{{Short description|Hotel in Manhattan, New York}} {{distinguish|Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel|Knickerbocker Hotel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox building | name = The Knickerbocker Hotel | image = The Knickerbocker Hotel (51494328051).jpg | caption = Seen from across Broadway and 42nd Street, 2021 | mapframe-wikidata = yes | coordinates = {{coord|40|45|19|N|73|59|12|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | former_names = Knickerbocker Building, Newsweek Building, 6 Times Square | alternate_names = | building_type = Hotel | architectural_style = Beaux Arts | classification = | location = 142 West 42nd Street<br />Manhattan, New York 10036 | current_tenants = | namesake = | groundbreaking_date = | construction_start_date = 1901 | construction_stop_date = | topped_out_date = February 1904 | completion_date = <!-- or |est_completion= --> | opened_date = October 23, 1906 | renovation_date = 1920, 1980, 1999–2003, 2013–2015 | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = FelCor Lodging Trust | number_of_rooms = 330 <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel New York City.com : Profile |url=https://www.nyc.com/hotels/the_knickerbocker_hotel.1262379/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=NYC.com}}</ref> | number_of_restaurants= 3 | number_of_bars= 2 | height = {{convert|195|ft}} | structural_system = | material = Brick, limestone, terracotta | size = | floor_count = 15 | floor_area = approximately {{Convert|300000|sqft}} | elevator_count = | grounds_area = {{Convert|19,800|ft2}} | architect = Marvin & Davis (exterior)<br>Bruce Price (consultant) | architecture_firm = Trowbridge & Livingston (original interior) | developer = International Realty and Construction Company<br>John Jacob Astor IV | engineer = | main_contractor = International Realty and Construction Company | ren_architect = Gabellini Sheppard Associates<br>Peter Poon Architects | parking = | public_transit = | website = {{URL|theknickerbocker.com}} | embed = | embedded = {{Infobox NRHP | name = Knickerbocker Hotel | embed = yes | nrhp_type = | coordinates = {{coord|40|45|19|N|73|59|12|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline}} | location = | area = | built = 1901–1906 | architect = Trowbridge & Livingston; Marvin & Davis; Bruce Price | architecture = Beaux Arts | added = April 11, 1980<ref name="nris"/> | refnum = 80002697 | designated_other2 = New York City Landmark | designated_other2_date = October 18, 1988<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /> | designated_other2_number = 1556 }} }} '''The Knickerbocker Hotel''' is a hotel at Times Square, on the southeastern corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Built by John Jacob Astor IV, the hostelry was designed in 1901 and opened in 1906. Its location near the Theater District around Times Square was intended to attract not only residential guests but also theater visitors.
The hotel is designed largely in the Beaux-Arts style by Marvin & Davis, with Bruce Price as consultant. Its primary frontages are on Broadway and 42nd Street. These facades are constructed of red brick with terracotta details and a prominent mansard roof. The Knickerbocker Hotel also incorporates an annex on 41st Street, built in 1894 as part of the St. Cloud Hotel, which formerly occupied the site. The 41st Street facade contains a Romanesque Revival designed by Philip C. Brown. The hotel contains 300 rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a roof bar. The original interior design was devised in 1905 by Trowbridge & Livingston, scattered remnants of which include an entrance that formerly led from the New York City Subway's Times Square station to the hotel's basement.
The original hotel housed Enrico Caruso and George M. Cohan until it was shuttered in 1920 due to a decrease in business. The building was then converted to offices, becoming the Knickerbocker Building; it was the home of ''Newsweek'' magazine from 1940 to 1959 during which it was called the Newsweek Building. After major renovations in 1980, it became known as 1466 Broadway and was used as garment showrooms and offices. Following another renovation in 2001, it was known as 6 Times Square. The Knickerbocker was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1988. It was converted back to a hotel from 2013 to 2015 under its original name.
== Site == The Knickerbocker Hotel is on the southeastern corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, at the south end of Times Square, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S.<ref name="NYCL p. 1">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=1}}</ref><ref name="ZoLa">{{Cite web |title=1462 Broadway, 10036 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/994/7502#16.43/40.755241/-73.983999 |url-status=live |access-date=March 7, 2021 |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231546/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/994/7502#16.43/40.755241/-73.983999}}</ref><ref name="aia5">{{cite aia5|page=296}}</ref> It contains the alternate addresses 1462–1470 Broadway,<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="aia5" /><ref name="The Real Deal 2019">{{cite web |date=March 13, 2019 |title=Knickerbocker Hotel – TRD Research |url=https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/knickerbocker-hotel/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=The Real Deal |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201130547/https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/knickerbocker-hotel/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 6 Times Square,<ref name="The Real Deal 2019" /> and 142 West 42nd Street,<ref>{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=1}}</ref> with a small annex extending south to 143 West 41st Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="aia5" /> The building occupies a land lot covering {{Convert|19,800|ft2}},<ref name="ZoLa" /> with frontages of about {{convert|135|ft|0}} on Broadway to the west and about {{convert|185|ft|0}} on 42nd Street to the north.<ref name="nyt19011016">{{Cite news |date=October 16, 1901 |title=The New Hotel on Site of the St. Cloud |language=en-US |page=11 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73111027/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231548/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73111027/the-new-hotel-on-site-of-the-st-cloud/}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=5}}</ref><ref name="nyt19060218">{{Cite news |date=February 18, 1906 |title=Hotel Knickerbocker |pages=44, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73217792/ 45] |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73217530/hotel-knickerbocker/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231546/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73217530/hotel-knickerbocker/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The frontage on 41st Street is only {{Convert|17|ft}} wide.<ref name="nyt19060218" />
The Knickerbocker Hotel wraps around 8 Times Square at the corner of Broadway and 41st Street. The site is adjacent to 5 Times Square and Times Square Tower to the west, One Times Square to the northwest, 4 Times Square to the north, the Bank of America Tower and Stephen Sondheim Theatre to the northeast, and the Bush Tower to the east.<ref name="ZoLa" /> An entrance to the New York City Subway's Times Square–42nd Street station, served by the {{NYCS trains|Times Square}}, is immediately outside the hotel;<ref>{{cite web |date=2018 |title=MTA Neighborhood Maps: Times Sq-42 St (S) |url=https://new.mta.info/document/2711 |url-status=live |access-date=September 13, 2018 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829194031/https://new.mta.info/document/2711}}</ref> a direct entrance originally led from the basement (see {{Section link|2=Basements}}).<ref name="nyt20030822" /><ref name="TL p. 110">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=110}}</ref>
=== Previous use === John Jacob Astor and William Cutting bought a large tract of land in modern-day Times Square from Metcef Eden in 1803. The land comprised much of the modern-day West Side of Manhattan between 41st and 48th streets; Astor obtained the eastern half of that land, which included Broadway.<ref name="TL p. 110" /> By the late 19th century, the Knickerbocker's site was occupied by the Hotel St. Cloud,<ref name="AR p. 630">{{harvnb|Hutchins|1902|ps=.|p=630}}</ref><ref name="Tauranac Gerhardt 2018 p. 120" /> which opened in 1868 at Broadway and 42nd Street.<ref name="Tauranac Gerhardt 2018 p. 120" /> At the time, it was relatively far from the developed portions of Manhattan.<ref name="NYCL p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=2}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 4">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> Grand Central Depot, predecessor of Grand Central Terminal, was developed nearby in 1871, resulting in the growth of the surrounding neighborhood.<ref name="Tauranac Gerhardt 2018 p. 120">{{cite book |last1=Tauranac |first1=J. |last2=Gerhardt |first2=K. |title=Manhattan's Little Secrets: Uncovering Mysteries in Brick and Mortar, Glass and Stone |publisher=Globe Pequot |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4930-3048-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pg9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA120 |page=120 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-date=December 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206002807/https://books.google.com/books?id=pg9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA120 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 2" />
Members of the Astor family decided to divide the Astor land within Times Square in 1890, at which point the area contained many small buildings, which sat on land leased from the Astors.<ref name="TL p. 110" /> In 1892, John Jacob Astor IV acquired the lease of the Hotel St. Cloud for $850,000.{{efn-lr|Equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=0.85|fmt=c|start_year=1892}} million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 19, 1892 |title=Sale of the St. Cloud Hotel.; Purchased by John Jacob Astor for $850,000 – Property Involved |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/10/19/106087959.pdf |page=8 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022200/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1892/10/19/106087959.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> With transit improvements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, New York City's theater district relocated from further south in Manhattan to modern-day Times Square. The construction of theaters led to the development of other entertainment facilities such as hotels, dance halls, and restaurants.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /><ref name="NPS p. 4" /> Furthermore, the Knickerbocker site was adjacent to the city's first subway line, providing access from the rest of the city.<ref name="nyt19060218" />
== Architecture == The Knickerbocker Hotel, completed in 1906, was designed by Marvin & Davis with consulting architect Bruce Price.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="aia5" /><ref name="NPS p. 6">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> The structure was largely designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The annex on 143 West 41st Street, which was built in 1894 as an addition to the Hotel St. Cloud, contains a Romanesque Revival facade designed by Philip C. Brown.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="aia5" /> The 41st Street annex was intentionally incorporated into the current hotel building.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=8}}</ref> The interiors were designed by Trowbridge & Livingston.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref name="aia5" /><ref name="NPS p. 6" /> The hotel measures {{convert|195|ft}} tall.<ref name="Emporis">{{Cite web |title=Six Times Square |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115624/six-times-square-new-york-city-ny-usa |access-date=March 9, 2021 |publisher=Emporis |archive-date=June 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617061743/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115624/six-times-square-new-york-city-ny-usa |url-status=usurped}}</ref>
=== Facade ===
==== Broadway and 42nd Street ==== [[File:Knickerbocker Hotel jeh.JPG|thumb|The 42nd Street (left) and Broadway (right) facades of the Knickerbocker Hotel, seen in 2008. In the background can be seen 1095 Avenue of the Americas and the Bush Tower.|left|alt=The 42nd Street and Broadway facades of the Knickerbocker Hotel, seen in 2008.]]
The Knickerbocker Hotel's Broadway and 42nd Street facades are articulated into three horizontal sections: a two-story base, a ten-story shaft, and a three-story mansard roof. The ground and second stories serve as a commercial base and have seen numerous design changes since 1920.<ref name="NYCL p. 5; NPS p. 2" /> The vertical limestone piers are the only portions of the original design that remain at the base. Originally, a ground-level portico projected from the center seven bays of the 42nd Street facade, with seven round arches topped by a balustrade.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> This portico was removed by 1911.<ref name="NYCL p. 5">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=5}}</ref> There was a similar portico at the center five bays on Broadway, which was flush with the rest of the facade. The second floor contained round-arched windows.<ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> The Broadway facade originally contained a secondary entrance to the cafe.<ref name="nyt19060218" />
On the third through twelfth floors, the building is clad in red brick with decorative elements made of Indiana Limestone and terracotta.<ref name="NYCL p. 5; NPS p. 2" /> Some of the limestone and terracotta ornamentation has been replaced with similar-looking concrete.<ref name="nyt20030822" /> Along 42nd Street, the outermost four bays are grouped into slightly projecting "corner pavilions", flanking the center seven bays. The two center bays on each corner pavilion are paired. The Broadway facade is nine bays wide and lacks projecting corner pavilions. Each window is flanked by stone quoins. The fourth, sixth, seventh, and eleventh-story windows contain either decorative iron balcony rails or stone balustrades. The pediments atop windows on each story are variously made of segmental arches, sculptured decorations, or swans' necks.<ref name="NYCL p. 5; NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|p=5}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=2}}</ref>
A small cornice runs above the fourth story, while more substantial cornices run above the ninth and eleventh stories.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> At Broadway, the center bay contains an arched pediment above the fourth-story window that interrupts the cornice above it.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|p=5}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> The ninth story cornice is supported by decorative brackets while the eleventh story cornice is supported by modillions.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> All three cornices have lost some of their original decorative elements.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|p=6}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=2}}</ref>
The thirteenth through fifteenth stories are part of the mansard roof, which is clad in green copper. There are also urns at the corners of the roof.<ref name="NYCL p. 5; NPS p. 2" /> Originally, the dormer windows from the mansard roof contained elaborate pediments, although these were likely removed by 1920. The thirteenth floor windows' pediments were either triangular or segmentally arched. The fourteenth floor windows' pediments were round-arched.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> A penthouse on the fifteenth floor was added between 1908 and 1910 to designs by C. H. Cullen.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" />
==== 41st Street ==== thumb|41st Street facade The 41st Street facade of the Knickerbocker Hotel is eight stories tall and is designed in the Romanesque Revival style, with some ornament in the Beaux-Arts style. The facade is made of buff brick and terracotta.<ref name="NYCL p. 6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> It was intended as a service entrance to the main Knickerbocker Hotel.<ref name="AR p. 630" />
The annex previously contained a second story with three bays of windows, above which runs a classical-style cornice.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> When the Knickerbocker was re-converted back into a hotel in the 2010s, the double-height first story was altered for a service entrance that takes up the entire width of the 41st Street facade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, for 1466 Broadway LP c/o Highgate Holdings, Incorporated, owner. |date=February 1, 2011 |title=Appeal pursuant to Section 310(2) of the Multiple Dwelling Law seeking to vary the court requirements under Section 26 of the Multiple Dwelling Law to permit the hotel conversion of an existing commercial building. |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/bsa/downloads/pdf/decisions/216-10-A.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |publisher=New York City Board of Standards and Appeals |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022151/http://www.nyc.gov/html/bsa/downloads/pdf/decisions/216-10-A.pdf}}</ref> The third floor was skipped. The fourth and fifth stories are topped by an arch that spans the entire width of the annex. The sixth through eighth stories are flanked by pilasters, with two bays each on the sixth and seventh stories and three bays on the eighth stories. The attic, on the ninth story, was constructed in 1906 and contains two dormer windows with triangular copper pediments.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" />
=== Features === The modern Knickerbocker Hotel contains 330 guestrooms.<ref name="The Real Deal 2019" /><ref name="Schulz 2015">{{cite web |last=Schulz |first=Dana |date=March 21, 2015 |title=The Knickerbocker: Times Square's First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark |url=https://www.6sqft.com/the-knickerbocker-times-squares-first-luxury-hotel-is-reborn-as-a-modern-landmark/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=6sqft |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124203648/https://www.6sqft.com/the-knickerbocker-times-squares-first-luxury-hotel-is-reborn-as-a-modern-landmark/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wsj20141223">{{Cite news |last=Karmin |first=Craig |date=December 23, 2014 |title=For FelCor, Less-Is-More Strategy Pays Off |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/articles/for-felcor-less-is-more-strategy-pays-off-1419358804 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231547/https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-felcor-less-is-more-strategy-pays-off-1419358804 |url-status=live}}</ref> 27 of the rooms are advertised as junior suites, while four are labeled as signature suites.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 13, 2020 |title=Luxury Hotel Rooms & Suites in NYC |url=https://theknickerbocker.com/rooms/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=The Knickerbocker Hotel |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225191529/https://theknickerbocker.com/rooms/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Hotel dining includes the Charlie Palmer Steak IV restaurant; Jake's coffee shop; The Martini Lounge; and a sushi bar, Akoya, inside its St. Cloud rooftop bar overlooking Times Square.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dining Options at The Knickerbocker Hotel : The Leading Hotels of the World |url=https://www.lhw.com/hotel/The-Knickerbocker-New-York-NY/services-amenities/dining |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=www.lhw.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2, 2014 |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel Announces February 2015 Opening |url=http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article81043.html |access-date=March 21, 2017 |website=Hotel News Resource |language=en |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323052411/https://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article81043.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The hotel's total interior space is about {{convert|300,000|ft2}}.<ref name="The Real Deal 2019"/>
The first Hotel Knickerbocker originally had 556 guestrooms, 400 of which contained baths.<ref name="nyt19061024" /><ref name="tribune19061022">{{Cite news |date=October 22, 1906 |title=New Hostlery to Open: Hotel Knickerbocker Will Be Ready on Wednesday |pages=5 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73155510/new-hostlery-to-open-hotel/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231546/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73155510/new-hostlery-to-open-hotel/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The Knickerbocker was described in ''Architects and Builders Magazine'' as having "magnificent equipment and excellent service".<ref name="ABM p. 102">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=102}}</ref> The Knickerbocker's various artworks were a prominent part of the original interior design,<ref name=NY1900>{{Stern: New York|page=269|edition=1900}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 7">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=7}}</ref><ref name="AR p. 2">{{harvnb|Architectural Record|1907|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> having been installed as a way to enhance the interior character at a relatively low cost.<ref name=NY1900/> A critic for the ''Architectural Record'' praised the interior design, saying: "There are few hotels in the country in the appearance of which such uniform good taste has been displayed", although the same critic took issue with the interior layout.<ref name="AR p. 17">{{harvnb|Architectural Record|1907|ps=.|p=17}}</ref><ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289">{{cite book |last=Bloom |first=Ken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ib2awFyFUKoC&pg=PT289 |title=Broadway: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-135-95020-0 |pages=289–290 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231546/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ib2awFyFUKoC&pg=PT289 |url-status=live}}</ref> Connecting the various floors were four passenger elevators and four freight and service elevators.<ref>{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=98}}</ref> The original hotel had five hundred clocks, which were made in Paris and maintained by an employee who was specifically tasked with winding them each day.<ref name="ABM p. 102" /><ref name="nyt19970216">{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian) |date=February 16, 1997 |title=Beaux-Arts Facade and 'Old King Cole' in the Bar |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/16/realestate/beaux-arts-facade-and-old-king-cole-in-the-bar.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 7, 2014 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219163325/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/16/realestate/beaux-arts-facade-and-old-king-cole-in-the-bar.html}}</ref>
Little evidence remains of the original design, particularly after the first version of the hotel had been converted into an office building in 1920.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> On the upper stories, the only remnants of the original design were radiators and terrazzo floors.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|p=6}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=3}}</ref>
==== Basements ====
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |total_width=250 |image1=Hotel Knickerbocker 1906 floor plan b.png |caption1=Original floor plans for the basement and subbasement |image2=Times Sq-42 St shuttle platforms Sep 2021 02.jpg |caption2=The closed doorway to the original hotel, part of the subway station's fare-control area }}
Below the lobby is a basement and subbasement, which retain their wall paneling, herringbone-patterned floors, and hexagonal white tile decorations.<ref name="nyt20030822" /> The basement had a grillroom, bar, broker's office, barber and manicure parlors, and the kitchen.<ref name="nyt19061021">{{Cite news |date=October 21, 1906 |title=New Times Square Hotel Nearly Ready; the Knickerbocker to Be Opened to the Public Wednesday |language=en-US |page=12 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/10/21/101803917.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022129/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/10/21/101803917.pdf}}</ref> The grillroom contained an English design with plain oak walls and a Gothic oak ceiling.<ref name="nyt19060218" /><ref name="ABM p. 89" /><ref name="TL p. 111">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=111}}</ref> Displayed in the basement bar was a Frederic Remington painting entitled "The United States Cavalry Charge",<ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289" /><ref name="ABM p. 89" /><ref name="NYCL p. 3; NPS p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|p=3}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> interspersed with mirrored wall panels and gold-colored hangings.<ref name="TL p. 111" /> The kitchen had refrigerating plants, heating plants, and glass and silver chests, accessed by four dumbwaiters from the kitchen.<ref name="nyt19061024" /> The ice machines could make up to {{convert|8|ST|LT t}} of ice daily, and a pneumatic cleaning system served the whole hotel.<ref name="TL pp. 111–112">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|pages=111–112}}</ref>
The subbasement contained the mechanical plant with boilers, coal storage bins, electrical generators, water filters, an ice-making plant, and an engine room. The wine vault, cigar vault, baggage room, and laundry facility were also in the subbasement.<ref>{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=93}}</ref>
At the time of the hotel's opening in 1906, the hotel's management advertised two direct subway entrances from the Times Square station,<ref name="nyt20030822" /><ref name="tribune19061022" /> with one entrance intended for ladies.<ref name="nyt19060218" /> One doorway still exists on the platform adjacent to the 42nd Street Shuttle's track 1, topped by a lintel containing the carved word "Knickerbocker".<ref name="nyt20030822">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=August 22, 2003 |title=After More Than Four Years of Reconstruction, a Landmark Is Unwrapped in Times Square |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/22/nyregion/after-more-than-four-years-reconstruction-landmark-unwrapped-times-square.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227142716/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/22/nyregion/after-more-than-four-years-reconstruction-landmark-unwrapped-times-square.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04001016.pdf |title=Times Square–42nd Street Subway Station |date=September 17, 2004 |publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |access-date=March 9, 2021 |page=5 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022222/https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04001016.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TL p. 110" /> Before the station opened as part of the city's first subway line in 1904,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/nyregion/1904-2004-crossroads-of-the-whirl.html |title=1904–2004; Crossroads of the Whirl |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=March 28, 2004 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-date=August 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810053526/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/nyregion/1904-2004-crossroads-of-the-whirl.html |url-status=live}}</ref> John Jacob Astor IV had given permission for the subway to be constructed through part of his property only if the station included a hotel entrance.<ref name="Giannotta 2016">{{cite news |last=Giannotta |first=Meghan |date=December 19, 2016 |title=Secrets of the Knickerbocker: The birth of the martini, more |work=amNewYork |id={{ProQuest|1852946531}}}}</ref> Banners were originally displayed in the corridor leading to the subway.<ref name="TL p. 111" /> The hotel entrance was rearranged when the platform was lengthened in 1909.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=+zoological+station&pg=PA596 |title=Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910 |date=1911 |publisher=Public Service Commission |pages=109–110 |language=en |access-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120015525/https://books.google.com/books?id=0fBLAQAAMAAJ&q=%20zoological%20station&pg=PA596 |url-status=live}}</ref> While the entrance was closed after the original iteration of the hotel was shuttered, the passageway to the entrance has retained much of its ornamentation, such as painted roundels.<ref name="nyt20130706">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=July 16, 2014 |title=Behind Subway's Phantom Hotel Entrance, Neither Arias Nor Opulence Linger |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/nyregion/behind-subway-entrance-to-hotel-knickerbocker-neither-arias-nor-opulence.html |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020711/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/nyregion/behind-subway-entrance-to-hotel-knickerbocker-neither-arias-nor-opulence.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, as part of the remodeling of the modern shuttle station, the damaged Knickerbocker marble lintel was to be replaced with a replica.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2015 |title=MTA Capital Program 2015–2019 |url=http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/CapitalProgram2015-19_WEB%20v4%20FINAL_small.pdf |access-date=December 17, 2016 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=November 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106022734/http://web.mta.info/capital/pdf/CapitalProgram2015-19_WEB%20v4%20FINAL_small.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2018 |title=Amendment to the Memorandum of Agreement Between Federal Transit Administration New York State Historic Preservation Office New York City Transit Authority Regarding The Times Square Shuttle Station During Contract A-35302, The Reconfiguration of the Times Square Shuttle Station, SHPO Project #17PR00545. |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/news/notices/pdf/Amendment-to-TS-Shuttle-MOA-for-Jamestown.pdf |access-date=April 27, 2018 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425211742/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/notices/pdf/Amendment-to-TS-Shuttle-MOA-for-Jamestown.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The modern doorway leads to a subway manhole with mechanical equipment rather than to the Knickerbocker's basement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nash |first=Eric P. |date=December 9, 2001 |title=F.Y.I. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/nyregion/fyi-528030.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125035949/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/09/nyregion/fyi-528030.html}}</ref>
==== Ground and second stories ==== thumb|left|Original floor plan for the main and banquet floors (the present first and second floors) The original design had a lobby facing 42nd Street, with marble columns, bronze pendant lanterns, and red-and-gold foyer decorations.<ref name="tribune19061022" /><ref name="nyt19061021" /><ref>{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|pp=90–92}}</ref> The lobby had a statue of Father Knickerbocker,<ref name="tribune19061022" /><ref name="nyt19061021" /><ref name="TL p. 111" /> a political-cartoon personification of New York City.<ref name="nydn20150424">{{cite web |last=Silverman |first=Justin Rocket |date=April 24, 2015 |title=Mural at historic Knickerbocker Hotel tells era's tale |url=http://interactive.nydailynews.com/2015/04/knickerbocker-mural/index.html |access-date=March 12, 2021 |website=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |archive-date=February 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209192500/http://interactive.nydailynews.com/2015/04/knickerbocker-mural/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Leading off the lobby were safe deposit boxes, and a bookstand and ticket office.<ref name="tribune19061022" /><ref name="nyt19061021" /><ref name="ABM p. 90">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=90}}</ref> The cafe west of the lobby had white and gold decorations.<ref name="tribune19061022" /><ref name="nyt19061021" /><ref name="ABM pp. 89-90">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|pp=89–90}}</ref> For the attached bar southwest of the lobby, artist Maxfield Parrish was commissioned to paint "Old King Cole and His Fiddlers Three", a mural of ''Old King Cole''<ref name="NYCL p. 3; NPS p. 7" /><ref name="ABM p. 90" /><ref>{{harvnb|Architectural Record|1907|ps=.|pp=4–5}}</ref> measuring {{Convert|30|ft}} wide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=January 17, 2007 |title=King Cole, a Grimy Old Soul, Heads for a Cleaning |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/nyregion/17painting.html |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226130042/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/nyregion/17painting.html |url-status=live}}</ref> An L-shaped restaurant, with a flower room. ran east and south of the lobby.<ref name="ABM pp. 89-90" /> It had a Caen stone cladding; a {{Convert|22|ft|4=-high|adj=mid}} beamed ceiling modeled after the Palace of Fontainebleau; marble statues and tapestries on the walls; and two bronze-and-marble electric fountains by Frederick MacMonnies.<ref name="nyt19060218" /><ref name="AR p. 17" /><ref name="ABM pp. 89-90" /> Hung in the Flower Room was the mural "Masque of Flowers".<ref>{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|p=89}}; {{harvnb|Architectural Record|1907|pp=12, 14}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=3}}</ref>{{efn|The artist is variously cited as Charles Finn<ref name="ABM p. 89" /><ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> or James Wall Finn.<ref name="nyt19060218" /><ref>{{harvnb|Architectural Record|1907|ps=.|pp=12, 14}}</ref>}}
The second floor was devoted to dining rooms in the original design.<ref name="ABM p. 92">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=92}}</ref> At the center of the second floor was a double-height ballroom measuring {{Convert|50|by|105|ft}}.<ref name="nyt19050528" /> The ballroom had hardwood floors; copies of old portraits on the walls; and white, blue, and silver decorations. The adjoining foyer had satin velvet decoration with gold-painted pillars and a gold-leaf ornamented ceiling.<ref name="ABM p. 92" /> There was also a nurse's hall and eight private dining rooms on that story.<ref name="nyt19061024" /> One of the private dining rooms was a "gold room" with gold cutlery for 48 guests,<ref name="nyt19061024" /><ref name="TL p. 111" /> in addition to china from Sèvres.<ref name="TL p. 111" />
During the 1920 alterations, the lobby spaces were removed, but a pink marble-clad elevator lobby was added on the ground floor.<ref>{{harvnb|National Park Service|1980|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> The lowest two stories were also converted to a retail condominium.<ref name="The Real Deal 2019" /> Remnants from the original design include a vaulted ceiling above the elevator lobby, decorated with rosettes, but hidden above a dropped ceiling.<ref name="nyt20030822" /> When the hotel reopened in 2015, Charlie Palmer was hired to operate Jake's @ The Knick, a "grab-and-go" takeout eatery on the ground level.<ref name="Preston 2015">{{cite web |last=Preston |first=Marguerite |date=March 12, 2015 |title=Opening Alert: Charlie Palmer's Times Square Behemoth Debuts in the Knickerbocker |url=https://ny.eater.com/2015/3/12/8199565/opening-alert-charlie-palmers-times-square-behemoth-debuts-in-the |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Eater NY |archive-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031132928/http://ny.eater.com/2015/3/12/8199565/opening-alert-charlie-palmers-times-square-behemoth-debuts-in-the |url-status=live}}</ref> The rebuilt ground floor has a {{Convert|16|ft|4=-tall|adj=mid}} vaulted ceiling with decorative tiles similar to those installed in the subway.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" />
==== Upper stories ==== {{multiple image |align=center |direction=horizontal |total_width=800 |header=Original floor plans for the upper floors |image1=Hotel Knickerbocker 1906 floor plan c.png |caption1=Third floor (labeled as first{{efn|name=floor-count}}) |image2=Hotel Knickerbocker 1906 floor plan d.png |caption2=Fourth through twelfth floors (labeled as second through tenth{{efn|name=floor-count}}) |image3=Hotel Knickerbocker 1906 floor plan e.png |caption3=Fifteenth floor (labeled as thirteenth{{efn|name=floor-count}}) }}
The third through fifteenth stories were originally devoted to residences and suites.{{efn|name=floor-count|These were characterized in {{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=,|pp=92–93}} as being the first through thirteenth suite floors. The floor numbering excluded the two stories at the base, which contained no suites.<ref name="ABM pp. 92-93" />}}<ref name="ABM pp. 92-93" /> The original third story contained suites, a ballroom, and a musician's gallery. The fourth through twelfth stories were designed nearly identically, while the thirteenth and fourteenth stories were slightly different in arrangement. The fifteenth story also contained a large women's dormitory and sitting room, a valet's room, a linen room, a bundle laundry room, a fan ventilator, and a storage and upholstery department.<ref name="ABM pp. 92-93">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|pp=92–93}}</ref> As floor number 13 is skipped, the thirteenth story is actually labeled as floor 14.<ref name="nyt20010718" /> Each story was served by its own staff and clerk.<ref name="TL p. 111" />
During much of the 20th century, these stories were used as office space, but by 2015 these stories were converted back to hotel suites.<ref name="The Real Deal 2019" /> The fourth floor of the reconverted hotel contains Charlie Palmer at the Knick, a 100-seat full-service restaurant.<ref name="Preston 2015" /> The sixteenth floor contains a {{Convert|7500|ft2|adj=on}} bar called St. Cloud, also operated by Palmer, with a rooftop terrace measuring {{Convert|4000|ft2}}.<ref name="Schulz 2015" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Parker |first=Jennifer |date=May 19, 2015 |title=Exclusive First Look at the Only Rooftop Bar in Times Square |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-19/exclusive-first-look-at-the-only-rooftop-bar-in-times-square |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Bloomberg |archive-date=September 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907064548/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-19/exclusive-first-look-at-the-only-rooftop-bar-in-times-square |url-status=live}}</ref> The bar, named after the former hotel on the same site,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |author-link=Florence Fabricant |date=June 2, 2015 |title=Knickerbocker's St. Cloud Comes With a Serving of History |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/dining/knickerbocker-st-cloud-comes-with-a-serving-of-history.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022060428/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/dining/knickerbocker-st-cloud-comes-with-a-serving-of-history.html}}</ref> is used for viewings of the Times Square Ball drop, which takes place at the neighboring One Times Square during New Year's Eve. Due to the proximity of the ball, which is only about {{convert|150|ft}} from the Knickerbocker's rooftop, tickets to the New Year's Eve ball drop viewings can cost tens of thousands of dollars per person.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Lansat |first=Myelle |date=December 30, 2018 |title=A luxury hotel in Times Square hosts a rooftop New Year's Eve party where guests are only 150 feet from the ball drop and box seats cost up to $125,000 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-new-years-eve-knickerbocker-hotel-rooftop-2018-10 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=December 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231005811/https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-new-years-eve-knickerbocker-hotel-rooftop-2018-10 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 27, 2018 |title=This Over-the-top New Year's Eve Party Is on a Rooftop Just 150 Feet From the Ball Drop in Times Square — and Tickets Are $125,000 |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/holiday-travel/syndication-photos-new-years-eve-knickerbocker-hotel-rooftop-2018-10 |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Travel + Leisure |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128110744/https://www.travelandleisure.com/holiday-travel/syndication-photos-new-years-eve-knickerbocker-hotel-rooftop-2018-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Construction === In 1901, the New York City Department of Buildings received plans for three hotels, one theater, and fourteen apartment buildings on Times Square.<ref name="NYCL p. 2" /> Among those plans was a 14-story hotel designed by Bruce Price and Martin & Davis, to be built on the site of the St. Cloud Hotel at Broadway and 42nd Street.<ref name="nyt19011016" /> The new hotel, known as the Knickerbocker, was intended as a rival to the Hotel Astor, also owned by the Astor family.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name=NY1900/> The Knickerbocker was to be a Renaissance Revival hotel with a similar arrangement to other hotels of the time. In addition to service facilities across two basement levels and dining and banquet facilities on the first and second floors, the Hotel Knickerbocker was planned with 600 suites and 300 baths.<ref>{{harvnb|Hutchins|1902|ps=.|pp=630, 632}}</ref> At the time, the section of Broadway between 34th and 42nd streets was quickly being developed with theaters and hotels.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 26, 1904 |title=Broadway's Future South of Times Square; Real Estate Movement That Promises to Have Unusual Elements of Strength – Large Plots Awaiting Development |language=en-US |page=17 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/06/26/102418348.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022114/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/06/26/102418348.pdf}}</ref> Consequently, the Hotel Knickerbocker's construction spurred the development of other hostelries nearby.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 16, 1907 |title=Changes in Long Acre Square |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_040&page=ldpd_7031148_040_00000837 |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=80 |pages=799 |via=columbia.edu |number=2070 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231553/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_040&page=ldpd_7031148_040_00000837 |url-status=live}}</ref>
John Jacob Astor IV leased the hotel to the International Realty and Construction Company (IRCC) of Philadelphia, organized by J.E. and A.L. Pennock.<ref name="nyt19011016" /><ref name="NPS p. 4" /> Astor stipulated that the hotel had to be completed for at least $2 million.<ref name="NPS p. 4" /><ref name="nyt19050528" /> The IRCC received the contract for the hotel's construction in December 1901,<ref>{{cite news |date=December 26, 1901 |title=New Hotel for New York |page=14 |work=The Hartford Courant|issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|555016921}}}}</ref> and Astor loaned $1.65 million to the IRCC in March 1902.{{efn-lr|Equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1.65|fmt=c|start_year=1903}} million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref>{{cite news |date=March 13, 1902 |title=Real Estate |page=5 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|571194640}}}}</ref> Under the IRCC, the project began in 1901<ref name="NPS p. 6" /> or 1902.<ref name="NYCL p. 3">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> Under the contract between Astor and the IRCC, Astor reserved the right to name the hotel operator when it was complete.<ref name="nyt19050114">{{Cite news |date=January 14, 1905 |title=Astors May Take Over Hotel Knickerbocker; Due to Get Possession Feb. 1 Under Forfeited Contract |language=en-US |page=1 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73110893/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231551/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73110893/astors-may-take-over-hotel-knickerbocker/}}</ref> James B. Regan, former manager of the adjacent Pabst Hotel, leased the site from the IRCC for seventeen years in July 1902.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 26, 1902 |title=Real Estate; Lease of the Hotel Knickerbocker Officially Recorded |pages=10 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73075136/real-estate/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231551/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73075136/real-estate-lease-of-the-hotel/}}</ref> Regan had formed the Knickerbocker Hotel Company (KHC), serving as the KHC's managing director with Jesse Lewisohn and Godfrey Hyams as co-directors.<ref name="nyt19050114" /> Astor contracted Regan to be the hotel's manager when it was finished, but Regan resigned from the KHC over disputes with the other directors.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="nyt19050114" />
In February 1904, just as the facade and steel skeleton was completed, construction was halted after the IRCC defaulted on its payments.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /><ref name="nyt19050114" /> Contractually, the IRCC was given a year to repay its outstanding obligations should it choose to resume construction. In the meantime, Astor commissioned new plans for the interior design.<ref name="nyt19050114" /> During this time, the only revenue from the Hotel Knickerbocker was coming from the billboards around it.<ref name="Tauranac Gerhardt 2018 p. 120" /> At the time, the public did not know why work had stopped.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 19, 1905 |title=Begin Work on Hotel |pages=3 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73139739/begin-work-on-hotel/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231551/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73139739/begin-work-on-hotel/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The neighborhood had also changed significantly, and the original plans no longer fit with the surroundings.<ref name="TL p. 111" /> The IRCC never returned to the project and, in May 1905, Astor hired Trowbridge & Livingston to complete the interiors, with work resuming the following month.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /><ref name="nyt19050528" /><ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 3, 1905 |title=Building Notes |url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_035&page=ldpd_7031148_035_00001297&no=1 |journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide |volume=75 |pages=1221 |via=columbia.edu |number=1942 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231556/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/document.php?vol=ldpd_7031148_035&page=ldpd_7031148_035_00001297&no=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> Regan also agreed to lease the hotel for twenty years at $300,000 per year.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> The new plans cost $1 million more than the original proposal and included an additional story.<ref name="NPS p. 6" /><ref name="nyt19050528">{{Cite news |date=May 28, 1905 |title=Newest Astor Hotel to be Pushed Ahead |pages=12 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73110746/newest-astor-hotel-to-be-pushed-ahead/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231551/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73110746/newest-astor-hotel-to-be-pushed-ahead/}}</ref> Part of the third story was demolished to make way for the double-story ballroom.<ref name="ABM p. 89">{{harvnb|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906|ps=.|p=89}}</ref><ref name="nyt19050528" /> The 42nd Street facade was also modified to include a portico.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> The hotel ultimately cost $3.5 million.{{efn-lr|Equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2.5|fmt=c|start_year=1906}} million in {{inflation/year|US-GDP}}{{inflation/fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="TL p. 111" />
=== Original hotel operation<span class="anchor" id="Original hotel"></span><span class="anchor" id="Operation"></span> === thumb|Seen from Seventh Avenue circa 1909 The Knickerbocker opened to private guests on October 23, 1906, and to the general public the following day.<ref name="nyt19061024">{{Cite news |date=October 24, 1906 |title=Knickerbocker Hotel Open to Guests To-day |pages=9 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73111265/knickerbocker-hotel-open-to-guests/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403231552/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73111265/knickerbocker-hotel-open-to-guests/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 24, 1906 |title=Knickerbocker Hotel Opens |pages=4 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73224381/knickerbocker-hotel-opens/ |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref> Astor wanted the Knickerbocker to compete with luxury hotels on Fifth Avenue, although the prices at the Knickerbocker were much cheaper.<ref name="TL p. 111" /> At the time of the hotel's opening, a room for one person averaged about $3.25 per day,{{efn-lr|Equivalent to ${{inflation|index=US|value=3.25|fmt=c|start_year=1906}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{inflation/fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}}} while suites cost about $15–20 per day.{{efn-lr|Equivalent to between ${{inflation|index=US|value=4|fmt=c|start_year=1906}} and ${{inflation|index=US|value=5|fmt=c|start_year=1906}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{inflation/fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="nyt19061024" /> The hotel quickly became part of the city's social scene.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Risen |first=Clay |date=December 2, 2006 |title=The Knickerbocker |url=http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/new_york_new_york/the_knickerbocker.php |journal=The Morning News |access-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612015616/http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/new_york_new_york/the_knickerbocker.php |url-status=live}}</ref> One week after the hotel's opening, it was receiving an influx of guests from the subway.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 28, 1906 |title=A Rush of Patrons to the Newest Hotel; Where Do the People All Come From? Ask the Clerks |language=en-US |page=6 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/10/28/101804293.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022427/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/10/28/101804293.pdf}}</ref> By early 1907, ''Architectural Record'' said the hotel "has proved to be a huge popular success".<ref name="AR p. 2" /> Architectural historian Robert A. M. Stern wrote the Hotel Knickerbocker, along with the nearby Astor and Rector hotels, "created something of an architectural ensemble clustered around Times Square".<ref name=NY1900/> Regan also began providing free toiletries to guests without baggage in 1907, and he even allowed guests to borrow formal attire for dinners.<ref name="TL p. 112">{{harvnb|Tauranac|1985|ps=.|page=112}}</ref>
The Armenonville restaurant, a 600-seat cafe on the ground floor, opened in June 1908.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 14, 1908 |title=Society Opens New Summer Cafe |pages=24 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73223854/society-opens-new-summer-cafe/ |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref> The 42nd Street frontage was slightly rebuilt in 1910 when 42nd Street was widened,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1910 |title=Widening of Forty-Second Street Will Begin Early This Summer |pages=67 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73225499/widening-of-forty-second-street-will/ |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref> and the Armenonville restaurant was renovated.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 2, 1911 |title=New Armenonville Opens: Hotel Knickerbocker's Open-air Restaurant Visited by Many |pages=11 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73223576/new-armenonville-opens-hotel/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1911, the Knickerbocker expanded into the neighboring Ryan Hotel, adding about one hundred more suites.<ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289" /> After John Jacob Astor IV died on the ''Titanic'' in 1912, his son Vincent Astor inherited the hotel, which continued to run successfully under James B. Regan.<ref name="Tauranac Gerhardt 2018 p. 120" /> The Knickerbocker's heyday coincided with the rise of Times Square as the city's main theater district, with nearly 35,000 seats across 28 theaters by 1910.<ref name="TL p. 112" />
==== Residents and events ==== The Hotel Knickerbocker's residents included Metropolitan Opera singer Enrico Caruso, who took up a suite on half a story<ref name="NPS p. 7" /> because of the hotel's proximity to the Metropolitan Opera House.<ref name="nyt19970216" /><ref name="TL p. 112" /> When the end of World War I was falsely announced on November 8, 1918, Caruso led the crowd outside his suite in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner";<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 8, 1918 |title=Glad Crowds, Unrestrained, Rule City: Fill Streets With Triumphal Parades and Police |pages=3 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73235792/glad-crowds-unrestrained-rule-city/ |access-date=March 12, 2021}}</ref> he repeated the performance on Armistice Day three days later, when the war actually ended.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Meyer |author-link=Meyer Berger |date=October 17, 1956 |title=About New York; The Met's Rendering of Our National Anthem Recalls Caruso's Own Version of It |language=en-US |page=42 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/10/17/305436702.pdf |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The actor and composer George M. Cohan also lived there.<ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Lowe |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8lPAAAAMAAJ |title=Beaux Arts New York |author2=PaineWebber Art Gallery |publisher=Whitney Library of Design |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8230-0481-2 |page=38}}</ref> Other guests and residents included opera singer Geraldine Farrar, baritone Antonio Scotti, film director and producer D. W. Griffith, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as numerous politicians and diplomats.<ref name="nydn20150424" /><ref name="tribune19200511">{{Cite news |date=May 11, 1920 |title=Knickerbocker Hotel to Close Doors May 30 |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73222969/ 3] |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73222709/knickerbocker-hotel-to-close-doors-may/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232037/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73222709/knickerbocker-hotel-to-close-doors-may/}}</ref> The Tammany Hall political organization often held its meetings at the Hotel Knickerbocker, and media magnate William Randolph Hearst launched his failed campaign for the 1909 New York City mayoral election at the Knickerbocker.<ref name="nydn20150424" />
The popular hotel bar gained the nickname "The 42nd Street Country Club".<ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289" /> According to a legend, the martini was invented at the Knickerbocker in 1912 by Martini di Arma di Taggia, a hotel bartender who mixed dry vermouth and gin for John D. Rockefeller. The legend was subsequently debunked as having originated from a 1972 book by John Doxat.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" /> The Hotel Knickerbocker was also rumored to be where the velvet rope line was invented.<ref name="nydn20150424" /> During dinnertime, staff used a red velvet rope to create a queue, then handed out plates to guests waiting outside.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" /><ref name="nydn20150424" /> During Easter celebrations, the hotel's chef put live chicks in sugar eggs, and guests would dine while the chicks hatched onto the table.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" />
The Hotel Knickerbocker was also the site of some high-profile incidents during its history.<ref name="nyt20130706" /> For instance, a chimpanzee dressed in human clothing walked into the lobby in 1918, prompting a panic.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 18, 1918 |title=Ape in Big Broadway Hotel; Scares Women as He Wanders Into the Knickerbocker Lobby |language=en-US |page=18 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/18/102672390.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022117/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/02/18/102672390.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 18, 1918 |title=Huge Chimpanzee Enters Lobby of New York Hotel |pages=1 |work=Buffalo Courier |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73221678/huge-chimpanzee-enters-lobby-of-new/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73221678/huge-chimpanzee-enters-lobby-of-new/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The next year, two men stole gems from a guest and attempted to escape through the basement, squirting tabasco sauce into the eyes of the responding patrolmen, who arrested the burglars anyway.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 24, 1919 |title=Robbers Battle for $100,000 Gems; Beat Knickerbocker Hotel Guest, Scale Walls of Building and Are Captured |language=en-US |page=1 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/12/24/96869830.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022130/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/12/24/96869830.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 23, 1919 |title=Hotel Thieves Caught in Chase |pages=2 |work=Times Union |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73222399/hotel-thieves-caught-in-chase/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232037/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73222399/hotel-thieves-caught-in-chase/ |url-status=live}}</ref> There were also several murders at the Knickerbocker, including in 1912, when the hotel's in-house violinist Albert de Brahms killed his wife and tried to seal her body in plaster.<ref name="Giannotta 2016" /><ref name="nydn20150424" />
=== Office use ===
thumb|Broadway facade detail The enactment of Prohibition in 1919 resulted in a marked decline in business at the Knickerbocker's restaurants and bars.<ref name=NY1900/><ref name="nyt19970216" /><ref name="TL p. 112" /> By late 1919, Regan had given over operation of the hotel to his son, James E. Regan Jr., though the senior Regan retained the lease.<ref name="tribune19200511" /> In May 1920, the junior Regan announced the hotel would be closed at the end of the month and converted to an office building. Although the senior Regan's lease had more than fifteen years left to run, he surrendered it to Vincent Astor.<ref name="tribune19200511" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 11, 1920 |title=The Knickerbocker to Close as Hotel; Company, Headed by Vincent Astor, to Convert It Into an Office Building |language=en-US |page=1 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/11/96889517.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022213/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/11/96889517.pdf}}</ref> At the time, the residents included James Regan Jr. and his wife Alice Joyce, as well as Caruso and his family.<ref name="tribune19200511" /> Immediately upon the announcement of the hotel's closure, several commercial tenants made bids for space in the Hotel Knickerbocker, and some applicants sought the entire building. At the time, the surrounding section of Broadway was quickly being developed for commercial purposes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 12, 1920 |title=Many Bids Offered for Knicker Bocker; Applications Already Made for Entire Space of Hotel Building When Converted |language=en-US |page=6 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/12/96890092.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022610/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/12/96890092.pdf}}</ref> The Hotel Knickerbocker closed on May 28, 1920.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 29, 1920 |title=The Knickerbocker Empty; Only Workmen in Hotel—Broadway Concerned About Liquors |language=en-US |page=9 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/29/118323194.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801024753/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/05/29/118323194.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 28, 1920 |title=Hotel Knickerbocker Passes Into History |pages=3 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73238064/hotel-knickerbocker-passes-into-history/ |access-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73238064/hotel-knickerbocker-passes-into-history/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
==== 1920s to 1960s ==== Vincent Astor, Nicholas Biddle, and S. B. Thorn formed the Knickerbocker Holding Company on June 14, 1920, two weeks after the hotel's closure.<ref name="Bloom 2013 p. 289" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 15, 1920 |title=Knickerbocker Holding Company |language=en-US |page=30 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/06/15/109798884.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022114/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/06/15/109798884.pdf}}</ref> The Bank for Savings loaned the company $3 million in October 1920 for the conversion of the old Hotel Knickerbocker into an office building. Astor hired architect Charles A. Platt to design the office conversion.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 1, 1920 |title=$3,000,000 Loan on Knickerbocker; Bank for Savings Will Finance Project Converting Hotel Into Office Building |language=en-US |page=32 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/10/01/102898074.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022147/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1920/10/01/102898074.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 1, 1920 |title=Astor Gets $3,000,000 Loan on Knickerbocker |pages=17 |work=New-York Tribune |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73227650/astor-gets-3000000-loan-on/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73227650/astor-gets-3000000-loan-on/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The hotel interiors were completely gutted and the ground level was converted to fourteen storefronts.<ref name="nyt19210311">{{Cite news |date=February 13, 1921 |title=Business Growth in Times Square Is Shown by Big Leases in New Knickerbocker Building |pages=101 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73239108/business-growth-in-times-square-is/ |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The rest of the building was rebuilt as an office building, with rents from {{convert|4|to|5|$/ft2}}.{{efn-lr|Equivalent to between {{convert|{{formatnum:{{inflation|index=US|value=4|fmt=c|start_year=1920}}}}|and|{{formatnum:{{inflation|index=US|value=5|fmt=c|start_year=1920}}}}|$/ft2}} in {{inflation/year|US}}{{inflation/fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="nyt19970216" /> The walls of the old suites were moved or removed.<ref name="nyt19210311" /> The grill room in the basement was leased in December 1920 and continued to operate after the hotel's closure.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1920 |title=Many Big Loans in Uptown Centre |pages=137 |work=The New York Times |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73237842/many-big-loans-in-uptown-centre/ |access-date=March 12, 2021}}</ref> The ''Old King Cole'' painting was loaned to the Racquet and Tennis Club on Park Avenue by 1925<ref>{{cite news |date=April 25, 1925 |title=Old King Cole |page=6 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|149555903}}}}</ref> before being installed permanently at the St. Regis Hotel in 1935.<ref name="nyt19970216" />
By early 1921, the old Hotel Knickerbocker had become known as the Knickerbocker Building.<ref name="nyt19210311" /> While the storefront at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street was quickly leased to a location of the National Drug Stores Corporation,<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1921 |title=Fifth Avenue Lease in $5,000,000 Deal; National Drug Stores Corp. Sells Depew Building Leasehold to Frederick Brown |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/05/06/98683330.pdf |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022118/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/05/06/98683330.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> the rest of the first floor was not leased until 1924, when it became a clothing store.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 21, 1924 |title=Times Square Lease: Knickerbocker Building Floor Ready-to-wear Store. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1924/06/21/105467100.pdf |page=24 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Real Estate News: Tenant Found for Floor In Knickerbocker Bldg. Space Unoccupied Since Structure Was Changed to Offices Leased for $1,000,000 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |date=June 21, 1924 |page=21 |id={{ProQuest|1112976451}}}}</ref> The New York Society of Model Engineers' main room in the Knickerbocker Building housed a model train exhibition each year during the early 1930s.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 10, 1934 |title=Model Makers Nearing Ideal, Show Reveals: Build Train So Tiny Locomotive Can Run Only 1.0 Min. Before Overheating New Little Ships on View 20th Century Reproduction Has Half-Mile of Track Miniature Rail and Steam Engineers Have Their Day |page=13 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1242956183}}}}</ref> Other tenants included advertising firms, attorneys, and insurance companies.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 10, 1933 |title=Agents Report Business Space Rentals Active: Many Office Units Leased in 42d St. Corner Building; Other Moves Arranged |page=26 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1222154933}}}}</ref> Over the years, the Knickerbocker Building's former function as a hotel was forgotten by the public; the name "Knickerbocker Hotel" even became associated with another subsequently shuttered hotel on 45th Street.<ref name="nyt19790110">{{cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=January 10, 1979 |title=Real Estate: Times Sq. Landmark: New Career |page=D19 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|120992134}}}}</ref>thumb|The hotel at night in 2015
When the Knickerbocker Building became the headquarters of ''Newsweek'' magazine in October 1940, it was renamed the ''Newsweek Building''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 30, 1940 |title=Newsweek Moves to Times Square; Former Knickerbocker-42d St. Building to Bear Name of Tenant Publication |language=en-US |page=43 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/30/112773281.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232412/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/10/30/112773281.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 30, 1940 |title='Newsweek' Moves Offices To Broadway, 42d Street |page=37 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1264432425}}}}</ref> Also in the 1940s, an employment agency and art office.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 5, 1942 |title=Newsweek Building Gets Two Tenants; Space Leased for Art Office and Employment Agency |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/08/05/85043740.pdf |page=31 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232413/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/08/05/85043740.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> The Ryan Hotel structure at 140 West 42nd Street, which had been part of the original Knickerbocker Hotel but not the subsequent office building, was sold in 1944 to an investor who intended to modify that structure heavily.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 6, 1944 |title=Old Astor Holding in Times Sq. Sold: Ryan Heirs Sell Structure Erected With the Adjoining Knickerbocker Building |language=en-US |page=33 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/04/06/87440436.pdf |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 6, 1944 |title=Large Midtown Building Sold By Ryan Estate: 13-Story Business Parcel in West 42d St. Conveyed; Downtown Lofts in Deal |page=29A |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1283093013}}}}</ref> Vincent Astor continued to own the Newsweek Building until 1957, until it was sold to a client of Bernard H. Kayden. The underlying land was simultaneously sold to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, a subsidiary of Harry Helmsley's Helmsley-Spear company and Irving S. Wolper, for $2.75 million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Newsweek Building in Sale, Lease: 42d St. Site Goes To Mass. Mutual |work=New York Herald Tribune |date=June 22, 1957 |page=A6 |id={{ProQuest|1337587932}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 22, 1957 |title=42d St. Property and Land Bought; Newsweek Building and Its Site Are Sold in Separate Deals by Vincent Astor |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/06/22/84735687.pdf |page=26 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232756/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/06/22/84735687.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live}}</ref> In early 1959, ''Newsweek'' signed a lease for space on 444 Madison Avenue, with plans to move out of the Knickerbocker during the beginning of that May.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 11, 1959 |title=Big Area Taken By 'Newsweek' |page=1C |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1323216928}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 13, 1959 |title=Newsweek Going to Madison Ave; Building at No. 444 Will Be Named for Magazine When It Takes 5 Floors May 1 |language=en-US |page=44 |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/01/13/89105965.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232752/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/01/13/89105965.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false}}</ref>
==== 1970s to 2000s ==== By the mid-1970s, the building was known as 150–152 West 42nd Street and 1462–1470 Broadway. Helmsley still operated the building, which contained offices, commercial shops, and a pornographic bookstore. The land was held by the Inch Corporation, a shell company representing the true owner, the British royal family.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moritz |first=Owen |date=April 1, 1974 |title=Does Queen Liz Own N.Y. Site of Porno Shop? |pages=18 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73311027/does-queen-liz-own-ny-site-of-porno/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232750/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73311027/does-queen-liz-own-ny-site-of-porno/}}</ref> Helmsley announced that he would drop his ownership of the Knickerbocker Building in 1975, raising concerns that the building would be demolished. The other option was to renovate the space for $2 million, which could then be rented for {{Convert|4.50|$/ft2||abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Horsley |first=Carter B. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/04/archives/office-building-faces-demolition-owners-plans-to-withdraw-threatens.html |title=Office Building Faces Demolition |date=May 4, 1975 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 8, 2020 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232751/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/04/archives/office-building-faces-demolition-owners-plans-to-withdraw-threatens.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Instead, the building deed was sold for a nominal sum of $1, despite the building being valued at $4.5 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=June 30, 1976 |title=About Real Estate |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/30/archives/about-real-estate-toy-producers-favor-new-york.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709201604/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/30/archives/about-real-estate-toy-producers-favor-new-york.html}}</ref>
In 1979, with the office market in a slump, Helmsley, David Baldwin, and Jack Vickers were planning to convert the office building to residential lofts. As part of the project, Helmsley, Baldwin, and Vickers were to relocate the building's main entrance from 152 West 42nd Street to 1466 Broadway, constructing a new lobby on Broadway.<ref name="nyt19790110" /> Libby, Ross & Whitehouse designed the new lobby and converted the interior to 113 units.<ref name="Emporis"/><ref name=nydn19801115/> Stores and commercial space would have been on the lowest four stories while the other stories would have been residential lofts.<ref name=nydn19801115>{{Cite news |date=November 15, 1980 |title=Times change at Times Sq. |pages=119 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73312204/times-change-at-times-sq/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232751/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73312204/times-change-at-times-sq/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Oser |first=Alan S. |date=June 30, 1981 |title=About Real Estate; Office Tower on 42d Street Revitalized by New Owner |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/business/about-real-estate-office-tower-on-42d-street-revitalized-by-new-owner.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524084619/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/business/about-real-estate-office-tower-on-42d-street-revitalized-by-new-owner.html}}</ref> The commercial market quickly recovered and the space was instead rented as showrooms and studios for companies in the Garment District.<ref name="Emporis"/><ref name="nyt19970216" /> The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1980,<ref name="nris">{{cite web |title=Federal Register: 46 Fed. Reg. 10451 (Feb. 3, 1981) |publisher=Library of Congress |date=February 3, 1981 |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046022/fr046022.pdf |access-date=March 8, 2020 |page=10649 (PDF p. 179) |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201110754/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr046/fr046022/fr046022.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Knickerbocker Building as a landmark on October 18, 1988.<ref name="NYCL p. 1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=October 19, 1988 |title=Panel Chooses A Former Hotel As a Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/19/nyregion/panel-chooses-a-former-hotel-as-a-landmark.html |access-date=January 17, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122140502/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/19/nyregion/panel-chooses-a-former-hotel-as-a-landmark.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Joan |date=October 19, 1988 |title=Old Knickerbocker Hotel is Landmarked; No action on St. Regis |pages=817 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73312631/old-knickerbocker-hotel-is-landmarked/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 12, 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202133227/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73312631/old-knickerbocker-hotel-is-landmarked/}}</ref>
SL Green bought 1466 Broadway, along with several other Manhattan buildings owned by the Helmsley estate, in 1998 for $165 million.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 4, 1998 |first=Peter |last=Grant |title=Green-ing of Graybar |pages=43 |work=New York Daily News|issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37388705/green-ing-of-graybar/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128095209/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37388705/green-ing-of-graybar/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=February 4, 1998 |title=Realtor to Pay $165 Million For 3 Helmsley Office Towers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/04/nyregion/realtor-to-pay-165-million-for-3-helmsley-office-towers.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527074900/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/04/nyregion/realtor-to-pay-165-million-for-3-helmsley-office-towers.html |url-status=live}}</ref> SL Green began renovating the building shortly afterward, in March 1999. At the time, the building contained a three-story location of The Gap at ground level;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=July 28, 1999 |title=Commercial Real Estate; Restoring a Landmark Hotel to Its Gilded Glory |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/28/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-restoring-a-landmark-hotel-to-its-gilded-glory.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918062357/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/28/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-restoring-a-landmark-hotel-to-its-gilded-glory.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Gap's billboards were prominently displayed on the facade.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stamler |first=Bernard |date=July 11, 1999 |title=Neighborhood Report: New York Up Close; Ads on Sidewalk Sheds Are Anything but Pedestrian |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/11/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-up-close-ads-sidewalk-sheds-are-anything-but.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914090700/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/11/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-up-close-ads-sidewalk-sheds-are-anything-but.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The Gap expanded its ground floor space from {{convert|15000|to|35000|ft2}} during this time, reopening in mid-2001.<ref name="nyt20010718" /> SL Green sought to attract small office tenants to the top seven floors,<ref name="nyt20010718">{{Cite news |last=Siwolop |first=Sana |date=July 18, 2001 |title=Commercial Real Estate; A Former Hotel Is Being Reborn as Small Offices |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/18/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-a-former-hotel-is-being-reborn-as-small-offices.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527164432/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/18/nyregion/commercial-real-estate-a-former-hotel-is-being-reborn-as-small-offices.html |url-status=live}}</ref> so the company decided in late 2001 to rebrand the building as 6 Times Square, which it believed was a more prominent address.<ref>{{cite news |title=What's in an Address? Sometimes, a Better Image: Office Buildings Take On Street Names, Numbers With Greater Appeal |first=Sheila |last=Muto |date=September 5, 2001 |page=B14 |work=Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|2074372587}}}}</ref> The facade was restored and the mansard roof was coated with greenish copper. Due to the complexities of the renovation, its costs increased to three times the original budget, and the renovation was completed in March 2003, three and a half years later than originally scheduled.<ref name="nyt20030822" />
=== Reuse as hotel === thumb|The pop up Toys "R" Us store at the building's base seen in 2018 In 2004, SL Green sold 6 Times Square to Sitt Asset Management for $160 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=September 14, 2004 |title=Metro Briefing; New York: Manhattan: Times Square Landmark To Be Sold |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/nyregion/metro-briefing-new-york-manhattan-times-square-landmark-to-be-sold.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232804/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/nyregion/metro-briefing-new-york-manhattan-times-square-landmark-to-be-sold.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=SL Green Realty Corp Announces Agreement to Sell 1466 Broadway for $160 Million |work=Business Wire |date=September 10, 2004 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|445575092}}}}</ref> Sitt sold the building in 2006 to Istithmar Hotels, an investment group from the royal family of Dubai, for $300 million.<ref name="nyt20060606">{{Cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |date=June 6, 2006 |title=Dubai Royalty Plans to Restore a Times Square Landmark |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/nyregion/dubai-royalty-plans-to-restore-a-times-square-landmark.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232807/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/nyregion/dubai-royalty-plans-to-restore-a-times-square-landmark.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="usatoday20060606" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wellborn |first=Mark |date=May 23, 2007 |title=Middle-Eastern Investors [Heart] New York! |url=https://observer.com/2007/05/middleeastern-investors-heart-new-york/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125190538/https://observer.com/2007/05/middleeastern-investors-heart-new-york/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Istithmar announced plans to convert the building back into a five-star hotel with between 250 and 300 rooms.<ref name="nyt20060606" /><ref name="usatoday20060606">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2006-06-06-ny-hotel-dubai_x.htm |title=Dubai Royalty buys Times Square landmark |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=June 6, 2006 |access-date=November 6, 2014 |archive-date=June 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615223922/http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2006-06-06-ny-hotel-dubai_x.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Condos, New Retail To Be Added to Times Square Mix |first=Michael |last=Stoler |date=April 20, 2006 |website=The New York Sun |url=https://www.nysun.com/real-estate/condos-new-retail-to-be-added-to-times-square-mix/31293/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425115739/https://www.nysun.com/real-estate/condos-new-retail-to-be-added-to-times-square-mix/31293/ |url-status=live}}</ref> However, by late 2009, Istithmar was unable to fulfill its debt obligation.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Troianovski |first1=Anton |author-link=Anton Troianovski |last2=Boston |first2=William |date=December 2, 2009 |title=Dubai World Holds Key to Property Revival |language=en |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703735004574569820043715990 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024115555/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703735004574569820043715990 |url-status=live}}</ref> Istithmar surrendered the property to its lender, Danske Bank, in March 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=A. D. |last1=Pruitt |first2=Craig |last2=Karmin |date=March 3, 2010 |title=Dubai World Coughs Up the Knickerbocker |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704486504575097853122162066 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=June 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603155743/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704486504575097853122162066 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 3, 2010 |title=Dubai's Istithmar World Capital hands in the keys to former Knickerbocker Hotel |url=https://therealdeal.com/2010/03/03/dubai-world-hands-in-the-keys-to-former-knickerbocker-hotel/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516070145/https://therealdeal.com/2010/03/03/dubai-world-hands-in-the-keys-to-former-knickerbocker-hotel/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 4, 2010 |title=Dubai's Istithmar loses prime U.S. property-paper |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/dubai-istithmar-newyork-idUSLDE62309120100304 |access-date=March 11, 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232801/https://www.reuters.com/article/dubai-istithmar-newyork-idUSLDE62309120100304 |url-status=live}}</ref> Danske subsequently resold the building to a joint venture of Highgate Holdings, Ashkenazy Acquisitions, and Stanley Chera.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hutson |first=Brittany |date=May 14, 2010 |title=Bank of America Tower Boosts Area |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704635204575242503739407156 |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=September 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914144207/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704635204575242503739407156 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 23, 2010 |title=Ex-Knickerbocker Hotel Site Sold To NY Real-Estate Developer |website=Dow Jones Institutional News |id={{ProQuest|2172583619}}}}</ref>
FelCor Lodging Trust, a Texas real estate investment trust, acquired a 95 percent stake in the third through sixteenth floors for $109 million.<ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2017">{{cite web |date=April 26, 2017 |title=Hotel REITs RLJ Lodging, Felcor agree to $7B merger |url=https://rew-online.com/hotel-reits-rlj-lodging-felcor-agree-to-7b-merger/ |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Real Estate Weekly |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232804/https://rew-online.com/hotel-reits-rlj-lodging-felcor-agree-to-7b-merger/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 6, 2012 |title=Cutting Out the Middleman |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577201642966203290.html |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=April 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428154754/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577201642966203290.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The purchase took place in late 2011,<ref name="Real Estate Weekly 2017" /> although the acquisition was not announced until February 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Kris |date=February 1, 2012 |title=Knickerbocker Hotel Knocks Again |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577195521422894672.html |access-date=March 9, 2021 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=July 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726201559/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577195521422894672.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=February 1, 2012 |title=FelCor Announces Acquisition of Iconic New York City Knickerbocker Hotel |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120131007150/en/FelCor-Announces-Acquisition-of-Iconic-New-York-City-Knickerbocker-Hotel |access-date=March 12, 2021 |website=Business Wire |archive-date=April 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403232802/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120131007150/en/FelCor-Announces-Acquisition-of-Iconic-New-York-City-Knickerbocker-Hotel |url-status=live}}</ref> The retail condominium on the first two floors was still owned by Ashkenazy.<ref name="The Real Deal 2019" /> FelCor renovated the property for an additional $115 million, completely gutting it, with the exception of the facade.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jessica |last=Dailey |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel's Rooftop Bar Takes Shape In Midtown |url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/06/07/the_knickerbocker_hotels_rooftop_bar_takes_shape_in_midtown.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406075722/http://ny.curbed.com/2013/6/7/10235228/the-knickerbocker-hotels-rooftop-bar-takes-shape-in-midtown |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 6, 2016 |publisher=Curbed New York |date=June 7, 2013 |access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> The hotel's new interior was designed by architecture and interior design firm Gabellini Sheppard Associates, with Peter Poon Architects as the architect of record.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Polsky |first=Sara |date=June 25, 2013 |url=http://ny.curbed.com/maps/mapping-new-york-citys-hotels-under-construction/the-knickerbocker |title=Mapping New York City's Hotels Under Construction |work=Curbed NY |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323055259/http://ny.curbed.com/maps/mapping-new-york-citys-hotels-under-construction/the-knickerbocker |url-status=dead}}</ref> The new design was intended to both evoke the original hotel and represent Times Square's 21st-century revival.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bortolot |first=Lana |date=May 1, 2014 |title=Landmark Buildings Make Hotel Comebacks |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304518704579523932383124964.html |access-date=March 12, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In a gesture to the hotel's history, the four signature suites were named the Caruso, Cohan, Martini, and Parrish suites, after prominent personalities of the old hotel.<ref name="nydn20150424" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2018 |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel |url=https://modelistemagazine.com/the-knickerbocker-hotel/ |access-date=July 2, 2021 |website=Modeliste Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185654/https://modelistemagazine.com/the-knickerbocker-hotel/ |url-status=live |author1=Amy }}</ref>
The hotel reopened on February 12, 2015, as the Knickerbocker Hotel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plautz |first=Jessica |date=February 11, 2015 |title=New York's Knickerbocker Hotel reopens |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/travel/knickerbocker-hotel-reopening-new-york/index.html |access-date=March 21, 2017 |website=CNN |archive-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111617/http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/travel/knickerbocker-hotel-reopening-new-york/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Knickerbocker Hotel Announces February 2015 Opening | website=Lodging Magazine | date=December 2, 2014 | url=https://lodgingmagazine.com/knickerbocker-hotel-announces-february-2015-opening/ | access-date=November 22, 2022}}</ref> The rooftop bar, the St. Cloud, opened in June 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dobkin |first=Kelly |date=June 8, 2015 |title=Rooftop Bar Alert: Charlie Palmer's St. Cloud at the Knickerbocker Opens Tonight |url=https://www.zagat.com/b/new-york-city/rooftop-bar-alert-charlie-palmers-st.-cloud-at-the-knickerbocker-opens-toni |access-date=March 10, 2021 |website=Zagat}}</ref> The old subway entrance in the basement remained shuttered,<ref name="nyt20130706" /> and several of the original hotel's works of art, such as ''Old King Cole'', were not restored in the renovated Knickerbocker Hotel.<ref name="nydn20150424" /> The ground level of the Knickerbocker Hotel building continued to house commercial uses, such as one of the last-ever locations of Toys "R" Us, which operated as a pop-up location in 2017 and 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schram |first=Lauren Elkies |date=January 24, 2018 |title=Toys "R" Us Times Square Pop-Up Spared as Toy Giant Closes 182 Stores |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2018/01/toys-r-us-closing-180-stores-not-1466-broadway/ |access-date=March 13, 2021 |website=Commercial Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312073453/https://commercialobserver.com/2018/01/toys-r-us-closing-180-stores-not-1466-broadway/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Dennis |date=March 15, 2018 |title=We visited one of the last Toys R Us stores to open — here's what it looked like |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/toys-r-us-bankruptcy-stores-2017-9 |access-date=March 13, 2021 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205165822/https://www.businessinsider.com/toys-r-us-bankruptcy-stores-2017-9 |url-status=live}}</ref> Charlie Palmer opened Akoya, a sushi restaurant, in the hotel in April 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |date=April 15, 2025 |title=Fedora Returns to the West Village for an Encore. Again. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/dining/nyc-restaurant-news.html |access-date=December 21, 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Chaudhury |first=Nadia |date=April 23, 2025 |title=New NYC Rooftop Bar Opens for Spring Dining Season With Temaki and Sake |url=https://ny.eater.com/2025/4/23/24413887/times-square-hotel-akoya-bar-open-knickerbocker-sushi-lounge-nyc |access-date=December 21, 2025 |website=Eater NY}}</ref>
==Critical reception== After the Knickerbocker Hotel reopened in 2015, it received mixed reviews. A critic for British newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph'' gave the Knickerbocker a 7/10 rating, saying that the hotel "adds a pinch of sophistication to Times Square. Yet, with its sleek, low-slung furnishings and neutral palette, the interiors are the antithesis of Beaux Arts, and Bellhops in baggy knickerbockers and chunky Doc Martens set the tone the moment you arrive."<ref name="Charlton 2021">{{cite web |last=Charlton |first=Gill |title=The best hotels near Times Square for a stay in the neon heart of New York City |website=The Telegraph |date=October 11, 2021 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/new-york/articles/best-hotels-near-times-square/ |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref> A reviewer for ''Oyster.com'' also contrasted the hotel's Renaissance-style exterior and modern interior, saying: "Some guests find this minimalist style cold and uninviting, especially paired with the lack of seating in the lobby."<ref name="Oyster.com 2020"/> Conversely, a reviewer for ''Fodor's'' said the hotel provided a "serene counterpoint to the mass of people, lights, and excitement that converge at the crossroads of Broadway and 42nd Street".<ref name="Clarke">{{cite web |last=Clarke |first=Jessica Colley |title=The Knickerbocker New York Hotel Review |website=Fodor’s Travel |url=https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/new-york/new-york-city/hotels/reviews/the-knickerbocker-112912740 |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref> A critic for ''Business Insider'' wrote in 2020: "It's comparable in price to other big brand hotels but offers a sleeker, more boutique vibe, with upscale rooms and five-star service."<ref name="Hochberg 2020">{{cite web |last=Hochberg |first=Emily |title=The Knickerbocker in Times Square is the perfect luxury base for first-time visitors to New York - here's why |website=Insider |date=January 10, 2020 |url=https://www.insider.com/guides/travel/the-knickerbocker-hotel-review-new-york |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref> Visitors also praised the hotel's central location, large rooms, and rooftop bar, but criticized the fact that it lacked a pool and a spa.<ref name="Oyster.com 2020">{{cite web |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel Review: What To Really Expect If You Stay |website=Oyster.com |date=February 19, 2020 |url=https://www.oyster.com/times-square/hotels/the-knickerbocker/ |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref><ref name=USNews>{{Cite web |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://travel.usnews.com/Hotels/review-The_Knickerbocker_Hotel-New_York-New_York-131950/ |access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref> The Knickerbocker Hotel is also a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a marketing organization for luxury hotels.<ref name=USNews/>
== See also == * List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets * National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets {{Portal bar|Architecture|Hotels|New York City|NRHP}}
== References == ===Notes=== '''Explanatory notes''' {{notelist}}
'''Inflation figures''' {{notelist-lr}}
=== Citations === {{reflist}}
=== Sources === * {{cite magazine |last=Hutchins |first=William |title=The New York Hotels, Part II, The Modern Hotel |url=https://www.usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1902-05-12.pdf |journal=Architectural Record |volume=16 |date=November 1902 |pages=630–633}} * {{cite report |title=Knickerbocker Hotel |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1556.pdf |date=October 18, 1988 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1988}}}} * {{cite report |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002697.pdf |title=Knickerbocker Hotel |date=April 11, 1980 |publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1980}}}} * {{Cite magazine |date=January 1907 |title=The Knickerbocker Hotel; A Novelty in Decoration |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1907-01-06.pdf |journal=Architectural Record |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |ref={{harvid|Architectural Record|1907}}}} * {{Sfn whitelist|CITEREFTauranac1985}}{{Cite Elegant New York}} * {{cite magazine |title=The Hotel Knickerbocker, Trowbridge & Livingston, Architects |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951000969823x&view=1up&seq=101 |journal=Architects' and Builders' Magazine |volume=39 |date=December 1906 |pages=89–102 |ref={{harvid|Architects' and Builders' Magazine|1906}}|last=Wyndham-Gittens|first=Herbert}}
== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{Official website|http://www.theknickerbocker.com/}} * [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/gri.ark:/13960/t9c60dx6q?urlappend=%3Bseq=657 Original floor plans (1902)]
{{Times Square}} {{Midtown South, Manhattan}} {{Hotels in New York City}} {{Broadway (Manhattan)}} {{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knickerbocker Hotel}} Category:1900s architecture in the United States Category:1906 establishments in New York City Category:42nd Street (Manhattan) Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in New York City Category:Broadway (Manhattan) Category:Buildings with mansard roofs Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1906 Category:Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Category:Hotels in Manhattan Category:The Leading Hotels of the World Category:Magazine headquarters Category:Mass media company headquarters in the United States Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Category:Office buildings in Manhattan Category:Times Square buildings Category:Hotels established in 1906 Category:Hotels established in 2020