481-497 Eighth Ave
1928-30, Sugarman & Berger
National Register of Historic Places - District

Located within the boundaries of the Garment Center Historic District, the New Yorker Hotel was the largest hotel in Manhattan at the time of its construction. The 43-story brick-and-stone structure features a series of corner towers that rise in setbacks to a central one, accented by light courts on each facade. These setbacks are capped by carved stone parapets with Art Deco motifs, which can also be found in panels about the fourth-floor windows and on the base. The facade is largely made of brick and terra cotta, with Indiana limestone on the lower stories. Originally, the hotel had 2,503 guestrooms from the fourth story up, with a double-height lobby. The ground floor hosted a bank, multiple ballrooms, and restaurants. The fourth basement had a power plant and boiler room, an early example of a co-generation plant. It was built by developer Mack Kanner, who had been involved in creating the garment district during the mid-1920s. In 1954, it was purchased by Hilton Hotels and underwent extensive renovations. After a series of changes in ownership, it was eventually closed in 1972, and sold to be reused as a hospital. In 1976 it became the national headquarters of the Unification Church, and in the 1994 the top stories reopened as a hotel. It gradually returned to its original use and is currently part of the Wyndham hotel chain.