Hotel Normandie
General information
LocationBroadway and 38th St, New York City
Demolishedc. 1926
Technical details
Floor count8

The Hotel Normandie was a luxury hotel located on Broadway at 38th Street in New York City. The 8-story building[1] was put up by Ferdinand Earl, an heir of the Fisher family, opening in 1884.[2][3][1] Amenities were advertised to include "Steam heat, speaking tubes, electric bells, burglar and fire alarms attached to all rooms".[4] Rooms rates started at $2/day.[4] Dinner was available for $1.25 additional; a quart bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne was $4.[5]

The Leaders of the World electric sign was built on the roof of the hotel in 1910. The sign featured a chariot race scene.

Construction

The hotel advertised itself as "absolutely fireproof"[3] with steel beam construction and brick floor arches.[6] In 1894 the hotel suffered a chimney fire but by the time the fire engines arrived the blaze had been extinguished and caused no damage.[7]

On July 16, 1887, there was a major fire in the middle of the night at the adjoining Metropolitan Van and Storage Company. That property was completely destroyed by the fire, but the Normandie suffered only minor damage, with some cracked windows and a burned awning. The hotel guests were woken up, but the building was not evacuated.[8]

In 1910 a large electric sign was erected on the roof of the hotel. The sign featured a chariot race and advertising text and it was referred to as the Leaders of the World.[9]

Famous occupants

The composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky stayed at the Normandie when he visited America in 1891 for the opening of Carnegie Hall.[10] British explorer Kate Marsden stayed at the hotel in 1901.[11]

In Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man, Nick and Nora Charles stayed in a fictional Hotel Normandie, but this was probably not intended to be the same hotel.[12]

Conversion to other uses

On August 27, 1907, it was reported that a deal had been struck to lease the building to Henry Corn with a 21-year lease worth $1,000,000 over its lifetime. Corn intended to convert the hotel into retail, office, and loft space after a $150,000 renovation.[6] The deal fell through and a new deal reported on June 25, 1908, put the building under the control of Horace S. Ely & Co and Francis B. Robert. The term was also 21 years, but reported to be worth only about $750,000. Ely and Robert likewise intended to convert the hotel to retail and office space.[2] On September 2, 1908, a deal was announced to lease the top seven floors of the building for $700,000 (again for 21 years), with the space to be renovated into a "first-class commercial hotel".[13]

The building was sold to A. E. Lefcourt in 1926, with plans to build a commercial property on the site.[1] The new building was named the Lefcourt-Normandie Building.[14] In 1928, it was announced that a new bank, named the Normandie National Bank, had been chartered and would open in the building which was at that time still under construction.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Owns the Corner Where He Once Sold Papers; Lefcourt to Build on Hotel Normandie Site". The New York Times. January 5, 1926. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "In The Real Estate Field; Another Lease of the Hotel Normandie Property -- Many Building Loans Recorded -- Dealings by Brokers and at Auction". The New York Times. June 25, 1908. p. 14. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 The City of New York: A Complete Guide. The Library of Congress. New York: Taintor brothers, Merrill & co. 1884. Unnumbered page; page 194 according to pdf page numbering. LCCN 01014670. OL 23706128M.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. 1 2 "Hotel Normandie advertisement". Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Daily Menu [held by] Hotel Normandie [at] "Broadway and 38th st., New York, NY" (Hotel;)". NYPL Digital Collections. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Hotel Normandie Leased.; Henry Corn Will Convert the Structure Into a Store and Office Building". The New York Times. August 27, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Consolidation of Transfer Companies.; A Company Dissolved. Killed on His Travels. Hotel Normandie Chimney on Fire". The New York Times. November 29, 1894. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Huge Storehouse Burned; A Dozen Firemen Injured by an Explosion. The Casino Theatre Threatened with Destruction – Excitement in the Hotel Normandie". The New York Times. July 17, 1887. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ "An Electric Chariot Race.; New Moving Sign on Broadway Attracts Thousands of Spectators". The New York Times. June 19, 1910. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Diaries (April 1891) - Tchaikovsky Research (Sunday 14/26 April 1891)". Tchaikovsky Research. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ Gould, Tony (2005). A Disease Apart : Leprosy in the Modern World. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-312-30502-4 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ↑ Mitgang, Herbert (June 25, 1982). "In Footsteps of 'Thin Man'". The New York Times. p. C1. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "In the Real Estate Field.; Deals on Upper West Broadway and West End Avenue -- Long Lease of Hotel Normandie -- Sale of West Fiftieth Street Residence". The New York Times. September 2, 1908. p. 14. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Lefcourt Buildings Opening this Week; Nomandie and Clothing Centre Ready for Tenants Next Tuesday". The New York Times. January 13, 1929. Real Estate section, page 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Broadway to have New National Bank; Lefcourt Announces Granting of Charter for One on Site of Old Hotel Normandie". The New York Times. August 15, 1928. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.

40°45′9.5″N 73°59′13.5″W / 40.752639°N 73.987083°W / 40.752639; -73.987083

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