Algonquin Hotel

thumb|The Algonquin Hotel in New York City. The Algonquin Hotel is located in Lower Manhattan, near the New York Yacht Club Buidling and the Harvard Club of New York City. The hotel opened in 1902 and was leased in 1907 by Frank Case, who became the owner in 1927 and was the manager until he died in 1946. The hotel went through several ownership changes and renovations. The Algonquin Hotel is included in the program Historic Hotels of America. Quotes It has felt like 5:30 P.M. in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel for nearly 90 years now. While the city changes around it, the Algonquin just goes on and on in chronic, romantic twilight, haunted by some lost souls who ate club sandwiches at a certain Algonquin Round Table round table a long time ago.But even the Algonquin changes hands every 40 years or so. In 1987, the Aoki Corporation, a Tokyo-based hotel group that also owns Westin Hotels & Resorts Westin Hotels and Resorts, bought the Algonquin for $30 million. The sale prompted relatively little of the usual xenophobic hand-wringing. What little there was seemed to occur in the Algonquin lobby. ...Each room is stocked with recent issues of The New Yorker. Stephen Drucker, Ever a hotel whose heart is in its lobby The New York Times January 18, 1991 https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA175088762&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=03624331&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E1ca89a42&aty=open-web-entry The Algonquin Hotel, located on West 44th Street in New York City, is a turn-of-the-century structure. Both the exterior and the interior of the building reflect this era. The physical appearance of the large lobby, elegant dining rooms, and the intimate private rooms provided the stimulus for this study. ...Sensual reds, browns, and golds enhance the dimly lit lobby. Every aspect of the decor, from the sculpted ivory ceiling to the dark wooden wall panels and pillars is appealing. Lighting fixtures with brass designs adorn the pillars with similar chandeliers hanging throughout, and antique lamps with painted bases spot the tables in the lobby. Much of the furniture is upholstered in brocade and velvet with interesting patterns and weaves. The glass on the entry doors and the dividing panel are incised with design. Large brass ashtrays, fresh flowers, and bells on the tables all ornament the lobby appropriately.The private rooms, even with their visual signs of aging, retain the charm of the lobby. They do not seem to have changed drastically since the 1920's. Instead of plastic or cheap veneer, all of the appointments are brass, solid wood and leather. The drapes, wall coverings and bathrooms are all preserved quite well. Rather than cardboard reproductions in plastic frames, only original lithographs and prints dating from 1920-1940 adorn the walls. Cheryl Jelonek, A study of the Algonquin Hotel Thesis for the Master of Fine Arts Degree in the College of Fine and Applied Arts Rochester Institute of Technology May 1978 https://repository.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4455&context=theses The Algonquin Round Table was a group of literary figures, mostly writers and press agents, who met regularly for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the 1920s. The members became a cultural institution, famous mostly for being famous, enjoying humorous conversation and games, and furthering each other’s careers and reputations. ...Besides Alexander Woollcott Woollcott, some of the other regular Algonquinites over the years were Woollcott’s assistant, George S. Kaufman; Marc Connelly of the The Morning Telegraph Morning Telegraph and a playwright; Arthur Samuels, editor of Harper’s Bazaar; Robert E. Sherwood, a staff writer at Vanity Fair (American magazine 1913–1936) Vanity Fair; Robert Benchley, editor of Vanity Fair, later a drama critic for The New Yorker, and a sometime actor; and Dorothy Parker, short story writer, poet, and Vanity Fair drama critic. As the group grew in reputation and social connections, it drew in new members, such as the well-known actor Harpo Marx, and the cost of annual membership was raised to $1,000, further strengthening the group’s exclusivity. ... by the early 1930s, the Algonquin Round Table had officially disbanded. Caren Prommersberger, Algonquin Round Table 20–21 Routledge 2015 vol. 1 of 3 America Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History (edited by Gina Misiroglu; 1st edition 2009) External links Category:Buildings and structures in New York City Category:Hotels in the United States