Paramount Hotel

The Hotel Paramount in New York City is a hotel located at 235 West 46th Street, to the west of Broadway. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, construction was completed in 1928. In 1988, the hotel was closed for an 18-month remodelling project. In 1990, the hotel, under the ownership of Ian Schrager and redesigned by Philippe Starck, reopened as the Paramount Hotel.[1] The hotel underwent a seven-month-long renovation in 1998 at a cost of $7 million, which included enhancements to lobby lighting.[2]

Not to be confused with Paramount Hotel (Portland, Oregon).
Paramount Hotel
Lobby of the Paramount Hotel
General information
Location235 West 46th Street,
New York City
Opening1928
OwnerRFR Hotel Group
Technical details
Floor count22
Design and construction
ArchitectThomas W. Lamb
Other information
Number of rooms597
Website
www.nycparamount.com
Exterior

After purchasing the hotel in 1986, Ian Schrager was able to more than double occupancy rates in about two years, to 82%.[3] Schrager sold the hotel in 2004 for $126 million to a Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts / Hard Rock Cafe joint venture.[4] When Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Paramount was sold to Walton Street Capital.[5] In 2011, the hotel was sold to Aby Rosen's RFR Holding.[6]

Various musicians have been associated with the Paramount. The Paramount Hotel Grill, a restaurant within the hotel, hosted jazz performances from the 1930s onwards. At the height of their fame in 1931, the Memphis Stompers performed at the Paramount Hotel. Charlie Barnet led a band there from 1932 onwards.[7][8][9] From 1938 to 1951, theatrical impresario and songwriter Billy Rose operated "Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe" nightclub in the basement of the Paramount. The club was known for its vaudeville-styled reviews and chorus of showgirls, "Billy Rose's Long-stemmed beauties." The Diamond Horseshoe featured some of the top entertainers of the era, and was the inspiration for the 1945 musical film Diamond Horseshoe starring Betty Grable.

References
  1. Randall Gabrielan (2000). Times Square and 42nd Street in Vintage Postcards. Arcadia Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 0-7385-0428-9.
  2. Louie, Elaine. "Currents; LIGHT FOR THE PARAMOUNT -- Just Meet Me in the Lobby (This Time You'll See Me)", The New York Times, April 16, 1998. Accessed December 29, 2007.
  3. Martin, Douglas. "NEW YORKERS & CO.", The New York Times, July 11, 1998. Accessed December 29, 2007. "The occupancy rate of the Century Paramount on 46th Street, which charges $65 to $130 a night, has risen to 82 percent, from 38 percent, in the two and a half years Mr. Rubell and Mr. Schrager have owned it."
  4. Pristin, Terry. "COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE; Hotels and Hotel Deal Makers Are Busier", The New York Times, July 14, 2004. Accessed December 29, 2007. "In New York, where room occupancy in May was an impressive 85.8 percent, according to PKF Consulting, Ian Schrager, the creator of stylish boutique hotels, sold the 620-room Paramount Hotel for $126 million to a joint venture of Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts and Hard Rock Cafe."
  5. HARD ROCK’S END
  6. Rosen Buys Boutique Hotel
  7. Barry Kernfeld (1988). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Macmillan. p. 231. ISBN 0-935859-39-X.
  8. Scott Yanow (2001). Classic Jazz. Backbeat Books. p. 219. ISBN 0-87930-659-9.
  9. Alan Axelrod (1999). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz. Alpha Books. p. 153. ISBN 0-02-862731-8.

Meuller, Andrew - "Rock And Hard Places" 1999 Virgin Books - Chapter 1 "In A Blue Yorke State of Mind," Last paragraph of page 9, and page 10. Author Mueller sits with Radiohead's Thom Yorke for a casual discussion/interview, after a secret show at the lower east side's Mercury Lounge, in the wee hours of the morning of October 3, 1995.

Further reading
  • Walter A. Rutes; Richard H. Penner; Lawrence Adams (2001). Hotel Design, Planning, and Development. W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-73055-7. — contains a case study of Schrager's redevelopment of the hotel

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.