New York City’s Plaza Hotel to shut for four-year cleanup of its celebrated facade

[NEW YORK] One of New York City’s most iconic hotels is closing for four years for a face-lift.

The 119-year-old Plaza Hotel will shut its gilded doors in January for a restoration of the 18-storey building’s landmark facade, the hotel’s operators, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, announced on Wednesday (Oct 14).

Since the hotel’s opening day in 1907, when a Vanderbilt scion signed the guest register with a flourish, the Plaza, at the corner of Central Park South and Fifth Avenue, has been synonymous with a particular New York brand of opulence.

But maintaining that elegance requires periodic upkeep. The hotel, which has had at least half a dozen owners over the years – including Donald Trump, who took it into bankruptcy in the 1990s – has undergone several rounds of renovation. It was partly converted into condominiums in the early 2000s and now has 282 hotel rooms and 181 condos.

The fortresslike Plaza was created by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the Dakota on Central Park West.

The New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in 1982 that the hotel had been “designed in a style that is generally described as French Renaissance but is essentially New York eclectic – a French chateau blown up to the size of a small skyscraper and embellished with myriad classical details”.

He called the Plaza “the only hotel in the city that is as crucial a part of New York’s architectural heritage as are such public buildings as Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library”.

Fairmont did not offer details on what exactly the work would consist of or how much it would cost, but said that the restoration plan “reflects the complexity of maintaining a property of such architectural and historical significance, with careful consideration given to preservation requirements and the building’s long-term care”.

The company added that “the scope and complexity of the facade works require detailed planning and coordination with relevant stakeholders”.

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Fairmont also declined to say whether the residents of the condos would be displaced during the restoration. Receptionists at the hotel’s event rooms and the Palm Court restaurant said that those venues would also close in January.

Andrew Dolkart, a professor of historic preservation at Columbia University, said that the building’s facade had been redone when part of the hotel was converted to luxury housing, and that he was surprised to hear that it required another extensive round of renovation.

He said that even if the work was only on the exterior, it made sense to close the hotel. “It’s going to be noisy, and they must figure they can’t charge luxury prices for a hotel when there’s construction work going on outside your window,” he added.

As for the fate of the Plaza’s staff, a spokesperson for the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, which represents hotel workers, said that the 378 members who worked at the Plaza would have the right to resume their jobs at the same pay when the hotel reopened. In the meantime, the union will try to find them other jobs.

The Plaza’s customers over the years have included F Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, the Beatles and the children’s book heroine Eloise. Her all-pink quarters can be reserved for more than US$4,000 a night.

A room with a king-size bed was listed for US$1,421 on booking.com. The “Grand Penthouse”, a two-bedroom terrace suite, goes for US$36,140 – plus US$5,329 in tax. NYTIMES