Wyndham New Yorker Hotel

The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel
The hotel, with its large "New Yorker" sign
Map
General information
Location481 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10001
United States
Coordinates40°45′10″N 73°59′37″W / 40.75278°N 73.99361°W / 40.75278; -73.99361
OpeningJanuary 2, 1930 (original hotel)
June 1, 1994 (current hotel)
ClosedApril 19, 1972 (original hotel)
OwnerUnification Church of the United States
ManagementWyndham Hotels & Resorts
Technical details
Floor count42 (22 for hotel)
Floor area1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Sugarman and Berger
DeveloperMack Kanner
Other information
Number of rooms1,083 (originally 2,500)
Number of suites64
Number of restaurants2 (originally 5)
Website
www.newyorkerhotel.com

The New Yorker Hotel is a mixed-use hotel building at 481 Eighth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1930, the New Yorker Hotel was designed by Sugarman and Berger in the Art Deco style and is 42 stories high, with four basement stories. The hotel building is owned by the Unification Church, which rents out the lower stories as offices and dormitories. The upper stories comprise The New Yorker, A Wyndham Hotel, which has 1,083 guestrooms and is operated by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The 1-million-square-foot (93,000-square-meter) building also contains two restaurants and approximately 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2) of conference space.

The facade is largely made of brick and terracotta, with Indiana limestone on the lower stories. There are setbacks to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, as well as a large sign with the hotel's name. The hotel contains a power plant and boiler room on its fourth basement, which was an early example of a cogeneration plant. The public rooms on the lower stories included a Manufacturers Trust bank branch, a double-height lobby, and multiple ballrooms and restaurants. Originally, the hotel had 2,503 guestrooms from the fourth story up. The modern-day hotel rooms start above the 19th story.

The New Yorker was built by Mack Kanner and was originally operated by Ralph Hitz, who died in 1940 and was succeeded by Frank L. Andrews. Hilton Hotels bought the hotel in 1954 and, after conducting extensive renovations, sold the hotel in 1956 to Massaglia Hotels. New York Towers Inc. acquired the New Yorker in 1959 but surrendered the property to Hilton in 1967 as part of a foreclosure proceeding. The hotel was closed in 1972 and sold to the French and Polyclinic Medical School and Health Center, which unsuccessfully attempted to develop a hospital there. The Unification Church purchased the building in 1976 and initially used it as a global headquarters. After the top stories of the building reopened as a hotel in 1994, the lower stories were used as offices and dormitories. The hotel rooms have undergone multiple renovations since the hotel reopened. The New Yorker joined the Ramada chain in 2000 and was transferred to the Wyndham brand in 2014.