No person Requested Me, However… No. 270: Resort Historical past: Resort Martinique (1910)

August 29, 2022

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No person Requested Me However… The household of Stanley Turkel wish to share that Stanley Turkel handed away on Friday, August 12^th, 2022 after a quick sickness. Stanley had accomplished his 270^th article for this article which is beneath. It was an ideal pleasure for him to have you ever, a receptive readership, during the last 20-plus years. Thanks. Stanley’s obituary may be discovered on his web site. In case you are so inclined, Stanley would recognize donations to The Southern Poverty Regulation Heart or the ACLU in his identify.

Resort Historical past: Resort Martinique (530 rooms): The Resort Martinique (560 rooms) on the northeast nook of Broadway and 32^nd Avenue was constructed in three phases in 1897-98, 1901-03 and 1909-11. Developer William R. H. Martin constructed and expanded his lodge as a result of the middle of theater life had moved up Broadway to 39^th Avenue the place the Metropolitan Opera Home had been in-built 1883. Martin employed the distinguished architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (1874-1918).

Hardenbergh, who started his personal architectural observe in New York in 1870, turned one of many metropolis’s most distinguished architects. Acknowledged for his or her picturesque compositions and his buildings typically took their inspiration from the French, Dutch, and German Renaissance types.

Hardenbergh is greatest identified for his luxurious lodge and condominium home designs. Among the many earliest of those are the Dakota Residences (a delegated New York Metropolis Landmark) and the Resort Albert, now Albert Residences. His earliest midtown motels, the unique Waldorf-Astoria (Fifth Avenue and West 34^th Avenue), and the Manhattan Resort (Madison and East 42^nd Avenue) have all been demolished, however when constructed they set the usual for luxurious lodge design, each the outside and inside. Hardenbergh continued to excellent his luxurious lodge designs within the Plaza Resort (a delegated New York Metropolis Landmark), and in Washington, D. C., on the Raleigh Resort (demolished).

The proprietor and developer of the Martinique Resort was William R. H. Martin, a big landowner in Manhattan on the flip of the century and a founding member of the clothes agency of Rogers, Peet & Firm. Martin was born in St. Louis and lived in Brooklyn as a baby. He entered the clothes enterprise together with his father John T. Martin, who had been a big military contractor throughout the Civil Battle. Later the Martins fashioned a wholesale clothes enterprise with Marvin Rogers; it was identified by a number of completely different names earlier than changing into Rogers, Peet & Co. Martin served as head of the corporate from 1877, however had retired from lively involvement a number of years earlier than his loss of life in 1912. Martin used his wealth to take a position closely in Manhattan actual property, and on the time of his loss of life his holdings have been valued at greater than ten million {dollars}. These investments included such properties because the Marbridge Constructing in addition to the Martinique Resort. Martin additionally constructed and supported the Trowmart Inn, a house for working ladies.

Martin clearly thought the 34^th Avenue-Broadway space was an important, rising part for enterprise and funding. Rogers, Peet & Co. opened a retailer at 1260 Broadway in 1889, even earlier than such large shops as Macy’s and Saks moved to 34^th Avenue. Martin selected to construct his new lodge near Greeley and Herald Squares as a result of the placement was starting to supply many alternatives for purchasing, theater and eating places to draw the vacationer commerce, and was near a number of modes of transportation.

Hardenbergh created a French Renaissance design which capitalized on the openness of Greeley Sq. with a boldly-scaled mansard roof, towers and ornate dormers. The façade displays Hardenbergh’s status for designing buildings for long-term use, not short-term revenue. The glazed brick, terracotta-and limestone-clad construction additionally options stonework, balconies and distinguished cartouches on all three of its foremost facades.

The Resort Martinique opened on December 21, 1910 with a complete of 600 rooms. It was well-located inside strolling distance from the newly-opened Pennsylvania Station, Macy’s on Herald Sq. (which opened in 1904) and the PATH commuter railroad system’s Manhattan terminus at 33^rd Avenue (1907). Throughout the road from the Martinique was the Gimbels New York flagship division retailer. Designed by Daniel Burnham, the construction provided 27 acres of promoting area. When this constructing opened in 1910, a significant promoting level was its many doorways resulting in the Herald Sq. subway station. Doorways additionally opened upon a pedestrian passage beneath 33^rd Avenue, connecting Penn Station to these subway stations. The concept of a Thanksgiving Day parade originated in 1920 with Gimbels Division Retailer in Philadelphia. Macy’s in New York didn’t begin its parade till 1924.

A light previous Martinique brochure from 1910 comprises the next info:

The Resort Martinique is positioned on the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 32^nd Avenue, and the plaza thus fashioned is termed Herald or Greeley Sq.….One block east is Fifth Avenue, the nice residential avenue of New York. Inside a radius of three blocks are to be discovered the best of the town’s retail shops, making it a great headquarters for buyers. One of the best theaters are centered on this neighborhood, and the 2 nice Opera Homes are inside straightforward strolling distance…The Gents’s Broadway Café is a veritable architectural gem. The partitions and columns of Italian marble give to this room a richness which is accomplished by Pompeiian panels of unquestioned benefit.

The brochure goes on to report that the Martinique towered over all adjoining constructions, “furnishing views and the diploma of sunshine seldom secured in a metropolis lodge. The sanitary precautions, plumbing, and so on. are essentially the most full.” Costs for rooms, based on the brochure, have been $3.50 a day for room and bathtub, $6.00 and up for bed room, bathtub and parlor.

Close to the tip of the nineteenth century, the world of Broadway and West 34^th Avenue gained prominence as an vital leisure district. By the 1860s, essentially the most trendy playhouses and the Academy of Music have been positioned close to Union Sq.. The development of Madison Sq. Backyard introduced New York’s leisure district as much as 23^rd Avenue, together with the trendy purchasing institutions of the Women Mile, motels and eating places. By the Eighteen Eighties Broadway, between 23^rd and 42^nd Avenue turned New York’s glittering “Nice White Manner” which was lined with theaters and chic shops.

Eating places and splendid motels adopted, serving the various guests who flocked to this a part of city. The Metropolitan Opera Home, positioned at Broadway and 39^th Avenue opened in 1883, and sparked a theatrical transfer uptown. The On line casino Theater, the Manhattan Opera Home, and Harrigan’s (later the Herald Sq. Theater) have been all positioned close by. In 1893, the Empire Theatre opened at Broadway and West 41^st Avenue, sparking additional improvement within the space of Longacre Sq. (later referred to as Instances Sq.). Saks & Co, Gimbels and R.H. Macy’s anchored the purchasing at 34^th Avenue starting in 1901-02. Eating places equivalent to Rector’s and Delmonico’s glad the gastronomical wants of New York’s rich, whereas they stayed at such motels because the Marlborough, the Normandie and the Vendome.

To the east, Fifth Avenue had a distinct tone, set by the institution of B. Altman’s huge division retailer and the Gorham Silver Firm, in addition to the Knickerbocker Membership. This was confirmed by the opening, in 1893 and 1897, of the lavish Waldorf after which the Astoria Accommodations on Fifth Avenue, between 33^rd and 34^th Streets. One block to the west of Greeley Sq., the deliberate Pennsylvania Station promoted a lot future improvement. Sixth Avenue and 34^th Avenue was additionally the location of cross-town streetcars, the Sixth Avenue elevated, and the Hudson Tubes to New Jersey.

However when the theater district moved uptown to the Instances Sq. space and the most effective shops left Sixth Avenue for Fifth Avenue, the Martinique misplaced enterprise and steadily turned a delinquent lodge. By 1970, the Resort Martinique, nonetheless in personal possession, was renting rooms to New York Metropolis and the Purple Cross to be used as emergency housing for homeless individuals. For practically twenty years it served as considered one of New York’s most infamous welfare motels.

After years of unhealthy publicity, the town determined to empty the lodge with its dimly lit, squalid rooms and corridors and issues with lead paint and asbestos elimination. (To get the complete affect of the dreadful dwelling circumstances, learn “Rachel and Her Youngsters” by Jonathan Kozol which particulars the crowding, lack of providers and corruption which created a nightmare for household teams. When the final welfare household left the Martinique in 1989, the lodge was acquired from Season Associates in a 99-year lease by Harold Thurman, who owned the Hilton Resort at JFK Worldwide Airport. It remained vacant till 1996 whereas Thurman renovated the lodge utterly and secured a Vacation Inn franchise.

On Might 5, 1998, in a transfer that supplied reminders of its previous glory, the Martinique was conferred landmark standing by the New York Metropolis Landmarks Preservation Fee. Jennifer J. Raab, chairwoman of the Fee, mentioned that they started contemplating landmark standing out of concern that the brand new proprietor would search to change its exterior.

Here’s a abstract of the Fee’s report:

The Resort Martinique, a significant work of the distinguished designer Henry J. Hardenbergh, was constructed in three phases, in 1897-98, 1901-03, and 1909-11. Developer William R. H. Martin, who had invested closely in actual property on this space of the town, constructed and expanded the lodge in response to the expansion of leisure, purchasing, and transportation actions on this busy midtown part. Martin employed the distinguished architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, who had acquired a status for his luxurious lodge designs, together with the unique Waldorf and Astoria Accommodations, in addition to the Plaza. In his lodge and condominium home designs, Hardenbergh created picturesque compositions based mostly on Beaux-Arts precedents, giving particular care to inside planning and appointments. For the sixteen-story, French Renaissance-inspired model Resort Martinique, the architect capitalized on the openness made potential by Greeley Sq., to indicate off the constructing’s boldly-scaled mansard roof, with its towers, and ornate dormers. The glazed brick, terra cotta, and limestone-clad construction additionally options rusticated stonework, balconies and distinguished cartouches on all three of its foremost facades: Broadway, 32^nd Avenue and 33^rd Avenue.

The lodge is now referred to as the Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Assortment by Hilton and, towards all odds, stays a shocking Beaux-Arts landmark constructing within the coronary heart of midtown Manhattan simply blocks away from the Empire State Constructing, Madison Sq. Backyard, Penn Station, Macy’s and the Chelsea artwork galleries and eating places.

All of my following books may be ordered from AuthorHouse by visiting stanleyturkel.com and clicking on the ebook’s title:

Nice American Hoteliers: Pioneers of the Resort Trade (2009)
Constructed To Final: 100+ 12 months-Previous Accommodations in New York (2011)
Constructed To Final: 100+ 12 months-Previous Accommodations East of the Mississippi (2013)
Resort Experts: Lucius M. Boomer, George C. Boldt, Oscar of the Waldorf (2014)
Nice American Hoteliers Quantity 2: Pioneers of the Resort Trade (2016)
Constructed To Final: 100+ 12 months-Previous Accommodations West of the Mississippi (2017)
Resort Experts Quantity 2: Henry Morrison Flagler, Henry Bradley Plant, Carl Graham Fisher (2018)
Nice American Resort Architects Quantity I (2019)
Resort Experts: Quantity 3: Bob and Larry Tisch, Curt Strand, Ralph Hitz, Cesar Ritz, Raymond Orteig (2020)
Nice American Resort Architects Quantity 2 (2020)

If You Want an Knowledgeable Witness:
Stanley Turkel has served as an skilled witness in additional than 42 hotel-related circumstances. His intensive lodge working expertise is helpful in circumstances involving: