The Knickerbocker Hotel

The Knickerbocker Hotel
Seen from across Broadway and 42nd Street, 2021
Map
Former namesKnickerbocker Building, Newsweek Building, 6 Times Square
General information
TypeHotel
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
Location142 West 42nd Street
Manhattan, New York 10036
Coordinates40°45′19″N 73°59′12″W / 40.75528°N 73.98667°W / 40.75528; -73.98667
Construction started1901
Topped-outFebruary 1904
OpenedOctober 23, 1906
Renovated1920, 1980, 1999–2003, 2013–2015
OwnerFelCor Lodging Trust
Height195 feet (59 m)
Technical details
MaterialBrick, limestone, terracotta
Floor count15
Floor areaapproximately 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2)
Grounds19,800 square feet (1,840 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Marvin & Davis (exterior)
Bruce Price (consultant)
Trowbridge & Livingston (original interior)
DeveloperInternational Realty and Construction Company
John Jacob Astor IV
Main contractorInternational Realty and Construction Company
Renovating team
Architect(s)Gabellini Sheppard Associates
Peter Poon Architects
Knickerbocker Hotel
Coordinates40°45′19″N 73°59′12″W / 40.75528°N 73.98667°W / 40.75528; -73.98667
Built1901–1906
ArchitectTrowbridge & Livingston; Marvin & Davis; Bruce Price
Architectural styleBeaux Arts
NRHP reference No.80002697
NYCL No.1556
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1980[2]
Designated NYCLOctober 18, 1988[1]

The Knickerbocker Hotel is a hotel at Times Square, on the southeastern corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built by John Jacob Astor IV, the hostelry was designed in 1901 and opened in 1906. Its location near the Theater District around Times Square was intended to attract not only residential guests but also theater visitors.

The Knickerbocker Hotel is largely designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Marvin & Davis, with Bruce Price as consultant. Its primary frontages are on Broadway and 42nd Street. These facades are constructed of red brick with terracotta details and a prominent mansard roof. The Knickerbocker Hotel also incorporates an annex on 41st Street, built in 1894 as part of the St. Cloud Hotel, which formerly occupied the site. The 41st Street facade contains a Romanesque Revival design by Philip C. Brown. Inside, the hotel contains 300 rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a roof bar. The original interior design was devised in 1905 by Trowbridge & Livingston. There are scattered remnants of the original interior design, including an entrance that formerly led from the New York City Subway's Times Square station to the hotel's basement.

The original hotel, which served as the home of Enrico Caruso and George M. Cohan, shuttered in 1920 following a decrease in business. The building was then converted to offices, becoming known as the Knickerbocker Building. It was the home of Newsweek magazine from 1940 to 1959 during which it was called the Newsweek Building. After major renovations in 1980, it became known as 1466 Broadway and was used as garment showrooms and offices. Following another renovation in 2001, it was known as 6 Times Square. The Knickerbocker was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1988. It was converted back to a hotel from 2013 to 2015 under its original name.

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).