Park Hotel is a famous hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 on Nanjing Road overlooking Renmin Park in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

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History

Built in 1934, a prime example of Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 architecture designed by the Hungarian architect Ladislav Hudec. It was built by the Joint Savings Society as a competitor for the Cathay Hotel.

Strongly inspired by the American Radiator Building

American Radiator Building

The American Radiator Building is a landmark skyscraper located at 40 West 40th Street, in midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was conceived by the architects John Howells and Raymond Hood in 1924 and built for the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company...

, it is most well known building from Laszlo Hudec

László Hudec

László Ede Hudec or Ladislav Hudec was a Hungarian - Slovak architect active in Shanghai from 1918 to 1945 and responsible for some of that city's most notable structures...

 in Shanghai. It was the tallest building in Asia at 22 floors / 84 m (275 ft) until 1952. It remained the tallest building in China until 1966, and in Shanghai until 1983.

It was built overlooking the Shanghai Race Course, a horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 track, that was one of the most prestigious location in Shanghai at the time. The Shanghai Race Course and the Shanghai Recreation Ground that it enclosed was turned into Renmin Park by the PRC government. Originally the Park Hotel accommodated the Joint Savings Society Bank in its lower two floors, and the hotel on the upper floors.

Many famous people were regular guests at this hotel including Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...

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In 1997 the building was refitted by American architect George Grigorian.

Exterior

The first three floors are finished with polished black granite from Shandong Province. The upper floors are clad with dark brown brick and ceramic face tiles.

The exterior has had two major changes: there is a banking entrance on one corner, and a marquee

Marquee (sign)

A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...

 was added that masks the unique silhouette of the top floors.

Interior

In 1935, the outdoor garden on the 13th floor was converted into the 14th floor banquet space and surrounded by windows and covered with a retractable roof. Unfortunately, that roof is now a back-lit glass panel set into a ceiling.

Most of the interior was deliberately changed by the Communist government in the 1950s because they disliked the existing bourgeois style. Ironically, it was then renovated a second time in the 1980s to return some of it to the original style. In 1997 American designer George Grigorian remodeled some the interior using an Art Deco style. Jewish American architect Christopher Choa restored the Art Deco lobby in 2001.

External links

• Park Hotel official website
• Official website
• Interactive 3D model of Park Hotel Shanghai created with Virtual Building Explorer.