Why New York's Most Opulent Hotels Were Demolished (The Waldorf and Astoria Hotels)
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- During the middle of The Gilded Age in the city that never sleeps -
where steel meets sky and ambition knows no bounds - two
monumental landmarks once soared above the rest-the Astor
and Waldorf Hotels.
And yet - despite standing as monoliths of splendor - these icons
of opulence faced an unforeseeable destiny- they eroded,
crumbled - and ultimately, were razed to the ground.
In this thrilling installment of Old Money Mansions - join us as we
retell a saga that consistently echoes through the corridors of
architectural history -
Why Were New York's Most Opulent Hotels Demolished
----------------------------
Why New York’s Most Opulent Mansion Was Demolished (Charles M. Schwab Mansion): • Why New York’s Most Op...
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Why New York’s Largest Mansion EVER Was Demolished (Cornelius Vanderbilt II House): • Why New York’s Largest...
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
1:34 1. Planning and Construction of The Astor and Waldorf hotels
4:01 2. Inside The Original Waldorf-Astoria
9:11 3. The Heyday of The Waldorf and Astorias
11:02 4. The Downfall of The Waldorf and Astor Hotels
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Welcome to another captivating episode of Old Money Mansions, where we explore the glorious, mysterious, and sometimes tragic histories of America's architectural gems. In today's installment, we delve deep into the legacy of New York City's most opulent hotels that once epitomized American grandeur-The Astor and Waldorf Hotels.
Born out of an intense family rivalry between William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV, these towering landmarks were more than just hotels; they were palaces of dreams. The Waldorf, originating in 1893, was a German Renaissance wonder designed by architect Henry Hardenbergh. Not to be outdone, John Jacob Astor IV countered with the Astoria Hotel, a design feat by the renowned architects Schultze & Weaver, which graced Fifth Avenue in 1897.
🏢 Construction and Planning
For both hotels, the mission was not just to build structures but to make grand statements. William Waldorf Astor's Waldorf Hotel was initially criticized as "Boldt's Folly," but it silenced doubters by hosting a charity concert that filled its grand ballroom with New York's elite, eventually generating a staggering $4.5 Million by the end of its first year. Astor IV responded by creating the Astoria Hotel, another opulent marvel. The cousins later agreed to connect their monumental establishments via a 300-foot marble corridor known as "Peacock Alley," creating the world’s largest hotel at the time-The Waldorf-Astoria.
🎭 Inside The Hotels
Each hotel was a sanctuary of splendor. The Waldorf boasted an Empire Room, a Marie Antoinette parlor, and even a Gentleman’s Cafe adorned with black oak paneling and stag-horn chandeliers. Meanwhile, the Astor offered a Garden Court of Palms, an Astor Dining Room that echoed Italian Renaissance sensibilities, and luxurious suites furnished with old English oak.
🥳 The Heyday
From their earliest days, both hotels became hubs for social events, hosting dignitaries like Viceroy Li Hung-Chang of China and luminaries like Andrew Carnegie. They revolutionized hospitality, even creating classic cocktails like the Rob Roy and the Bobbie Burns.
😢 The Downfall
However, their prominence was short-lived. New competitors, the Great Depression, and soaring maintenance costs led to their decline. Eventually, they were demolished to make way for more modern developments, leaving us to ponder: what led to their downfall?
COMMENT: Have you ever been to New York’s modern Waldorf Astoria building - or the Empire State Building itself?
Yes I have. It was easy for me because I live in Manhattan.
Yes I use to work in NYC at 51st and Park Ave. so hotel was a couple of blocks away. Walked passed all the time. I would love to know what happened to all the magnificent furnishing and art work???
I have walked by the new Waldorf Astoria many times on my way back to Grand Central Terminal. 😊
Yes, I was 5 days in the hotel when I visited Manhattan 10 years ago
Yes been to both your post is fascinating thank you
These Hotels were the EPITOME OF ELEGANCE!!!! Something we could ALL use today!!!! It's understandable that they were eventually torn down due to the HORROR OF PAYING FOR THE UPKEEP!!!! I Can't IMAGINE!!!! Thank-You for taking us through a time when people DRESSED FOR DINNER AND LEFT "CALLING CARDS". Something we probably won't see again.
Very sad that such wonderful buildings were destroyed.
As an American who travels to Europe, I recognize the beauty of everyday European architecture vs our functional but mundane buildings. This video shows what we once were capable of.
I'm afraid it will be mud-huts and tar-paper shacks before long...
@@fredingram3731IF JOE CAMEL CONTINUES DOWN IS PATH OF BAFOONERY WERE AT AN END AS A NATION OF THE FREE!
American architecture has nothing to apologize for. Lots of ugly, nondescript council houses in Europe. I’ve heard many Europeans comment about how much better they like American homes because they don’t all look the same. I’m speaking in generalities of course and not about capital cities architecture. Just my thoughts and opinions and I’ve lived in Europe and the US.
yes it is such a pity that they were not preserved.
I was once a guest at a wonderful wedding party at the Waldrof-Astoria, it was magnificent, of course, I have visited the Empire State Building many times. A good friend of mine had his offices there until after September 9, 2001. They were in the process of moving to another more modern tower. The lobby of the Empire State Building is a work of Art Deco, simply stunningly well-maintained.
I've walked through the lobby of the modern Waldorf Astoria Hotel and have been to the Empire State Building.. I do believe that the Astor Hotel should have been preserved because the building that succeeded it is a poor replacement for its grandeur.
That was the whole point! They feed us this narrative since birth that we are evolving and getting better with time but one only has to see the beautiful architecture of the past and compare it to the sterile glass condo towers of today and it's evident that we are not better but worse and that technology that exists today existed in the past in different forms.
@@discodirk48it’s not a conspiracy. A lot of these newer buildings look boxy and lack any real aesthetic because they don’t need to look any which way. We have air conditioning now. In the past the building itself had methods to cool the buildings, incorporating local artisan work. We outsource to large corporations that only need to design something within the budget.
@@discodirk48 The reason there are never any construction photos or movies. These buildings are/were much older and "Inherited: by the Appointed rich.
@@discodirk48 Very good observation! There is one word that encapsulates this and is DECADENCE. The ugly modern world which has no respect for beauty and elegance was born after WW1. In the US was far worse because of the lack of genuine, deep-rooted culture. In a society driven by greed (the "American Dream") where the only thing that counts is profit, beautiful old buildings mean nothing.
And sadly, not likely to ever be seen again...such as the demolished Penn Station.
An absolutely wonderful video and history lesson. These hotels were true "gems" in there day. WOW!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I stayed a few nights at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in April 1976 for the Association of American Geography conference. It was a most amazing experience. It had an elegance from the earlier era still in the famous clock from the original hotel. Of course, the architectural style was very different being Art Deco. The room was only about $40 a night which today would be a flop house.
Another thing to think about is how building technology changed in the 30 years between when these hotels were built and then demolished. Indoor plumbing was a pretty new thing in the 1890's, I'm betting most hotel rooms didn't have a bathroom except maybe the more luxurious suites. The bathroom was down the hall and shared by several rooms on that floor. 30 years later the newest luxury hotels would have a bathroom in every room. Also electric lighting was just in its infancy in the 1890's, the newer hotels built later had much better electrical and lighting systems. Not sure on this, but some of these new hotels built in the 1920's might have had air conditioning, I know it was starting to become a thing in the movie palaces and other commercial buildings built around that time.
It wasn't built in any 30 years. These buildings are thousands of years old and the Freemasons demolished them because they are unaccounted for in the history books. Wake up people
If you look at photos of todays Waldorf Astoria yeah the rooms and public spaces are less opulent. One thing too the public spaces say the dining rooms lobby etc all seem smaller than the original. Which makes alot of sense. I mean other than seeing a nice ceiling what sense is there to a 24 foot ceiling in the dining room? It probably just is more expensive to heat and cool and wastes space that could be used for rooms. I wanna guess too the hotel business changed too in that it became more about having more rooms than just pampering a select few.
@@deanpruit4216We didn't build the original ones. They didn't need HVAC because the climate was tropical. The giants built them to a convenient size. They are not hotels they are castles. New York is really just a huge airport that brought North Americas grain and farm product up to airships and off to Europe (it was the same empire - the Empire State Building was the capital). There used to be sky trains between the skyscrapers. Prior to the 1930s, much of New York was knocked down to match the 'we built it' history books.
Nonsense
I had many visits to the Waldorf Astoria in the 90s and oughts and was surprised then to discover it was the NEW waldorf astoria. It seemed positively ancient and I assumed it was the original. You don't get many hotel rooms with 15ft ceilings.
When I was probably 18 or 19 years old, far too young to appreciate where I was, I had dinner in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I had a pulled pork sandwhich! lol
All that work and opulence and beauty just to be torn down so quickly.
I love your insights. “The hotels sowed their own seeds of destruction.” The complexity and magnificence of such opulence came with crushing , unsustainable maintenance. Not to mention the exclusivity and the amount of money to be a guest there was out of reach. As more competitors such as the Essex House came along, they slowly became white elephants. Sad yet not really.
My Uncle Ray Hartley was resident pianist at the Waldorf Astoria in the 1950-70s
They have to destroy it because people would catch on to the fact that these beautiful buildings far exceed anything built today. It would destroy the narrative that we are evolving and getting better with time and one clearly just has to open their eyes to the deteriation of everything from architecture, style, fashion, and morals and values.
Erasing great America for the nothingness.
Sad to see them go however they were demolished for an even better icon, the Empire State Building, still one of the finest skyscrapers ever erected...
The urinals in the bathroom of Foley's bar on West 33rd St (since closed) were from the old Waldorf.
I have been to the modern Wardolf Astoria. I am deeply saddened by the fact it is no longer the Lustrous hotel we all come to know and love. Infact the year I was there was the last year before closing for renovations.
The new electronic bosses, Amazon etc destroy all , I think
@@artistsingerwriterproducer8288 I think a Chinese company purchased them and turned them into Condominiums
@@adventureswithsinglesister8023
You're right... it was aquired back in 2017 and turned into condos right after it was massively renovated just the year before... unbelievable
@@artistsingerwriterproducer8288And don't forget the Fake Space travelers like Elon (My last name is defined as smells like shit) who took the spot previously held by Richard Branson and his Lie about space ... both to distract from the NASA Lie.
renovations are a good thing - it extends the existence of the building - otherwise it would have been torn down and replaced with an office building
Astor or Astoria??? The names are used interchangeably throughout.
I’ve been to the Empire State Building quite often for business and often on Friday nights to visit the observation decks.
When I was young my grandfather was the President of the Furrier’s Association and through a ball in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria every year. It was a gorgeous hotel. It’s not a dual purpose hotel and condo on the uppermost floors. From what I can see online since the renovations and conversion to multi-purpose use the gorgeous Beaux Arts clock that once graced the magnificent lobby is gone. I’m thoroughly devastated but would still love to stay in the Warldorf the next time that I stay in the city.
Visited Paris, France and they would not let this happen because they love&adore their beautiful,grand capital city. What did they do? They drew a line and allowed modern buildings in a zone for them. Just look at what happened when their 850+ yr old Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire! Repaired it and made it fresh and cleaned it somewhat. 13 million visitors a year. More than The Eiffel Tower! I read that is 30 thousand a day.❤❤❤
"Caught fire"
was ignited.
It is never a waste of money to enjoy architecticural or cultural elegance both in dinning & accomodations, levels of service was held to a high standard of EXCELLENCE🎉
Some of the large stone blocks retrieved from the demolition of the original W-A were shipped to Ithaca, New York where they form the foundation of Cornell University's Boldt Hal.
Where and how was those big heavy stones put up ..horse and buggy
There were railroads.@@gulfy09
@@gulfy09Predominantly transported by freight rail lines. Coal was transported in from Upstate amongst other commodities predominantly mined and crushed shell/fill was often transported out along with block, kilns, etc.
from what i remember, the first hotel was something of a slap in the face to one branch of the Astor family next to whose old mansion it was built, cementing the neighborhood's change from quiet elite residential under the shade of trees, to busy commercial in the shadows of skyscrapers.
Ive been inside the Empire State Building before. Was having a cocktail at the bar and a cockroach crawled into my companions glove. Didnt even get a free drink...
In the early 1980's, my wife and I stayed there for a week. We came and went through The Towers side where the condos are. The food was exquisite with fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast daily. The professionalism of the staff was world class. It was a memorable experience.
played the Waldorf Sunshine.. New Year's Eve gigs! even have a silver tea server!
Sunday brunch at the Waldorf was simply the best.
With todays wealth, I'm surprised no-one has rebuilt these.
They were New York City's equivalents to London's Savoy, and Ritz hotels.
If the Waldorf and The Astoria hotels were on opposite sides of the street, as shown in the photo at 1:17, was Peacock Alley and underground corridor below sidewalk level?
So sad to have lost both hotels though i am glad 2 nice deco buildings were built afterwards instead of something hideous
Remember, high society was moving up Fifth Avenue with The Plaza, Sherry-Netherland(new one) and the Savoy at Fifth and 59th Street torn down about 1965-66. Shame the original Carnegie Mansion was demolished where old Bergdorf-Goodman store is today.
Great video, thanks.
Glad you liked it!
I would be interested to know what happened to all that lavish construction material - marble, decor etc... Was any of it salvaged to grace any other buildings - or was all that beautiful marble and ornamentation just demolished and carted off to landfill? It would be nice to imagine it was recycled in some way - all those beautiful bathroom fittings etc..., the furniture, the fountains... All the way through the video the shadow of the Titanic - on which I think one of the Astor family died - seemed to loom over the beauty, elegance and luxury of these buildings that became one hotel.
I stayed at the Walcott in the early nineties one night when I was working for United Airlines. It was an amazing experience I won't forget.
My grandfather worked at the Waldorf as an elevator operator in the 1920s after he came home from WWl. Also got his citizenship while working there. Never went to the new Waldorf. He worked as a chief after that.
Nice to hear your story, My VFW member's August and Eugene's fathers were in WW1 US Army
How did they connect the two? Looks like there’s a street in between….
I've been to both, Went up to the 86th floor of the ESB back in 2019
a sad loss
So beautifully
6:46 "Directly opposite LIED the....." PLEASE ! I'm trying to immerse myself in a bygone world of elegance, civility.... and proper English.
You can’t beat the classic architecture of the original. I’d rather have it back. I’d rather have much of old Manhattan back. Much better looking. Plus it didn’t weigh down the island.
Every time he says Ren-nay-sonce, take a drink.
I have been to the Empire State bldg, beautiful inside. Haven’t been to the Waldorf-Astoria in NY. I have been to the one in Orlando but like I’ve always have said, they don’t build them like they use too!!! It’s a shame that neither building was able to be saved. I’m sure one of them, if saved, would be standing today.
Yes, I’ve been to the W-A and the Empire SB many times. I lived in the city for 35 years.
The Waldorf has been closed for years since Blackrock sold it to the Chinese
The only really famous NYC hotel where I've stayed has been the Americana (celebrated in the 1960s for being, for a time anyway, New York's tallest concrete structure -- or something like that.) It's now known as the Sheraton Times Square. Others, like the hotel in Tudor City and the Evelyn (formerly the Gerswhin) have had their charm, historic structures that they are. The only time I've been in the Empire State was to arrange some plane tickets at a travel agency which was on a 20-something floor. While the lobby is indeed an Art Deco feast, the office floor where that travel agency was seemed terribly mundane.
In the early 90s my mother and I would travel to New York City to see the Opera at the Met. There were a few times when we would wander into the Waldorf for lunch. Mom would always dress so beautifully and encouraged me to always dress nice but we would laugh because she said that high-class prostitutes would sometimes go there to meet with their clients and we would get some strange treatment at times when we would come to get a table.
I’ve been to the top of the Empire State building several times. I’ve stayed several nights in the 20th century built Waldorf Astoria hotel.
Each building is iconic in it’s own way.
Of course the Empire State building has been replaced by taller ones. And “The Waldorf”, although charismatic, I feel has lost its opulence through time.
Of all hotels I’ve stayed in I have found the Marriott Hotel in downtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street to be my personal favorite.
I loved the video as much as the walk through the lobby . Had lunch there in 1998 😊😅
Very informative video though several photos were not from the hotel and a few of the same photos were used when talking about the Waldorf side and the Astoria side. Oh yeah and it's the Astoria not Astor.
There's something tragicomic about the Waldorf and the Astoria Hotels. "We have built the MOST LUXURIOUS HOTELS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD." - 20 years later - "What's this about running water in every room? Enough hot water to fill a tub? Bathrooms with commodes in every suite? No more sharing toilets? Oh gawd - " and, demolished. It's like becoming a librarian in 2009, or a blacksmith in 1916.
Did I ever visit the Park Avenue Waldorf Astoria? I worked in the lobby of that hotel!!!
I never been to New York.
I been to a motel 6 though.
lol
They'll leave the light on for ya.
Have to wonder how much of the priceless hand carved and crafted woodwork and plaster decorations was burned or trashed, how much of the decorative bronze elements was scrapped, marble and tile dumped in the landfill etc etc
I have been inside the modern Waldorf Astoria, although of course I've never stayed there, and a number of times I've been to the Empire State Building. nonetheless, as I've said elsewhere, the criminals that destroyed these landmarks should have had to face the 'French bench'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ASTOR was a famous beauty product too, which I have used,
I've never been to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel but My mom worked there as a hairdresser for many years
Who is the very good narrator in this video?
He is outstanding.
I tried finding his name, but couldn't. He's tops, though, I agree.
Harry Succes
It sounds like the voice of Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey.
At 0:45, that man wears a hamster instead of a tie.
11:59 This is actually a view of Wall St looking South towards South Street Seaport not North towards 34th str. The statue on the left is George Washington on the stairs of Federal Hall.
The overwrought design of the old Waldorf and Astoria hotels was fleeting in style. The Empire State Building and new Waldorf Astoria Hotels are in art deco style that is timeless and will always be appreciated, although less luxurious than their predecessors.
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue in 1996 and we could see all those places we saw in the movies. However, all that glamour had disappeared, being replaced by the globalized Hilton way of administration...
Its vanishingly small, but there may be one or two people still out there, that could tell us what it was like to be in those two hotels. Just like it doesn't really register in my daughter's heads (they are approximately 18), that I once went to the top of the World Trade Center.
It's a tragedy that some of the most beautiful buildings in New York City have been razed. Even if the Tartarian conspiracy theory gets dismissed, there is something extremely disconcerting about man's lack of appreciation for aesthetics. I hate skyscrapers and modernist architecture.
While these buildings were beautiful, what really saddens me is how many working and middle class people in the comments are lamenting the loss of spaces they were never meant to occupy.
Addresses?
It says when they were built and how long they lasted but I wonder how much time it took to build them.
Economic downturns change im leadership😮
8:04 "...with season tickets for its musical performances costing up to $350.00, around $12-grand in today's dollars, underscoring the high value placed upon cultural offerings held within these hallowed walls." Also underscoring the extent to which our government has stolen the value of our money over the decades.
back then the average wage was $10 a week -- the Robber Barons were stealing the value of labor, to afford things like that which they vast majority of people could never hope to.
there were also frequent crashes in that era -- depressions, really -- that lasted sometimes for the better part of a decade, and wiped out even many of the rich, not to mention those of lesser means.
Americans are far better off now, so what's been 'stolen' except according to obscure economic theories?
Been to the top floor of the Empire State Building.
In my opinion, the Death knell for not only these establishments but the families as well were the introduction of the Income and inheritance taxes and for certain families, the busting of monopolies and rise of labor unions. A lot of these families had lost vast amounts of money BEFORE the market crash. I really do wish they had been retained like the old hotels that are still opulent in Paris, London and other cities in Europe where history and art mean something
You make some very good points. Another situation that often occurred with these lavish and opulent buildings is that, though no expense was spared in their construction, maintenance and upkeep were often deferred, since they offered no immediate payback. Similarly, upgrading to meet current safety and convenience standards was often put off. At a certain point, the cost to bring these elaborate structures up to date becomes cost prohibitive. Throw in the fact that it might occupy some prime real estate, and their destruction seems inevitable.
We tare down our monuments and history like no nation before!
@@CoreyT127 Not any more thankfully with historic registers in almost every city, county n State.
Haha ya they built it ....🐂💩. That building was there long before these masons claimed to have created it. GREAT VIDEO 👍
Empire State
Nothing's changed when catering to the idle rich, e.g. Dubai.
Captions are too fast.
Those buildings were already there when they came to America.
We all marvel at grand European buildings, homes, hotels, etc that have been prized and preserved for hundreds of years. But here in America, in our “throw away” society, we tear these landmarks down across our nation. Yet still, the ones that survive are now treasured. An example of preservation of a time past is the French Quarter in New Orleans. Thanks goodness it was treasured and preserved.
As I suspected, the Tartarian folks are in the comments.
They should have been preserved and restored, but now, Adams would have filled them both with illegal immigrants.
Philllistines
When I said Philistine to someone recently they had NO idea what I was talking about. When I explained the historical context of the word and what it meant they called me a racist and an elitist. We are lost as a society.
Y can't they say ASTORIA right.. it not the astor
We had one in Germany, I married there
How can RAZED and RAISED mean opposite things but pronounced the same?
Welcome to English, one of if not the most complicated languages known to human kind.
Not nearly as complicated as Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Polish, Hungarian, Finnish, Russian and others.
aka. A piece of architectural history was replaced by an even more memorable architectural icon: the Empire State Building.
Would love to see come construction pictures or movies. Almost made me cry seeing how NY has turned into a 3rd World Jungle today. Florida is just as bad ... English is hardly spoken in many places.
anything can happen in america for the right price.
WHAT HAPPENED TO US ALL????? DUMBED DOWN AND LACKING IN EDUCATION, GRACE AND CLASS!!!!! What happened to the elegance and intelligence of people? We have descended to the beggars and homeless, rags for clothes and no self-respect!
The U.S Presidents Stay at the Waldorf Moron!
Dude, get yourself a proper microphone and all of UA-cam will flock to that voice
obscene waste of money...
It isn't your money so why would you care?
@@hugh-johnfleming289 it was essentially built on the backs of workers who lived in tenements and shanties during the Robber Baron era, whose attempts to get decent wages were opposed with tactics from hiring the likes of Pinkerton men to beat them down, to importing immigrants from other groups likely to be in conflict with them. so there is some historic injustice underlying it.
We never built these buildings they were founded built by the old world..
@@gulfy09 they were built by peoples' great and great-great grandparents - many of them not paid what their labor was really worth. and the Astors were perhaps the world's worst slum landlords, so the opulence was built at the cost of many people's forebears living in unconscionably bad conditions. my family were reformers of the era and we still have stories passed down of the misery working families lived with, as i'm sure so do some of those families, so it's not so divorced from the present day.
@@reynemayer2942 impossible to cut stone out from who knows where transport them on a horse and buggy then lifted up and put in place without a crane..many many buildings were already built but they destroyed them long ago..
Only possible with huge income inequality......being repeated today.
Let me sum up video/answer for you; capitalism
If you look at photos of todays Waldorf Astoria yeah the rooms and public spaces are less opulent. One thing too the public spaces say the dining rooms lobby etc all seem smaller than the original. Which makes alot of sense. I mean other than seeing a nice ceiling what sense is there to a 24 foot ceiling in the dining room? It probably just is more expensive to heat and cool and wastes space that could be used for rooms. I wanna guess too the hotel business changed too in that it became more about having more rooms than just pampering a select few.
THE ASTORIA IS STILL
THERE RECEIVING
GUEST ???