When the elegant Plaza Hotel at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street opened its doors on October 1, 1907, local newspapers immediately labeled it 'the best hotel in the world'.
The hotel had 800 rooms, 500 bathrooms,
private suites with up to 17 rooms, 10 elevators, luxurious carpets, marble walls, staircases and fireplaces. It also featured a two story ballroom and a spacious tea room with a Tiffany glass-domed ceiling.
The Plaza
The First Plaza Hotel
It was not the first Plaza Hotel at this prestigious location near Central Park. Already in 1881 an apartment building was planned here. It was named 'Plaza' for its location at the Fifth Avenue Plaza, now known as Grand Army Plaza.
