InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel
Encyclopedia
InterContinental Barclay is a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan
, New York City
.
In 1926, the Vanderbilt family
funded the building of The Barclay, a luxury hotel in Manhattan. The New York Central Railroad
built the hotel on air-rights of its subsidiary the New York State Realty and Terminal Company and it was known to be elegant, glamorous and popular in social circles. The same builders that built the Barclay, Cross & Cross, also built Tiffany & Co. In 1931, after the completion of Grand Central Terminal
, the InterContinental Barclay got power from hydraulic tanks in the basement of Grand Central. Twelve years later, in 1938, Cornell Club of New York
took over the entire third floor. Ivy League Schools have used The Barclay as well. Hotel InterContinental celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2001 by reclaiming its roots by renaming the hotel InterContinental, The Barclay New York. In 2009, the hotel went under another name change, InterContinental New York Barclay, combining both names from previous history of the hotel. The hotel also began a holistic sustainable hospitality program, “Sustainability in the City”.
Hotels purchased The Barclay from Loews Hotels
which had bid on hotel assets of The Penn Central Corporation (ex- New York Central Railroad
) which operated four Grand Central City hotels through their Realty Hotel Group one of which was The Barclay. The hotel went through a $32 million, four year renovation and became the Hotel InterContinental. Another restoration in 1995 restored the lobby and public areas and cost $20 million.
had its flagship store in InterContinental New York Barclay for over 80 years. Caswell-Massey, the oldest chemist and perfumer in America, was the first and oldest tenant of the Barclay.
, Floria Swanson, Mary Pickford
, Marlon Brando
, Jimmie Durante, Debbie Reynolds
, Ernest Hemingway
and David O. Selznick
all called the Barclay, “home”. In 1992, when Bill Clinton
first ran for President, the Barclay was his New York Headquarters.
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1926, the Vanderbilt family
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
funded the building of The Barclay, a luxury hotel in Manhattan. The New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
built the hotel on air-rights of its subsidiary the New York State Realty and Terminal Company and it was known to be elegant, glamorous and popular in social circles. The same builders that built the Barclay, Cross & Cross, also built Tiffany & Co. In 1931, after the completion of Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, the InterContinental Barclay got power from hydraulic tanks in the basement of Grand Central. Twelve years later, in 1938, Cornell Club of New York
Cornell Club of New York
The Cornell Club of New York, usually referred to as The Cornell Club, is a private club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA...
took over the entire third floor. Ivy League Schools have used The Barclay as well. Hotel InterContinental celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2001 by reclaiming its roots by renaming the hotel InterContinental, The Barclay New York. In 2009, the hotel went under another name change, InterContinental New York Barclay, combining both names from previous history of the hotel. The hotel also began a holistic sustainable hospitality program, “Sustainability in the City”.
Renovations
In 1978, InterContinentalInterContinental
InterContinental is a brand of upscale luxury hotels, founded by Pan American World Airways, under Juan Trippe, and now owned by InterContinental Hotels Group. The chain operates over 200 hotels and resorts in approximately 75 nations.-History:...
Hotels purchased The Barclay from Loews Hotels
Loews Hotels
-About Loews HotelsHotels:Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada:-United States locations:*Loews Annapolis Hotel - Annapolis, Maryland*Loews Atlanta Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia...
which had bid on hotel assets of The Penn Central Corporation (ex- New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
) which operated four Grand Central City hotels through their Realty Hotel Group one of which was The Barclay. The hotel went through a $32 million, four year renovation and became the Hotel InterContinental. Another restoration in 1995 restored the lobby and public areas and cost $20 million.
Tenants
Caswell-MasseyCaswell-Massey
Caswell-Massey is a personal care product company and apothecary shop founded in 1752 in Newport, Rhode Island, by a Scottish-born doctor named William Hunter...
had its flagship store in InterContinental New York Barclay for over 80 years. Caswell-Massey, the oldest chemist and perfumer in America, was the first and oldest tenant of the Barclay.
Famous People Who Stayed at InterContinental Barclay
Bette DavisBette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, Floria Swanson, Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, Jimmie Durante, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
all called the Barclay, “home”. In 1992, when Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
first ran for President, the Barclay was his New York Headquarters.