Look Up: The Midtown Hotel That Set the Standard for Overnight Stays

Image via Complex Original

John H. Duncan, the architect, decided that over-sized features would compensate for hotel being situated on a non-major avenue. Duncan was no stranger to monumentalism, having designed both the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Memorial Arch in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza and the tomb at General Grant National Memorial. As the neighborhood grew, slowly becoming the notorious Tenderloin, hoteliers found numerous sites to build their latest ventures. 

William Dewey purchased the three lots for the hotel in 1902 with grand plans for a 12-story hotel. He named the project after Henry Roger Wolcott, a prominent businessman and politician. Unfortunately, Dewey was unable to afford the steep cost of production, and the project was foreclosed upon. However, prior to this failure he had secured a lease to James Breslin, who managed to have the construction completed by 1904. Breslin introduced numerous services that went on to become common practice for the industry, including a phone in every room, free miniature toiletries, and bathrobes, among other small necessities.

The Wolcott may not have the same name-recognition as the other great hotels of New York, but guest list is no less impressive. The 1914 sale of the New York Yankees to Colonel Ruppert and Colonel Huston transpired in the dining room, as did the inaugural ball for Mayor La Guardia in 1938.

Duncan’s design for the hotel is based on classical notions of symmetry, with two central bays emphasized by projecting oriel windows. The hotel is vertically divided into three sections with strong cornices. The base is typical rusticated Beaux-Arts, though the copper mansard with now-lost ornamental embellishments is more indicative of Duncan’s flair. 

The large cartouches with over-sized faces between the 8th and 9th floors are out of scale with the rest of the building, as are the gilded busts above the two storey arched windows below the 3rd floor. Clearly, these design moves make an otherwise overlooked building on a side street difficult to miss.

The profiles for many of the façade’s ornaments are over a foot proud of the wall. Although the entrance and marquee is not historic, the arch above with the embracing cherubs is also part of the Duncan design.

Taken as a whole, the building stands almost as grand as it did when first constructed. Just last December, the Wolcott was finally granted designation as an individual landmark of the city.