Essex House (New York City)

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The Central Park facade of the Essex House ...
... and a photo from the 1930s, here with the Hampshire House

The Essex House (also called JW Marriott Essex House ) in the New York borough of Manhattan is a luxury hotel building with 42 floors above ground. The 1931 skyscraper is an icon among Manhattan hotels. It is located at 160 Central Park South ( 59th Street ) on Central Park . The approximately 140-meter-high Art Deco- style building houses the hotel with its 439 rooms and 70 suites as well as the Essex House Residences , which comprise around 180 apartments ( condominiums ). After several changes of ownership, the hotel section has belonged to Strategic Hotels & Resorts since 2012 and is operated by Marriott International .

history

Originally, the Essex House (and adjacent buildings) was replaced by a large apartment complex ( Central Park Apartments , also called Navarro Flats Apartments ), which occupied the western part of the block between 58th and 59th Street and Sixth and Seventh Avenues . The Spanish-born entrepreneur José Francisco de Navarro (1823–1909) had eight 13-storey buildings designed by Hubert & Pirsson built here from 1882 onwards. In 1888, the facility, which was partly still under construction, was foreclosed by auction. Prominent New Yorkers, such as the politician Carl Schurz and the writer Mary Mapes Dodge , lived in the skyscrapers named after Spanish and Portuguese cities . From 1926, the buildings were sold piece by piece, demolished and replaced by new buildings. In addition to Essex House , the 24-storey townhouse of the New York Athletic Club designed by Charles W. Clinton and the 36-storey Hampshire House , a high-rise apartment building with a striking, raised copper roof and two mighty chimneys, were built here.

1930s

The architect of the building, which was called the Park Tower and Seville Towers during the planning and construction period , was Frank Grad (1882–1968) of Austrian descent. Construction began on October 30, 1929, the day after the New York stock market crash, known as Black Thursday ; work was therefore delayed, but Essex House was able to open on October 1, 1931. When completed, Essex House was the tallest hotel building in town. The first advertising campaign for the new hotel was: “Always in touch with the Park. Never out of touch with the city “(German: Always in connection with the park. Never without contact with the city [meaning: business world]). The origin of the name was suspected to be related to Grads' place of residence in Essex County in New Jersey . The magnificent gala opening was celebrated in the ballroom with 1,000 guests under the hotel's first manager, Albert Auwaerter . In the following year, the approximately 15-meter-high ESSEX HOUSE lettering made of red-painted sheet copper was added to the roof. It is attached to a framework made of steel struts and is illuminated at night.

During the Depression that followed the stock market crash , the government agency Reconstruction Finance Corporation took over the building in 1932 and remained the owner for the next 14 years. Sunday brunch was introduced at Essex House in the 1930s ; the hotel was the first to offer this meal on Central Park. The offer, originally called Stroller's brunch , was aimed primarily at morning visitors to the park, who should be encouraged to visit the restaurant after their walk.

1940s to 1960s

The lighting of the lettering on the hotel roof had to be switched off during the Second World War for fear of bomb attacks. Architecture experts criticized the fact that the widely visible lettering impaired the appearance of the building. The then New York City Art Commission decided to prohibit the lighting of the logo also in the post-war period, as the lighting would disrupt the city skyline at night, which was to be protected . In 1946, banker and real estate investor Samuel H. Golding, founder and president of the Sterling National Bank and Trust Company , acquired the hotel. The new owner considered dismantling the then controversial lettering on the roof for aesthetic reasons, but did not implement his plan.

On April 3, 1964, one day before the start of the New York International Auto Show , the new Ford GT 40 was presented at a press conference in the lobby of the Essex House in the presence of Henry Ford II , Lee Iacocca and Sports Car Program Director John Wyer ; With the car, the successful re-entry of the brand into racing, as desired by Ford II, should succeed.

Marriott

In 1969 the Marriott Corporation acquired the hotel. From then on it operated as Marriott's Essex House . In 1974, under Marriott, renovations and renovations took place in the building. Part of the hotel rooms were converted into condominiums and sold. In total, more than 100 such apartments were created, which were distributed over the entire building and not on separate apartment floors. The Essex House was the first so-called condominium hotel of the city. The dining establishments operated by Marriott at the hotel in the 1960s were the Kings Wharf Restaurant , the Windjammer Bar, and the Fairfield Inn Coffee Shop .

Since September 1973, the former US Attorney General John N. Mitchell lived after separating from his wife in Essex House . Mitchell had been a member of the Nixon cabinet and resigned in the spring of 1972. As part of the process of coming to terms with the Watergate affair , in which he was involved, he was interrogated several times during his stay at Essex House and questioned by the Watergate Committee of the US Senate. In the film All the President's Men , reporter Carl Bernstein (played by Dustin Hoffman ) questions Mitchell at Essex House about his involvement in the espionage operations at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee .

The hotel became known nationwide from the mid-1970s, because the then presenter of the NBC's popular comedy show Saturday Night Live , Don Pardo , always announced in his introduction: "Guests of Saturday Night Live stay at the Marriott's Essex House!" (German: The guests at Saturday Night Live stay at the Marriott's Essex House).

Nikko

In 1985 Japan Air Lines Development (USA) Inc. , a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, took over the hotel. Management was transferred to Nikkō Hotels International and the hotel was renamed Essex House, Hotel Nikko New York . The acquisition of the Essex House should provide Nikko with a basis for the further development of its hotel network in North America.

At the beginning of 1989, the hotel was closed for a major renovation for 20 months. The architects in charge were Brennan Beer Gorman (BBGM). All installations (plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical networks) and the elevator technology were renewed. The redesign of the hotel rooms was the responsibility of the designer Pierre-Yves Rochon , who tried to tie in with the style of the 1930s Art Deco by using made-to-order Louis- Seize and Chippendale furniture reproductions, antiques, high-quality carpets and marble. The total cost was $ 75 million. The lobby was expanded to face Central Park. The number of hotel rooms has been reduced to 580. The renovation was completed in autumn 1991; the reopening of the hotel was a Manhattan social event. The hotel's gourmet restaurant, which has also been renovated, has 75 seats and was run as Les Célébrités by Christian Delouvrier, who previously ran the Maurice restaurant at Parker Le Méridien . Another restaurant in Essex House was the Botanica Cafe . In Les Célébrités was of porcelain from Bernardaud Limoges and silverware from Christofle eaten and - with respect to the name of the restaurant - paintings of celebrities like James Dean , Elke Sommer , Tennessee Williams , Phyllis Diller , Gene Hackman , Van Johnson and Billy Dee Williams displayed.

Westin

In mid-1998, Japan Airlines ' board of directors decided to reduce its hotel activities and put Essex House up for sale. Eitaro Itoyama, major shareholder in the airline, named Starwood Hotels and Resorts as the preferred buyer. In 1999, Strategic Hotel Capital , a Chicago real estate investment holding , acquired the building for $ 260 million and signed a management contract with Starwood to operate the hotel under the brand name The Essex House, a Westin Hotel, New York City .

In September 2000, Starwood introduced the luxury brand The St. Regis Club at Essex House . This area, which was of a higher standard than the Westin rooms, comprised 104 rooms on the upper floors of the building and had its own lounge and restaurant. There were 501 hotel rooms left for the Westin.

Jumeirah

The Grand Salon event hall during a state ceremony, 2011

Already in September 2005 sold Strategic the Essex House for 440 million US dollars to the Dubai Investment Group , which is part of the royal family of Dubai owned Dubai Holding is. The contract did not include the third party owned 139 of the 148 apartments in the building. In January 2006, the Jumeirah Group took over the management of the hotel. The hotel was now called Jumeirah Essex House . The new owner converted 90 former hotel rooms into condominiums and, under the architect Costas Kondylis, carried out a 90 million dollar renovation of the rooms and bathrooms of the house. The previous Café Botnica was also rebuilt and reopened as the South Gate gourmet restaurant , initially under the head chef Alain Ducasse and from 2008 under Kerry Heffernan. The South Gate was designed by Tony Chi, and the wine list included 1200 different wines. Under Ducasse, the restaurant was awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide . In 2008 Ducasse moved with his restaurant, from then on called Adour , to the St. Regis Hotel , where he worked for another five years.

The building was listed as the 21st property on the National Trust for Historic Preservation 's Historic Hotels of America (HHA) list in 2007. Since then it has been allowed to call itself the Historical Hotel of America .

JW Marriott

Following the decision of the Dubai Royal Family to restructure their property portfolio, Strategic Hotels & Resorts bought back Essex House in 2012. The purchase price was $ 362 million and Strategic signed a 50-year management contract with Marriott. The contract guarantees Strategic net income of $ 21.5 million annually; In return, Strategic agreed to invest around $ 18 million in renovation and marketing measures. KSL Capital Partners was a financing partner . The hotel has since operated under the name of JW Marriott Essex House . At the reopening ceremony of the hotel on April 30, 2013 after the renovation work was completed, the band leader Jon Bon Jovi was present alongside other prominent guests .

The hotel now has 509 rooms and suites. There are also 185 condominiums in the building managed by Essex House Residences .

architecture

The Essex House is counted among the outstanding New York Art Deco buildings of the 1930s. The facade of the property and the main entrance faces north towards Central Park. The high-rise consists of three telescopic-looking elements standing on top of one another; Ornaments and other design elements of Art Deco were used cautiously. The lower part was provided with Art Deco ornaments and some windows with rounded corners. The middle part is kept unadorned. The upper third, from which an uninterrupted view of Central Park is possible, has three steps back. The elegance of this part of the building is, however, disturbed by the massive lettering on the roof.

The skyscraper is clad with brown bricks. The spacious entrance area is magnificently designed. The lobby contains fluted columns made of black marble, a light coffered ceiling, bronze applications and gilded style elements. A central corridor that leads through the building and is also clad in marble is flanked by gilded doors to the elevators. The great hall is designed in the Beaux Arts style.

Known residents

Many well-known personalities lived in the building's private apartments or were long-term guests of the hotel. The actors George Burns and Gracie Allen lived in Essex House in 1934 ; the mobster Lucky Luciano also in the 1930s, Betty Grable and Milton Berle were tenants in the 1940s. In the mid-1930s, the authors Arnold Auerbach and Herman Wouk lived in a suite in the house and wrote texts for the comedy writers David Freedman and Fred Allen . In Wouk's later published semi-autobiographical work, Inside, Outside , the hotel is named April House . The controversial lawyer Sidney Korshak (1907-1996) had a residence at Essex House . Other residents were the sports manager Casey Stengel and the opera singer and actress Lily Pons with her tame ocelot . The composer Igor Stravinsky lived in a suite in the hotel from 1969, and the British television presenter David Frost owned an apartment here in the 1990s. Singer David Bowie was and his colleague Liam Gallagher owns an apartment.

Doug Band (* 1972), longtime personal advisor to Bill Clinton , is also a resident of the house. The hotel's temporary owner, Samuel H. Golding, lived at Essex House until his death at the age of 84 . Politicians Franklin Roosevelt , Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger stayed at Essex House regularly. A frequent visitor to New York was Bob Marley . Also regulars were writer Sinclair Lewis , entertainers Ed Sullivan , Bing Crosby , Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr., and actor Telly Savalas . Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (penthouse), Jude Law , Nicole Kidman and Samuel L. Jackson often rent the house .

Deaths

There have been repeated (sometimes spectacular) deaths at Essex House . Milton Berle's mother, Sandra Glantz Berlinger, died in her apartment in 1954. In June 1965, Broadway star Mary Boland died at Essex House . On January 13, 1979, the depressed singer Donny Hathaway threw himself out of his apartment on the 15th floor. A former captain of the Blue Devils basketball team at Duke University , 49-year-old Thomas Emma, ​​fell to his death in June 2011 from the 12th floor of the neighboring New York Athletic Club building onto an underlying roof of the Essex House .

The mysterious death of real estate investor Solomon Obstfeld was picked up by the media. The 55-year-old millionaire is said to have thrown himself from the terrace of his apartment on the 19th floor in June 2010; his body was found on a roof 17 stories below. According to media reports, friends and acquaintances doubted the suicide that the police had found; the family man and successful businessman had many enemies.

In November 2009, a housemaid found the body of 44-year-old manager Andree Bejjani from Dubai in an apartment in the building. An autopsy revealed that she had been strangled. As a result, a hotel employee who was in possession of an access card for the apartment was arrested and sentenced to 23 years in prison in June 2011. He had confessed that he wanted to rape the woman who had been killed and that he had strangled her when she resisted; he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Film set

The distinctive logo on the roof of the building has a high recognition value and is part of the New York skyline . For many it is a symbol of the city. Correspondingly frequently (“uncountable”) the lettering has appeared regularly since the 1930s in film productions with the location Central Park or in published photographs. As early as 1932, the logo can be seen on the famous Ebbets photo lunch break on a skyscraper in the center of the background. The 1973 album Selling England by the Pound by the rock band Genesis shows a photo of the musicians posing on a group of rocks in Central Park in front of Essex House .

In the movie Kevin - Alone in New York , the hotel and logo can be seen in an ice skating scene in Central Park. The cartoon Madagascar shows the logo several times when taking pictures in the Central Park Zoo . The character is also shown in the introductory sequence in the short film Pizza Verdi by Gary Nadeau from 2011. The hotel logo also appears in the episode The Angels take Manhattan of the Doctor Who series from 2012.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A landmark among Manhattan Hotels (German: A landmark among the hotels in Manhattan), in: Harry Vernon Anderson, Interior Design , Volume 63, Issue 13, Interior Design Division of Whitney Communications Corporation, 1992, 202 , also: Art Deco icon , in: Michelin Guide New York City 2013, p. u.
  2. ↑ a b Michelin Guide New York City 2013 , Jumeirah Essex House , ISBN 978-2-06718-7-238 , Michelin Travel & Lifestyle, 2012 (in English)
  3. ↑ a b c d Essex House, 160 Central Park South  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Cityrealty (in English)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.cityrealty.com  
  4. ↑ Christopher Gray, When Spain Reigned on Central Park South , June 17, 2007, New York Times (in English)
  5. ↑ The Most Famous Hotels in the World
  6. ^ A b c Arnold Berke, A walk in the park: How a Historic New York City Hotel Uses the Arts to Show Off its Neighborhood. , Aug. 1, 2008, National Trust for Historic Preservation (in English)
  7. ↑ a b c Damian Ghigliotty, Old New York: JW Marriott Essex House , February 6, 2015, Commercial Observer (in English)
  8. ↑ Edward J. Levine, Central Park: Postcard History Series , ISBN 978-1-43961-8-127 , Arcadia Publishing, 2006, o. S. (in English)
  9. ↑ a b c d e Maya Vandenberg, Hotels with History: 10 Legendary NYC Hotels ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , October 17, 2014, NewYork.com (in English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.newyork.com
  10. ↑ The Architectural Forum , Issue 86, Billboard Publications, 1947, p. 14 (in English)
  11. ↑ AJ Baime, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed ​​and Glory at Le Mans , ISBN 978-0-54741-6-564 , Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, p. 92 (in English)
  12. ↑ Preston Lerner, Dave Friedman, Ford GT: How Ford Silenced the Critics, Humbled Ferrari and Conquered Le Mans , ISBN 978-0-76034-7-874 , Motorbooks, 2015, p. 29 (in English)
  13. ↑ James S. Rosen, Chapter 157, Defender of America: Marta Mitchell, 1973 , in: Jay Maeder (Ed.), Big Town, Big Time: A New York Epic, 1898-1998 , ISBN 978-1-58261-0 -283 , Sports Publishing LLC, 1998 (in English)
  14. ^ A b c JW Marriott Essex House New York: History , Historic Hotels of America, National Trust for Historic Preservation (in English)
  15. ↑ a b Richard Saul Wurman and Jane Hershey Cuozzo, New York Access , ISBN 978-0-06277-2-350 , AccessPress, 1998, p. 160
  16. ↑ a b c Eve Belson, OC Escape: New York , June 1993, Orange Coast Magazine , Emmis Communications p. 22 (in English)
  17. ↑ Harry Vernon Anderson, Interior Design , Volume 63, Issue 13, Interior Design Division of Whitney Communications Corporation, 1992, p. 202 (in English)
  18. ↑ New York's Essex House Hotel to Become a Westin ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.prnewswire.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , March 10, 1999, prnewswire.com, Source: Westin Hotels & Resorts (in English)
  19. ^ Top Hotel , Freizeit-Verlag Landsberg, 1994, p. 122
  20. ↑ Bryan Miller, Restaurants , Dec. 27, 1991, The New York Times (in English)
  21. ↑ Charles V. Bagli, Essex House Is the Latest Hotel For Sale on Central Park South , May 6, 1998 The New York Times (in English)
  22. ^ Norbert Kuls, 70 million for a view of Central Park , March 12, 2006
  23. ↑ JW Marriott Essex House New York , Emporis (in English)
  24. ↑ a b c Terry Pristin, Sale Brings Former Owner Back to the Essex House , October 23, 2012, New York Times (in English)
  25. ↑ a b Luxury is ... the gala dinner in New York , June 18, 2008, Bild.de
  26. ↑ Christina Zimmermann, Michelin-starred chefs: Eleven professionals you shouldn't miss , Madame
  27. ↑ News: Politics, Money, Scene, People, Issues 18–22, Verlagsges. mbH & Company KG, 2000, p. 434
  28. ↑ Florence Fabricant, Alain Ducasse to Close Adour in New York , October 16, 2012, The New York Times, (in English)
  29. ↑ a b Essex House Residences website (in English)
  30. ↑ Michael Browne, JW Marriott takes over New York's Essex House , September 25, 2012, Examiner.com (in English)
  31. ↑ Jon Bon Jovi Celebrates Rebranding of JW Marriott Essex House , May 1, 2013, Travelpulse.com (in English)
  32. ↑ New York: Jumeirah Essex House ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Max.de , 2007  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.max.de
  33. ↑ The Essex House , New York Architecture (in English)
  34. ↑ Eric Ferrara, Manhattan Mafia Guide: Hits, Homes & Headquarters , ISBN 978-1-60949-3-066 , The History Press, 2011, p. 95 (in English)
  35. ↑ Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Books of the Times: Inside, outside. By Herman Wouk. 644 pages. Little, Brown. $ 19.95. March 7, 1985, The New York Times (in English)
  36. ↑ Nick Tosches, The Man Who Kept The Secrets , March 31, 1997, Vanity Fair (in English)
  37. ↑ John Eastman, Who lived where: a biographical guide to homes and museums , ISBN 978-0-51764-0-456 , Bonanza Books, 1988, p. 119 (in English)
  38. ↑ Joey Arak, Celebrity Real Estate Wrap: David Bowie's Panic Room , May 27, 2008, Curbed.com (Vox Media, in English)
  39. ↑ Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein, Clinton confidant cuts ties with the formidable family , June 21, 2015, New York Post (in English)
  40. ↑ Bob Marley: The Essex House Interviews May 4, 2012, Midnightraver (in English)
  41. ↑ Joseph Downton, Eva Leonard, Detour's New York: the alternative guide , ISBN 978-0-96359-8-363 , Detour Publications, 1994, p. 238 (in English)
  42. ↑ Death takes Mary Boland at the age of 80 , The Spokesman Review, June 24, 1965, p. 15, via Google News (in English)
  43. ↑ Donny Hathaway: a soul man who departed too soon , The Guardian and Vivian S. Toy, (Famous Name) Slept Here , May 25, 2008, The New York Times, (both in English)
  44. ↑ John del Signore, Former Duke Basketball Star Jumps To Death From New York Athletic Club ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , June 8, 2011 (in English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / gothamist.com
  45. ↑ Alison Gendar and Kerry Burke, Shady, 'thuggish' mogul Solomon Obstfeld ran with powerful pals, no one's buying 'suicide' story , June 18, 2010, Daily News (in English)
  46. ↑ Christian Salazar, Jumeirah Essex House Murder: Naked Woman Found Stabbed To Death At Central Park Hotel ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. November 19, 2009, Huffington Post New York (in English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.huffingtonpost.com
  47. ↑ Jennifer Peltz, Derrick Praileau Sentenced For Essex House Murder Of Andree 'Sara' Bejjani ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. June 17, 2011, Huffington Post (in English)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.huffingtonpost.com
  48. ^ A Manhattan icon , March 4, 2014, Civilian New York City (in English)

Web links

Commons : Essex House (New York City)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 40 ° 45 ′ 58.5 "  N , 73 ° 58 ′ 42.6"  W.