Oak Room (Plaza Hotel) facts for kids

Oak Room entrance on 59th Street

The Oak Room was a famous bar and later a restaurant inside the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It was open from 1907 until it closed in 2011. It was known for its beautiful design and rich history.

Discovering the Oak Room's Design

The Oak Room was designed by the Plaza Hotel's architect, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. He created it in a style called German Renaissance. The room features walls made of beautiful English or Flemish oak wood. You could also see paintings of Bavarian castles on the walls, though no one knows who painted them anymore!

The room also had cool details like fake wine barrels carved into the wood. A special chandelier hung from the high, twenty-foot ceiling. It looked like it was covered in grapes and had a barmaid holding a drink.

Many people thought the Oak Room was a very grand and elegant place. A writer named Ada Louise Huxtable once said it had "dignity" and "authenticity." Because it was so fancy, many rich and famous people visited. For example, a well-known entertainer named George M. Cohan visited so often that his favorite spot was called "Cohan's Corner." A special plaque was put there to remember him after he passed away.

Exploring the Oak Bar

Entrance to The Oak Bar in August 2008.

The Oak Bar is very close to the Oak Room and is connected to it, but it's actually a separate place. The Oak Bar opened in its current spot in 1945. Before that, it was an office for a company called E. F. Hutton.

When the Oak Bar opened in 1945, three special paintings by Everett Shinn were added, and they are still there today. A very long oakwood bar, about 38 feet (12 meters) long, was also installed. The Oak Bar has a different style called Tudor Revival. It has a plaster ceiling with decorative patterns and designs of flowers and leaves.

A Look at the Oak Room's History

The Oak Room first opened in 1907 as the "Men's Bar." It was a place where businessmen could meet and talk. This was different from another room, the Men's Grill, where talking about business was not allowed.

The bar had to close during Prohibition (1920-1933), a time when alcohol was illegal. During this period, it was known as the Café or Oak Lounge.

The Men's Bar reopened in 1934 as a restaurant called the Oak Room. At first, women were only allowed in the Oak Room during the summers. By the early 1950s, women could visit in the evenings too. However, the Oak Room and Bar remained a men-only space before 3 p.m. on weekdays, when the stock market was open.

This rule changed in February 1969. Betty Friedan and other members of the National Organization for Women held a protest. A few months later, the rule about who could enter was removed, and everyone was welcome at any time.

The restaurant closed for renovations from 2005 to 2008, reopening in 2008. However, it closed permanently in 2011. This was partly due to disagreements between the hotel owners and the Oak Room's owner. One big issue was the "Day and Night" parties held on Saturday afternoons. These events were very loud and disturbed the hotel guests, which the hotel owners felt was bad for the hotel's reputation.

Famous Performers at the Oak Room

While the Plaza Hotel's Rose Club was usually the main place for entertainment, the Oak Room also hosted some performers. Singers like Alexa Ray Joel and Brian Newman performed there. Even Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance with Brian Newman in the Oak Room a couple of times in 2010 and 2011.

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  Oak Room entrance on 59th Street