George Boldt

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George Charles Boldt (1851-1916), a self-made millionaire, influenced development of the urban hotel as a civic social center and luxurious destination.

He was proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and built and owned The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia (now the Park Hyatt). He was a trustee of Cornell University, to which his daughter donated the Boldt Tower, a gothic residence hall.

He is perhaps best known for building Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands area of New York State. The castle was intended as a gift for his wife Louise Kehrer Boldt, but when she died suddenly in 1904, construction was halted. The castle, which has gone under major restoration after decades of vandalism, is now a major summer tourist attraction at Alexandria Bay.

Boldt is credited with popularizing Thousand Island dressing during his time at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, when he instructed Maître d', Oscar Tschirky, to include it on the menu. The hotel introduced many popular food items, such as Waldorf Salad.