Warwick New York Hotel

Constructed between 1925 and 1927, it is owned by Warwick Hotels and Resorts.

Warwick New York
Warwick New York
General information
Type	Hotel
Architectural style	Renaissance revival
Location	65 West 54th Street, New York, New York
Coordinates	40°45′44″N 73°58′42″W / 40.76230°N 73.97824°W / 40.76230; -73.97824
Construction started	1925
Completed	1927
Owner	Warwick Hotels and Resorts
Height	110.64 m
Technical details
Floor count	36
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Emery Roth, George B. Post & Sons
Developer	William Randolph Hearst
Other information
Number of rooms	426

 

The 36-floor Renaissance Revival building was designed by Emery Roth in association with the architectural firm of George B. Post & Sons. The hotel's three-story base is covered with limestone and granite. The brown brick superstructure has two wings projecting to the street from the property line. The wings set back several times, receding into the main slab—itself thinning into a top tower after further setbacks. The overall shape of the structure has a strong vertical thrust.

William Randolph Hearst built the Warwick New York in 1926 for $5 million. Long catering to the elite, Hearst built the 36-story residential tower to accommodate his Hollywood friends as well as his mistress, the actress Marion Davies, who had her own specially-designed floor in the building.

The hotel's restaurant, Murals on 54, features the 1937 murals of American illustrator Dean Cornwell. The famed murals were fully restored following a 2004 renovation of the restaurant. The Warwick is also home to Randolph's Bar & Lounge, whose rosebud leitmotif references Hearst's purported nickname for Marion Davies.

The owner of the Warwick New York is Warwick Hotels and Resorts, which was founded in 1980 with the purchase of this hotel by its chairman, Richard Chiu.

According to the Warwick Hotel website, James Dean, Jane Russell, Elizabeth Taylor, Meyer Lansky, and Elvis Presley were frequent guests. Actor Cary Grant resided at the Warwick and lived in the hotel for 12 years. The English rock band the Beatles stayed at the hotel during their 1965 and 1966 US tours.

In September 2011 and 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his delegation stayed at the Warwick for the UN General Assembly, which led to protests outside the hotel.

In the Mad Men season 4 episode, "Hands and Knees", Lane Pryce's father stays at the Warwick Hotel when visiting New York in August 1965.