Concourse Plaza Hotel

The Concourse Plaza Hotel was a luxury hotel located at Grand Concourse and 161st Street in The Bronx, New York. Once the site of presidential campaign stops and host to major sports stars, it is now a senior citizens residence owned and operated by the New York City municipal government.

Halcyon days

Groundbreaking for the 12-story hotel took place in 1922, and it was opened in a lavish ceremony on October 22, 1923. New York Governor Al Smith, the guest speaker for the event, praised the hotel by stating, “After seeing this new structure, I am convinced that anything can go in the Bronx.”^[1]

The hotel was located within walking distance of Yankee Stadium, which was home to baseball’s New York Yankees and (until 1976) football’s New York Giants. Many star players from the home teams – including Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris of the Yankees and Frank Gifford of the Giants – stayed at the Concourse Plaza, and visiting players would also stay at the hotel.^[2][3]

The hotel maintained a grand ballroom and three banquet balls, and for years it was a choice location for social, business and fraternal events. Political campaigns would stop by the hotel for rallies and fund raising events, and one of the most whimsical events occurred when John F. Kennedy, the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. presidency, was greeted at the hotel on November 5, 1960 with a sign that read “The home of the knishes thinks Jack is delicious.”^[4]

Decline and closure

The hotel began to experience financial difficulties in 1957, when it was purchased by Nassau Management Corporation for $1.25 million. The company was unable to maintain financial control of the property, and it changed hands again in early 1958.^[4]

During the 1960s, problems in the neighborhood surrounding the hotel diminished its value as a lodging location, and by 1968 it was seen as a "welfare hotel" when it began to provide housing to poor families who relied on the New York City government for shelter. In 1974, the city government purchased the hotel and later transformed the property into a senior citizens residence.^[2]

The hotel had its final shot at public attention when it was used by director John Cassavetes as a filming location for his 1980 drama Gloria.^[5]

References

1. ^ Frederick M. Binder, David M. Reimers (1996). All the Nations Under Heaven: An Ethnic and Racial History of New York City. Columbia University Press. p. 153–154. ISBN 023107879X. http://books.google.com/books?id=cmB_GmmligwC&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153&dq=%22concourse+plaza+hotel%22&source=web&ots=Hio5c2yczg&sig=xtbeUNCoz9_hhZX5vbOZl2rOOoM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA154,M1. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Anthony Connors (May 24, 1998). "Then & Now: The Bronx’ Grand Hotel". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1998/05/24/1998-05-24_then___now__the_bronx__grand.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
3. ^ "Frank Gifford: The game that changed football". MSNBC. November 10, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27597288/. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Jill Jonnes (2002). South Bronx Rising: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of an American City. Fordham University Press. p. 130, 281. ISBN 0823221997. 
5. ^ Ray Carney. "Chapter on The Making of Gloria (1979-1980)". Ray Carney’s Cassavetes on Cassavetes Book. http://people.bu.edu/rcarney/cassoncass/gloria.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 

External links

• 161st Street/River Avenue Rezoning Overview, NYC Department of City Planning (the Concourse Plaza Hotel today)