18 Photos That Show Why New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Is So Legendary
The Waldorf hotel first opened in 1893 on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street. A few years later, it joined the nearby Astoria hotel and got the name Waldorf-Astoria, after it's two owners: William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV.
The hotel moved to its current location, on Park Avenue and 50th St., in 1931. When it first opened, President Herbert Hoover said that it was "an event in the advancement of hotels."
Source: Waldorf Astoria
Conrad Hilton bought the hotel in 1949, and Hilton has managed the historic property ever since.
Today, the hotel maintains its historic grandeur. Guests entering from Park Avenue face this formidable lobby.
The public areas have luxurious marble floors and classic, elegant furnishings.
Peacock Alley is a restaurant that's located right inside the lobby.
Guests used to come here to see and be seen.
The classic Waldorf Salad, with apples, celery, and walnuts dressed in mayonnaise, was born here.
The hotel is also home to the dark wood-paneled Bull and Bear Prime Steakhouse.
The guest rooms are decorated in a classic New York style, and have great views of the Manhattan skyline.
The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria, the private hotel occupying the top floors of the property, is home to 123 suites.
The Towers recently introduced "suite specialists" who cater to the guests of this hotel-within-a-hotel, offering everything from personal butler and concierge service to odd requests like raising the height of the toilets.
The hotel puts its rooftop to good use, cultivating gardens of fresh vegetables and herbs and beehives for honey.
The Waldorf has hosted dozens of famous guests, including Elizabeth Taylor.
Lena Horne sang there.
And every U.S. president since Herbert Hoover has slept in the Presidential Suite.
There's a hidden train tunnel that runs from Grand Central to the base of the Waldorf Astoria. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used this secret tunnel to enter the hotel so that people didn't know he was in a wheelchair.
There's so much history here that the hotel has its own archives.
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