One of New York City's most iconic hotels is closing for four years for a face-lift. The 119-year-old Plaza Hotel will shut its gilded doors in January for a restoration of the 18-story building's landmark facade, the hotel's operators, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, announced on Wednesday. Since opening in 1907, the Plaza, at the corner of Central Park South and Fifth Avenue, has been synonymous with a particular New York brand of opulence. But maintaining that elegance requires periodic upkeep. The hotel has had at least half a dozen owners, including Donald J. Trump, who took it into bankruptcy in the 1990s. It was partly converted into condominiums in the early 2000s and now has 282 hotel rooms and 181 condos.
The fortresslike Plaza was created by the architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the Dakota on Central Park West. New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in 1982 that the hotel was "essentially New York eclectic," and called it as crucial to the city's architectural heritage as Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library.
Fairmont did not offer details on the work or its cost, saying only that the plan "reflects the complexity of maintaining a property of such architectural and historical significance." It also declined to say whether condo residents would be displaced. The event rooms and the Palm Court restaurant will also close in January.
Andrew Dolkart, a historic preservation professor at Columbia University, said he was surprised the facade needed another extensive renovation so soon after its earlier redo. Even so, he said, closing made sense: "It's going to be noisy, and they must figure they can't charge luxury prices for a hotel when there's construction work going on outside your window." The 378 union members who work at the Plaza will have the right to resume their jobs at the same pay when it reopens, and the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council will try to find them other work in the meantime.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing