before Prohibition (meaning they didn't serve alcohol), the hotel now has its own special drink. It's called the Algonquin cocktail. It's made with rye whiskey, a type of vermouth called Noilly Prat, and pineapple juice.
More recently, the hotel added a very fancy drink to its menu. It's called the $10,000 Martini, or "Martini on the Rock." This martini comes with a real diamond at the bottom of the glass instead of ice! This special drink was created to celebrate a big renovation of the hotel.
Landmark Status
The Algonquin Hotel is very important because of the Algonquin Round Table and all the other famous writers and actors who stayed there. Because of its history, the hotel was named a New York City Historic Landmark in 1987.
In 1996, the hotel was also named a National Literary Landmark by the Friends of Libraries USA. There is a bronze plaque (a special metal sign) on the front of the hotel that tells everyone about this honor.
Images for kids
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Main facade of the hotel as seen from across 44th Street
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Since 2001 the Algonquin Hotel has been a New York City Designated Landmark.
