HOME TO WORLD LEADERS, ROYALTY, MOVIE STARS, AND MUSIC LEGENDS
The site of the Waldorf Astoria, spanning a full city block from 50th to 51st streets and Park to Lexington Avenues
1931
1931
Construction begins at the Waldorf Astoria
1930
1930
THE UNOFFICIAL PALACE
From its inception, the Waldorf Astoria was a true palace in the city. Cultural figures, political leaders, musicians, and royalty gathered in its grand spaces and entertained in its opulent suites. The Waldorf Astoria’s legendary service set the standard for American hospitality.
1893 — 1929
THE CREATION OF A LEGEND
The original Waldorf Hotel was built at 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue in 1893 by William Waldorf Astor. Four years later, John Jacob Astor IV, William’s cousin and familial rival, built an even taller hotel next door in an act of one-upmanship. The cousins finally agreed to a truce and the two buildings were connected through a 300 foot marble corridor known as Peacock Alley. The Waldorf-Astoria was born.
John Jacob Astor IV
William Waldorf Astor
The original Waldorf hotel was opened, and the Astoria hotel opened next door four years later
1893
1893
The Octagon Room of the Waldorf
1893
1893
1930 — 1934
THE GRAND RE-OPENING
In 1931, the Waldorf Astoria re-opened in its current Park Avenue location, becoming the largest and tallest hotel in the world. Designed in the Art Deco style, it welcomed presidents, royals, movie stars, and cultural luminaries into its grand public spaces and palatial suites.
The new location on Park Avenue
1931
1931
1931
ROOM SERVICE, DAY AND NIGHT
The Waldorf Astoria set a list of global precedents: the first hotel to have electricity on every floor, the first to have en suite baths, and the first to offer 24-hour room service. A rose topped each room service order that went to The Towers.
Room service
1931
1931
1934
COLE PORTER
MOVES IN
Cole Porter moved to The Towers in 1934 and kept his residence at the Waldorf Astoria until his death in 1964. The hotel’s managers gifted him a Steinway piano that he nicknamed “High Society” and on which he composed iconic songs such as “Anything Goes.” He called his ten-room, 33rd floor suite “a dream of beauty.”
Cole Porter
1934
1934
1950 — 1963
GOLDEN AGE
From Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitzgerald, celebrities flocked to New York’s unofficial palace. The Waldorf Astoria hosted legendary events like Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly’s engagement party, President John F. Kennedy’s birthday gala, the April in Paris Ball, and a special address by Queen Elizabeth II. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor made the Waldorf Astoria their home after the Duke abdicated the throne, and the hotel welcomed every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover to Barack Obama.
Queen Elizabeth II speaking at the Waldorf Astoria
1957
1957
1964 — ONWARDS
AN AMERICAN ICON
The Waldorf Astoria is ensconced in American culture. Over the decades leading cultural figures performed, resided, or hosted parties here such as Andy Warhol, Tina Turner, and Mick Jagger. Ella Fitzgerald regularly sang in the Starlight Roof ballroom, and in later years, galas honoring the world’s most important people were fixtures of the social calendar.
Mick Jagger and Tina Turner, performing in the Grand Ballroom
1989
1989
Andy Warhol with Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, attending an exhibit of his work in the secret train tracks under the Waldorf Astoria
1965
1965
Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe at the April in Paris Ball
1955
1955
ONWARDS
WALDORF STORIES
October 2021 marked the 90th anniversary of the Waldorf Astoria opening on Park Avenue. We celebrate this momentous occasion by inviting you to share your most memorable Waldorf Stories with the world. Be a part of it and share your story through videos, memorabilia, and essays by visiting waldorfstories.com.
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