New York Marriott East Side facts for kids
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| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′20.2″N 73°58′21.4″W / 40.755611°N 73.972611°W |
| Address | |
| Closing date | March 2020 |
| Developer | James T. Lee |
| Architect | Arthur Loomis Harmon |
The New York Marriott East Side was a famous hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was located at 525 Lexington Avenue. The hotel first opened in 1924 as the Shelton Towers Hotel. It closed for good in March 2020 because of a big drop in visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hotel History
The Shelton Towers Hotel was built between 1922 and 1923. It first opened its doors in January 1924. The building was designed by Arthur Loomis Harmon. The person who developed it was James T. Lee, who was the grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
When it first opened, the hotel was only for men. But later in 1924, it also welcomed women. The hotel had many cool features for its guests. These included a gym, a bowling alley, a Turkish bath, a swimming pool, and courts for squash. It also had billiard tables and a barber shop.
Famous Guests and Events
In 1925, two famous artists, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe, lived in an apartment on the 28th floor. They later moved to the 30th floor. Georgia O'Keeffe even painted several pictures of the hotel or the amazing view from her room.
A very exciting event happened in 1926. The famous escape artist Harry Houdini performed a daring escape at the hotel. He managed to get out of an airtight case at the bottom of the hotel's swimming pool!
Changes Over Time
In 1971, the hotel closed to the public. Only a few people who lived there long-term stayed. Developers thought about fixing it up or even tearing it down. But in 1979, it reopened as the Halloran House after big renovations. These changes were paid for by a developer named Edward Halloran.
In 1990, Marriott Hotels & Resorts started managing the hotel. A serious incident took place in a conference room on November 5, 1990.
The building was bought by Morgan Stanley in 2005 for $287 million. It had major updates inside in 2007 and outside in 2009. In 2015, Morgan Stanley sold the building to Ashkenazy Acquisition and Deka Immobilien for $270 million.
Building Design
The hotel building is 387 feet (about 118 meters) tall. It sits on a plot of land that is about 24,000 square feet (2,230 square meters). This plot is located between East 48th and East 49th Street. The bottom two floors are covered with Indiana limestone. The rest of the building is covered in brick.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission says the building's style is Romanesque Revival. However, some architecture experts have said it mixes many styles. They noted it used ideas from Romanesque, Byzantine, and other old styles. But many critics were impressed because it didn't look like any one style from the past.
The building has several large setbacks. These are parts of the building that step back from the street as it goes higher. These setbacks were needed to follow New York City's 1916 Zoning Resolution. This rule made sure tall buildings allowed sunlight and air to reach the streets below. The Shelton Towers Hotel was one of the first hotels in New York to be built this way.
