InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel

InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel is a historic luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel
Front Entrance
Location within New York City
General information
Location111 East 48th Street, Manhattan, New York, United States
Coordinates40.7556603°N 73.9742035°W / 40.7556603; -73.9742035
Opening1926
Technical details
Floor count14
Design and construction
ArchitectCross and Cross
Other information
Number of rooms702[1]
Number of suites32
Website
intercontinentalnybarclay.com

History

In 1926, the Vanderbilt family funded the building of The Barclay, a luxury hotel in Manhattan.[2] 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.[3] The Barclay was designed by the architects Cross & Cross who also designed Tiffany & Co.[4] In 1931, after the completion of Grand Central Terminal, the InterContinental Barclay got power from hydraulic tanks in the basement of Grand Central.[5] Twelve years later, in 1938, Cornell Club of New York took over the entire third floor. [6]

In 1978, InterContinental 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, including The Barclay, through their Realty Hotel Group. After a $32 million, four-year renovation, it became the Hotel InterContinental. Another restoration in 1995 restored the lobby and public areas at a cost of $20 million.

Hotel InterContinental celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2001 by reclaiming its roots and rebranding the property InterContinental, The Barclay New York.[7] In 2009, the hotel went under another name change, the InterContinental New York Barclay, combining both names from the history of the hotel. It also began a holistic sustainable hospitality program, “Sustainability in the City”.[8]

Tenants

Caswell-Massey 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.[9]

Famous guests

Bette Davis, Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Marlon Brando, Jimmie Durante, Debbie Reynolds, Ernest Hemingway and David O. Selznick all called the Barclay home.[10] In 1992, when Bill Clinton first ran for President, the Barclay was his New York headquarters.[11]

References
  1. InterContinental Barclay
  2. AOL-Travel
  3. "TLC-Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  4. InterContinental Barclay Fun Facts
  5. "TLC magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  6. The Cornell Club of New York
  7. "InterContinental Hotel History". Archived from the original on 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  8. "Sustainable Hospitality Council". Archived from the original on 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  9. "Manhattan Blogspot". Archived from the original on 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  10. "Travel Tips-New York Luxury Hotels". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  11. New York Archived October 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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