The Michelangelo
Encyclopedia
The Taft Hotel building is a historic 22-story pre-war Spanish Renaissance structure that occupies the entire eastern-facing block of 7th Avenue between 50th and 51st Street and Seventh Avenue
, just north of Times Square
, in New York City. In its modern configuration, it features two separate and distinct uses, each with their own entrance on 51st St. The first and largest portion of building is devoted to the residential condominium called Executive Plaza, with each of its 440 units being privately owned. The unoccupied units are rented to the public through Mariott's ExecuStay brand. Sharing a smaller portion of the building is The Michelangelo a Starhotels
hotel
.
and opened in 1926. It was connected to the famous Roxy Theatre movie palace which was built at the same time. The theater's entrance and signage occupied the hotel's southwest corner.
When the hotel opened, it had 2,250 rooms and was the largest hotel in Times Square
. The development cost of the Manger Hotel was more than $10 million in 1925, an enormous amount money at the time. At the time, Madison Square Garden
was a block to the west at 8th Avenue and 50th Street. It originally opened as the Manger Hotel (named for the Manger Hotel chain that owned 18 hotel properties in New York City and was founded by brothers Julius and William Manger)
in 1931 after being sold.
One of the hotel's most famous features was the Taft Grill.
The George Hall Orchestra (sometimes called the George Hall Taft Hotel Orchestra) performed from the hotel on Monday through Saturday at noon on CBS Radio
, starring Dolly Dawn. The band's signature song was "Love Letters in the Sand
".
Other big band performances were by Artie Shaw
, Xavier Cugat
, Tommy
and Jimmy Dorsey
, Glenn Miller
, and Tony Pastor
.
Vincent Lopez
performed in residency for 20 years and broadcast a radio show from the hotel, with Gloria Parker
, Shake the Maracas. Lopez later broadcast a TV show from the Taft on the DuMont
network, Dinner Date, from January to July 1950.
On May 26, 1933, Jimmie Rodgers
(The Father Of Country Music) died here at the age of 35 from a long battle with tuberculosis. This occurred just two days after completing what was his final recording session for Victor Records.
In 1954, a woman leapt to her death from the hotel's rooftop before a crowd of 5,000 people.
In 1955, Philip Loeb
died from an overdose of sleeping pills at the hotel in the Hollywood blacklist
scandal.
A scene from the 1967 film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
, in which Finch follows a rival executive to a football pep party, was shot at the hotel.
.
In 1990, hotel chain Park Lane International acquired the hotel portion and renamed it Parc Fifty-One. In 1992, Starhotels acquired it for $42 million and renamed the hotel The Michelangelo.
The mixed use of the structure includes a Ruth's Chris restaurant facing 51st st., and a T.G.I. Friday's
with 7th Avenue frontage, located in the old Roxy Theatre lobby location and which has a sign in the window proclaiming it to be the largest Friday's in the chain.
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
, just north of Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, in New York City. In its modern configuration, it features two separate and distinct uses, each with their own entrance on 51st St. The first and largest portion of building is devoted to the residential condominium called Executive Plaza, with each of its 440 units being privately owned. The unoccupied units are rented to the public through Mariott's ExecuStay brand. Sharing a smaller portion of the building is The Michelangelo a Starhotels
Starhotels
Starhotels is a privately-owned hotel chain based in Florence that operates 22 luxury hotels .The chain was founded in 1980 by Ferruccio Fabri and is operated today by his daughter Elisabetta Fabri....
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...
.
Manger Hotel
The building is 69 m /226 ft tall and was designed by H. Craig SeveranceH. Craig Severance
H. Craig Severance was an American architect who designed a number of well-known buildings in New York City, including the Coca-Cola Building, Nelson Tower and most prominently, 40 Wall Street....
and opened in 1926. It was connected to the famous Roxy Theatre movie palace which was built at the same time. The theater's entrance and signage occupied the hotel's southwest corner.
When the hotel opened, it had 2,250 rooms and was the largest hotel in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. The development cost of the Manger Hotel was more than $10 million in 1925, an enormous amount money at the time. At the time, Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
was a block to the west at 8th Avenue and 50th Street. It originally opened as the Manger Hotel (named for the Manger Hotel chain that owned 18 hotel properties in New York City and was founded by brothers Julius and William Manger)
Taft Hotel
It was renamed for William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
in 1931 after being sold.
One of the hotel's most famous features was the Taft Grill.
The George Hall Orchestra (sometimes called the George Hall Taft Hotel Orchestra) performed from the hotel on Monday through Saturday at noon on CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
, starring Dolly Dawn. The band's signature song was "Love Letters in the Sand
Love Letters in the Sand
"Love Letters in the Sand" is a popular song first published in 1931. The music was written by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny. The song was "inspired" by an 1881 composition, "The Spanish Cavalier"...
".
Other big band performances were by Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
, Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
, Tommy
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
and Jimmy Dorsey
Jimmy Dorsey
James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, and Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid-to-late nineteenth century...
.
Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez was an American bandleader and pianist.Vincent Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York and was leading his own dance band in New York City by 1917...
performed in residency for 20 years and broadcast a radio show from the hotel, with Gloria Parker
Gloria Parker
Glorious Gloria Parker is an American entertainer and female icon during the big band or swing era, as an all girl bandleader. The Gloria Parker Show aired nightly from 1950 to 1957, coast to coast on WABC Radio and Parker entertained her audience playing the marimba, organ and the singing glasses...
, Shake the Maracas. Lopez later broadcast a TV show from the Taft on the DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
network, Dinner Date, from January to July 1950.
On May 26, 1933, Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...
(The Father Of Country Music) died here at the age of 35 from a long battle with tuberculosis. This occurred just two days after completing what was his final recording session for Victor Records.
In 1954, a woman leapt to her death from the hotel's rooftop before a crowd of 5,000 people.
In 1955, Philip Loeb
Philip Loeb
Philip Loeb , was an American stage, film, and television actor who was blacklisted under McCarthyism and committed suicide.- Background :...
died from an overdose of sleeping pills at the hotel in the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
scandal.
A scene from the 1967 film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (film)
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a 1967 American musical comedy film based on the 1961 stage musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the book written by Shepherd Mead...
, in which Finch follows a rival executive to a football pep party, was shot at the hotel.
Grand Bay Hotel, Parc FiftyOne, The Michelangelo, Executive Plaza
The closing of Madison Square Garden, the tearing down of the Roxy, and the increasing presence of neighborhood pornographic theaters contributed to the early 1980s closing of the Taft Hotel. In 1988, following construction of 787 Seventh Avenue office tower, across 51st Street to the north, the building was converted to mixed use. The eighth through the 21st floors were rebuilt as condominiums and the first seven floors were occupied by the Grand Bay Hotel. The hotel and the condominiums had separate entrances side by side on 51st Street51st Street (Manhattan)
51st Street is a long one-way street traveling east to west across Midtown Manhattan.-East 51st Street:*The route officially begins at Beekman Place which is on a hill overlooking FDR Drive...
.
In 1990, hotel chain Park Lane International acquired the hotel portion and renamed it Parc Fifty-One. In 1992, Starhotels acquired it for $42 million and renamed the hotel The Michelangelo.
The mixed use of the structure includes a Ruth's Chris restaurant facing 51st st., and a T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's
T.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
with 7th Avenue frontage, located in the old Roxy Theatre lobby location and which has a sign in the window proclaiming it to be the largest Friday's in the chain.