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Knickerbocker Hotel
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| Location: | 142 W. 42nd St., New York, New York |
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| Built: | 1901[1] or 1906 |
| Architect: | Marvin & Davis; Price,Bruce |
| Architectural style: | Beaux Arts |
| Governing body: | Private (Istithmar Hotels) |
| NRHP Reference#: | 80002697 |
| Added to NRHP: | April 11, 1980[1] |
6 Times Square, also known as the Newsweek Building or Knickerbocker Building, is a building located at 1466 Broadway at the southeast corner of 42nd Street in New York City. This historic building opened in 1906 as the Knickerbocker Hotel, "Knickerbocker" being an iconic name for New York. Built by John Jacob Astor as a showcase of luxury in a time of economic prosperity in the city, the hotel was destined to close its doors only 15 years later due to changes in fortune. The building was later home to Newsweek magazine between 1940 – 1959, and after major restoration in 1980 the building is now used for garment showrooms and offices.[2]
Developers J.E. and A.L. Pennock originally designed the building and financed the early construction of the hotel starting in 1903. One year later, the investment group that sponsored the developers fell apart and John Jacob Astor, who owned the land, took over the project. The rooms were redesigned by architects Trowbridge & Livingston and a luxurious, three-story restaurant and bar was added, with seating for 2000 for after-theater dinner. Artist Maxfield Parrish was commissioned for the 30-foot-long painting entitled Old King Cole which now hangs in The St. Regis Hotel. Frederic Remington, Frederick MacMonnies and James Wall Finn also added decorations to the interiors. The Knickerbocker opened in 1906 and quickly became a part of the New York social scene.[3]
One of the legends about this building comes from the drink called the martini, which was said to have been invented by the house bartender in 1912. One day, Martini di Arma di Taggia mixed dry vermouth and gin together, and the mixture gained the favor of John D. Rockefeller. The actual origin of the martini has been traced to a different drink called "the Martinez".
A remnant of the past is a sign for the hotel that can be found in the New York City subway. The "Knickerbocker" sign is posted over a doorway that once connected to the hotel at the east end of the platform for Track 1 on the 42nd Street Shuttle.
The world-famous opera singer Enrico Caruso was a longtime resident of the hotel up until his death in 1921.[4] He took all his meals at the hotel restaurant, always using the same set of cutlery. On Armistice Day, Caruso appeared at the window of his room and led the crowd outside in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner". He once gave his coat and shoes to a man waiting outside in a bread line.
After the death of John Jacob Astor IV on the Titanic in 1912, his son Vincent Astor managed the hotel up to the beginning of Prohibition. James B. Regan was the innovative hotel restaurant operator, and soon after he retired from the business in 1920, Vincent Astor turned the hotel into an office building. In 1980 the Knickerbocker was converted to residential units called "1466 Broadway", but the real estate market was more profitable for commercial tenants and the building now houses showrooms and studios for the Garment District. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1980. Leona Helmsley was owner of the building, but in 2006 the property was sold to Istithmar Hotels, an investment group from the Royal family of Dubai, with plans to convert the building into a five-star hotel.[5] Unable to fulfill its debt obligations, Istithmar surrendered the property to its lender in early March, 2010.
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