Waldorf Astoria NEW YORK In a landmark restoration project, Hilton enlists Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Pierre-Yves Rochon to reinvigorate a grand dame to its former Art Deco glory. Words: Guy Dittrich • Photography: © Joe Thomas (unless otherwise stated)
D
escribed by Conrad Hilton as “the greatest of them
patterns, burnished metals and high-sheen lacquered
all,” Waldorf Astoria New York has opened its doors
finishes – mixed with more ornate Neoclassical tropes and
once again, following an eight-year renovation that
icons. Variously described as the city’s ‘unofficial palace’ or
challenged the many parties involved with its combination
‘a city within a building’, the hotel has hosted royalty, heads
of scale, heritage and status.
of state and stars of stage and screen, becoming a cultural
Occupying an entire city block in Manhattan, it was once
In more recent times, the 1,400-key hotel was still
equivalent of almost 14 football fields. The sheer size and
generating a significant annual income, but was undoubtedly
quality of the project is museum-worthy, and achieving such
tired. In 2009, Hilton began looking at its future with Larry
a feat at this scale is astonishing - particularly given the
Traxler, Senior Vice President – Global Head Architecture &
complexities of combining old and new. On the one hand,
Design, actively evaluating the cost of restoring the grand
the exterior and majority of public spaces are protected by
dame to its former glory. “We were slicing and dicing to
landmark status; on the other, the guestrooms and residences
maximise the potential, leveraging residential possibilities
are near-newbuild.
for one of the most significant adaptive re-use projects in
The history of the hotel dates back to the 1890s, when
Manhattan’s history,” he reflects. Unsurprisingly, the initial
two feuding cousins operated rival hotels on adjacent
estimate of over US$1 billion was more than Hilton wanted to
plots – The Waldorf and The Astoria – before ultimately
spend, though it is alleged that the final cost was double that.
deciding to join forces and connect the two properties with
Investment was needed and by 2014 Anbang Insurance
a 300ft marble promenade. Nicknamed ‘Peacock Alley’ by
Group had purchased the property for a cool US$1.95 billion,
the press, it became a place for high society to see and be
making it the most expensive hotel ever sold. The deal
seen, and remains a signature in Waldorf Astoria worldwide.
included an unprecedented 100-year management agreement
Both hotels were demolished in 1929 to make way for the
for Hilton, with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and
construction of the Empire State Building, with the current
Pierre-Yves Rochon appointed to lead the architecture and
Waldorf Astoria located in Midtown and completed in 1931
interiors, respectively.
to the plans of architects Schultze & Weaver.
048
symbol of the New York elite.
the largest hotel in the world spanning 149,000m2, or the
The hotel closed in 2017 for redevelopment. It was time
Reflecting its genesis in the 1930s, the new iteration is
- in the afternoon before a major event, a large section of
adorned with an abundance of Art Deco features – geometric
the ballroom ceiling gave way. By 2018 major demolition