- Garden City Hotel
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The Garden City Hotel from 7th Street
The Garden City Hotel is a four-star hotel in Garden City, New York, the only four-star hotel on Long Island. The first incarnation was built in 1874 by A.T. Stewart and the current fourth incarnation was built in 1983 by the late Myron Nelkin. It is famous for having hosted many world leaders and celebrities, including John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, and Charles Lindbergh, who stayed at the hotel the night before his famous transatlantic flight to Paris.[1]
History
See also: Garden City, New YorkThe original Garden City Hotel first started construction in the fall of 1873 and was opened to great fanfare on July 30, 1874. It was built by millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart and cost $150,000 to build.[2] The original hotel was later redesigned and expanded.[3]
A new Garden City Hotel was opened in 1895, designed by architects McKim, Mead and White. A nine hole golf course was opened for guests in May 1897, which later became the Garden City Golf Club.[4] Four years after the opening of the new hotel, it burned down on the morning of September 7, 1899.[5] A third and most famous incarnation of the hotel was opened on the same site in 1901, and was a host to the elite families of society such as the Vanderbilts and Pierpont Morgans.[6] It continued to be so until it declared bankruptcy and was demolished in the 1973 to make way for the present Garden City Hotel, which opened on May 20, 1983.[7][8][9]
On the afternoon of October 20, 2005, a former worker at the Garden City Hotel ran into the building wearing a respirator mask and poured a yellow liquid throughout the lobby, prompting the evacuation of 200 people. Among the guests that were evacuated were players from the New York Rangers hockey team, who had stayed over the previous night before a game against the New York Islanders. Subsequent laboratory tests indicated that the liquid was non-hazardous and made up to 40 different ingredients including eggs, yeast, and Alfredo sauce.[10][11]
It was reported in October 2007 that the Nelkin family was exploring the sale of the hotel as a possible option several months after the death of its owner, Myron Nelkin.[1][12]
The Garden City Hotel is currently a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and its current President is Cathy Nelkin Miller.[13]
References
- ^ a b David K., Randall (October 21, 2007). "Family Exploring Sale of Garden City Hotel". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/21hotelli.html. Retrieved 2008-01-15. It has been said that the asking price for the historic hotel is upwards of around 91 million dollars american
- ^ "Stewart's Garden City; Opening of the Garden City Hotel". The New York Times: p. 8. July 31, 1874. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F01E2D71139EF34BC4950DFB166838F669FDE. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ John Ellis, Kordes (April 15, 2005). "Tell Me Why...; The Garden City Casino". Garden City News. http://www.gcnews.com/news/2005/0415/Community/010.html. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ "Garden City Golf Club". Links Magazine. http://www.linksmagazine.com/golf_courses/united_states/new_york/garden_city_golf_club.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ "Garden City Hotel a Ruin; House Built and Adorned by A.T. Stewart Destroyed by Fire". The New York Times: p. 12. September 8, 1899. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D0CE2DF133DE633A2575BC0A96F9C94689ED7CF. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ "Our History". Garden City Hotel. http://www.gardencityhotel.com/about_us/our_history.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Wrecking Ball Hits at Garden City Hotel". The New York Times: p. 43. January 16, 1973. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A11FE3C5C1A7A93C4A8178AD85F478785F9. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ Amon, Rhoda (April 2, 1998). "The Architect of Desire: Stanford White, Designer of Elegant Long Island Houses for the Gilded Age". Newsday: p. A18. http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs618a,0,7419845.story. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ Michael, Winerip (May 15, 1983). "Garden City Hotel Returns in Grand Style". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/15/nyregion/garden-city-hotel-returns-in-grand-style.html. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ Diamos, Jason (October 21, 2005). "The Islanders Score Early and Often". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E7DC133FF932A15753C1A9639C8B63. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ "Former Employee Charged in Hotel Incident". Garden City News. October 28, 2005. http://www.gcnews.com/news/2005/1028/Front_page/003.html. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ Daniel, Wagner (October 17, 2007). "Landmark Garden City Hotel's Up for Sale". Newsday: p. A14. http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzhotel17,0,2108464.story. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "The Garden City Hotel". Preferred Hotels & Resorts. http://www.preferredhotels.com/preferred_hotel/hotels/index.aspx?id=48812. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
External links
Coordinates: 40°43′28″N 73°38′26″W / 40.72444°N 73.64056°W
Categories:- Garden City, New York
- Hotels in New York
- History of New York
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