Warwick New York Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Warwick New York Hotel is a luxury hotel located at 65 West 54th Street, off the Avenue of Americas in Manhattan
, New York City
. It is across the street from the Museum of Modern Art
, and near Broadway
, Carnegie Hall
and Central Park
.
built the Warwick New York Hotel in 1926 for $5 million. Long catering to the elite, Hearst built the 36-story residential tower to accommodate his Hollywood
friends as well as his mistress, the actress Marion Davies
, who had her own specially-designed floor in the building.
The hotel's restaurant, "Murals on 54," features the 1937 murals of American illustrator Dean Cornwell
. The famed murals were fully restored following a 2004 renovation of the restaurant.
As of August 2010, the general manager of the Warwick New York is Sam Kapadia.
, Jane Russell
, Elizabeth Taylor
and Elvis Presley
were frequent guests. Actor Cary
Grant was a resident in the Warwick and lived in the hotel for 12 years. When The Beatles
first came to the U.S., they stayed in the Warwick.
, the Warwick New York was the site of a dinner for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Nation of Islam
head Louis Farrakhan
and members of the New Black Panther Party. The New York Post
deemed the event a "monster's ball."
In September 2011, the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran
(UANI) learned that Ahmadinejad and his delegation for the UN General Assembly booked their stay at Warwick New York. In a letter to the hotel, UANI President Mark Wallace
wrote, "By this letter, UANI requests that the Warwick immediately reconsider its decision and deny accommodation for and refuse to host President Ahmadinejad... By choosing to host the Iranian delegation, the Warwick is accepting blood money from a regime that presents an overwhelming threat to global security."
For accommodating Ahmadinejad, UANI led a protest outside the hotel, "saying the Warwick should have joined others that refused to rent rooms to a man who tramples civil rights in Iran and works for the destruction of Israel."
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, 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...
. It is across the street from the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, and near Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
.
History
William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
built the Warwick New York Hotel in 1926 for $5 million. Long catering to the elite, Hearst built the 36-story residential tower to accommodate his Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
friends as well as his mistress, the actress Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
, who had her own specially-designed floor in the building.
The hotel's restaurant, "Murals on 54," features the 1937 murals of American illustrator Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell was an American illustrator and muralist. His oil paintings were frequently featured in popular magazines and books as literary illustrations, advertisements, and posters promoting the war effort. Throughout the first half of the 20th century he was a dominant presence in American...
. The famed murals were fully restored following a 2004 renovation of the restaurant.
Ownership and operations
The owner of the Warwick New York is Warwick International Hotels, which was founded in 1980 with the purchase of this hotel.As of August 2010, the general manager of the Warwick New York is Sam Kapadia.
Prominent guests
According to the Warwick Hotel website, James DeanJames Dean
James Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
, Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
, Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
were frequent guests. Actor Cary
Cary
- Surname :* Cary family* Alexander Cary, Master of Falkland , son of Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland* Alice Cary , American poet* Annie Louise Cary , American singer...
Grant was a resident in the Warwick and lived in the hotel for 12 years. When The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
first came to the U.S., they stayed in the Warwick.
Controversy
In September 2010 during the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, the Warwick New York was the site of a dinner for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
head Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
and members of the New Black Panther Party. The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
deemed the event a "monster's ball."
In September 2011, the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran
United Against Nuclear Iran
United Against Nuclear Iran is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization that seeks "to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons." Along with other advocacy campaigns, the organization leads efforts to pressure companies to stop...
(UANI) learned that Ahmadinejad and his delegation for the UN General Assembly booked their stay at Warwick New York. In a letter to the hotel, UANI President Mark Wallace
Mark Wallace
Mark Alexander Wallace is a Welsh cricketer; a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper....
wrote, "By this letter, UANI requests that the Warwick immediately reconsider its decision and deny accommodation for and refuse to host President Ahmadinejad... By choosing to host the Iranian delegation, the Warwick is accepting blood money from a regime that presents an overwhelming threat to global security."
For accommodating Ahmadinejad, UANI led a protest outside the hotel, "saying the Warwick should have joined others that refused to rent rooms to a man who tramples civil rights in Iran and works for the destruction of Israel."