Park Lane Hotel
Entrance as seen from Central Park South
General information
Location36 Central Park South, Manhattan, New York, United States
Coordinates40°45′53″N 73°58′31″W / 40.76484°N 73.97535°W / 40.76484; -73.97535
Opened1971 (1971)
OwnerWitkoff Group
Mubadala Investment Company[1]
Technical details
Floor count46
Design and construction
Architect(s)Emery Roth & Sons
DeveloperHarry Helmsley
Other information
Number of rooms628
Number of restaurants2
Website
parklanenewyork.com

The Park Lane Hotel is a New York City luxury hotel at 36 Central Park South, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, overlooking Central Park. Constructed in 1971, the hotel was designed by the prolific architecture firm, Emery Roth & Sons, for prominent New York City real estate developer Harry Helmsley. The hotel operates under the ownership of Steve Witkoff’s real estate investment firm, the Witkoff Group. A supertall skyscraper has been planned for the site, though that has been placed on hold.

History

In the early 20th century, several notable hotels were built to cater to the area's affluent visitors, including the JW Marriott Essex House (Frank Grad, 1930), The Pierre (Schultze & Weaver, 1930), the Plaza Hotel (Henry Hardenbergh, 1905–1907), and the Sherry-Netherland Hotel (Schultze & Weaver with Buchman & Kahn, 1926–1927).[2] These hotels adjoined the green expanse of Central Park and sit on parcels that have long been desirable for the development of luxury hotels. The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel was a modern addition to this highly historic and coveted Luxury Hotel district of Central Park South.

The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel's construction spanned from 1967 to its final completion in 1971, during a mid-century building boom that began around 1960 and ended with the collapse of financial markets in 1969.[3] The Park Lane reflects the unbridled, post-war optimism inherent in New York's growth as a world financial and cultural center, and catered to affluent guests from around the world. The hotel also attracted a new class of business travelers who appreciated high-end luxury hotels, versus the convention trade focused hotels of the time period.[4]

The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel was owned and operated by Helmsley-Spear, Inc., the real estate development company run by Harry and wife Leona Helmsley, until it was sold to Steve Witkoff's Witkoff Group in 2013, following Leona's death in 2007.[5]

The Park Lane Hotel structure, at the center of a preservation battle between Witkoff and architects, was purchased by the former in 2013 for $660 million.[6][7] Witkoff ultimately won the battle, and the structure did not gain landmark status.[8] In 2014, a grassroots effort stemming from architectural enthusiast and community members, Save Park Lane NY, was formed with the goal of preserving the hotel and presenting a case for historic preservation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York City.[7] Save Park Lane NY was to present the request for landmark preservation of the Park Lane Hotel to Community Board 5 on October 6, 2014.[9]

In August 2023, the Qatar Investment Authority bought the Park Lane Hotel from Witkoff for $623 million.[10][11]

Architecture

The Park Lane's design bridges the gap between modernism and post modernism.[12] Guestrooms and suites at the Park Lane capture unobstructed panoramic views of Central Park from sleek black windows that span the entire vertical height of the limestone forty-six story structure. The hotel is composed of a vertical slab rising above a two-story, L-shaped base. Emery Roth & Sons specialized in high-rise commercial buildings and worked in partnership with many other major real estate developers such as the Durst Organization, Tishman Construction, and the Uris Corporation. Significant examples of their work in New York include the MetLife Building (1963), 600 Lexington Avenue (1984), and the Lotte New York Palace Hotel (1980).[13]

Proposed supertall skyscraper

1 Park Lane, a proposed 1,210-foot supertall skyscraper, would be located on the site of the Park Lane Hotel. It is being developed by Steve Witkoff's Witkoff Group and designed by Handel Architects.[14] If built, the building would rank fourth tallest in New York City.[15] No permits have been filed for modifications to the old structure yet.[16] The building would contain eighty-eight condominiums.[16] Amenities would include a library, a pool, a spa, and a restaurant.[17]

As of early 2016, Witkoff announced that plans for the tower had been put on hold.[18] Co-owner Jho Low had failed to pay his share of the hotel's mortgage in July 2016. In May 2017, Witkoff and his associates put the hotel up for sale, forced by a United States Department of Justice forfeiture complaint against Low.[19] The hotel was put on sale for $1 billion, but all of the bids for the hotel were for a much lower price.[20]

References

  1. ^ Tan, Gillian; Pettersson, Edvard (February 9, 2019). "NYC's Park Lane Hotel Stake Sold as Part of 1MDB Recovery". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Bennett, Charles G. (August 28, 1968). "City Aids District of Luxury Hotels; Planners Move to Prevent Office Buildings in Area". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1995). New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press. p. 131. ISBN 1-885254-02-4. OCLC 32159240. OL 1130718M.
  4. ^ Fosburgh, Lacey (April 29, 1971). "The Park Lane, Midtown's Latest Luxury Hotel, to Open Saturday". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Partnership led by Witkoff buys Park Lane Hotel for $650M". The Real Deal. August 20, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013.
  6. ^ Geiger, Daniel (November 26, 2013). "Park Lane Hotel on Central Park South fetches $660M". Crain’s New York Business.
  7. ^ a b Chaban, Mat A.V. (September 29, 2014). "A Bid to Make the Park Lane Hotel a Landmark, but Not by the Usual Suspects". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Chaban, Matt A.V. (October 7, 2014). "Bid to Preserve Park Lane Hotel Is Rejected by Local Board". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Peachy, John (September 23, 2013). "Historic Park Lane Hotel in need of Landmark Preservation". CNN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
  10. ^ Hallum, Mark (August 28, 2023). "Qatar Sovereign Fund Acquires Park Lane Hotel for $623M". Commercial Observer. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Bockmann, Rich (August 28, 2023). "Qatar Investment Authority Buys Park Lane Hotel from Witkoff". The Real Deal. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1995). New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial. New York: Monacelli Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN 1-885254-02-4. OCLC 32159240. OL 1130718M.
  13. ^ Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 590. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2.
  14. ^ "Handel Architects Behind Design Of 1,210-Foot Tall 1 Park Lane, Aka 36 Central Park South". New York YIMBY. May 28, 2015. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  15. ^ Alberts, Hana R. (May 27, 2015). "Another Glassy Condo Tower for Central Park South, Revealed!". Vox Media (Curbed). Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Revealed: 1 Park Lane, at 36 Central Park South, 1,210-Foot Tall Condo Tower Replacing the Helmsley Park Lane". YIMBY. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  17. ^ "Renderings, details unveiled for Witkoff's supertall 1 Park Lane". The Real Deal. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  18. ^ Solomont, E.B. (January 28, 2016). "Witkoff shelves plans for condos at Park Lane Hotel". The Real Deal. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  19. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (May 23, 2017). "Malaysian Money. Opulent Ideas. But Now, for Park Lane, a Forced Sale". The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  20. ^ Bagli, Charles V. (November 1, 2017). "Park Lane Hotel Draws No Bids Near $1 Billion Price". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 2, 2017.

External links

Midtown (42nd–59th Streets)
Proposed supertall and megatall skyscrapers
Authority control databases
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