Algonquin Hotel

The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1902, it occupies a Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts-influenced building designed by Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The property was initially conceived as an apartment hotel, but the model attracted few long-term residents. In 1907, Frank Case leased the building and reshaped it as a conventional hotel, developing a hospitality style that appealed to actors, writers, editors, critics, and other visitors connected with New York’s theater and publishing districts. The hotel’s enduring reputation derives less from scale than from its cultural history. During the 1920s, a circle of writers, critics, editors, and performers met regularly for lunch and conversation in the hotel. The group became known as the Algonquin Round Table. Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, and other prominent figures were associated with the circle. Although the Round Table was not a formal institution created by the hotel, its wit, professional networks, and influence on American literary and theatrical life made the property one of New York’s best-known cultural landmarks. Case established traditions that became part of the hotel’s identity, including support for struggling authors and the keeping of an official hotel cat. He acquired the property in 1927 and operated it until his death in 1946. Former patrons Ben and Mary Bodne subsequently owned and operated the hotel for approximately four decades. Later ownership changed several times, including transfers to Aoki Corporation in 1987, Camberley Hotel Company in 1997, Miller Global Properties in 2002, and HEI Hospitality in 2005. The property underwent renovation in connection with successive ownership changes. The Algonquin became affiliated with Marriott International’s Autograph Collection in 2010 and was sold in 2011 to Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, a MassMutual subsidiary. The hotel has 181 rooms and suites and includes meeting and event facilities. Its public spaces have changed over time: the former Rose Room associated with the Round Table was removed during a 1998 lobby expansion, while the Oak Room, once a celebrated cabaret venue, later became an event and conference space. The Blue Bar occupies the ground floor of the hotel’s western annex. The property remains notable for its architecture, literary associations, theatrical history, and location among the historic clubs and hotels of West 44th Street. It is a designated New York City landmark and a member of Historic Hotels of America. Its present identity combines conventional urban lodging with an intentionally preserved cultural narrative centered on the Round Table, the hotel cat tradition, historic interiors, and the building’s connection to New York’s literary and entertainment communities.

The Algonquin Hotel opened in 1902 on West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Its location placed it close to theater venues, publishing offices, private clubs, and other institutions that shaped New York’s cultural life. The building was designed by Goldwin Starrett and developed for the Puritan Realty Company. It was principally a twelve-story structure, with a lower western annex incorporated from an earlier stable. The facade combines rusticated limestone at the lower levels with brick, limestone, metal, and terracotta details influenced by Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts design. The original business plan treated the building as an apartment hotel, but the property attracted relatively few permanent occupants. Frank Case leased the hotel in 1907 and converted it into a more conventional lodging establishment. His management emphasized hospitality and cultivated a clientele drawn from theater, journalism, literature, and criticism. Case later purchased the hotel in 1927 and continued to run it until his death in 1946. Among the traditions associated with his tenure were assistance for authors with limited means and the presence of an official hotel cat. The hotel reached its greatest cultural prominence in the 1920s. Intellectuals and entertainers gathered for regular lunches in the Rose Room, forming a social circle later called the Algonquin Round Table. Its members and associates included Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Alexander Woollcott. The group was not a formal club established by the hotel, but the property served as its best-known setting. Conversation, satire, criticism, and professional connections made the gatherings part of the mythology of American literary and theatrical history. The hotel’s public spaces also developed an entertainment history. The original ground-floor restaurant was known as the Pergola, and the smaller cafe later became connected with the Oak Room. The Oak Room opened as a supper club in 1939, closed during the Second World War, and reopened as a cabaret venue around 1980 or 1981. It hosted performers including Steve Ross, Julie Wilson, Andrea Marcovicci, Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, John Pizzarelli, Harry Connick Jr., and Michael Feinstein. The Oak Room cabaret closed permanently in 2012 and was later adapted for private dining, meetings, and conferences. The annex’s ground floor has housed the Blue Bar since 1997. Ben and Mary Bodne, who had been patrons of the hotel, acquired it from Case’s estate and operated it for roughly four decades. Ownership later changed repeatedly: Aoki Corporation acquired the property in 1987, Camberley Hotel Company in 1997, Miller Global Properties in 2002, and HEI Hospitality in 2005. Renovations accompanied these ownership transitions. In 2010 the hotel entered Marriott International’s Autograph Collection, and in 2011 it was sold to Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, a MassMutual subsidiary. The hotel’s physical and interpretive character has continued to evolve. A 1998 lobby expansion removed the Rose Room, while the Round Table Restaurant was placed in the former area. The modern lobby retains historic furniture and design references and includes representations of the Round Table and the hotel cat tradition. The hotel now contains 181 guest rooms and suites and five meeting or conference rooms. Its significance is recognized through New York City landmark status and membership in Historic Hotels of America. The property’s contemporary identity therefore rests on a combination of active hotel operations, preserved architectural features, and a carefully maintained literary and theatrical legacy.

1. 2022Guest-book artwork installed

   A lobby artwork made from salvaged guest books is added above the reception desk.

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2. 2012Oak Room cabaret closes

   The Oak Room ends its cabaret-nightclub operation and is subsequently adapted for other hotel uses.

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3. 2011Sale to Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers

   Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers, a MassMutual subsidiary, acquires the property.

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4. 2010Affiliation with Autograph Collection

   The hotel becomes part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection.

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5. 2005HEI Hospitality acquires the hotel

   The hotel passes to HEI Hospitality and undergoes further operational and physical changes.

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6. 2002Miller Global Properties acquires the property

   Ownership changes to Miller Global Properties, with renovation activity associated with the transition.

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7. 1998Lobby expansion changes the historic public-room layout

   The Rose Room is demolished during a lobby expansion, and the Round Table Restaurant is relocated into the former space.

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8. 1997Blue Bar begins operation

   The Blue Bar opens in the ground-floor annex; the same year, ownership passes to Camberley Hotel Company.

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9. 1987Aoki Corporation acquires the hotel

   Ownership passes to Aoki Corporation in a later phase of the property’s changing ownership history.

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10. 1980Oak Room cabaret revival

    The Oak Room reopens as a cabaret venue under operator Donald Smith, with Steve Ross as an early regular performer.

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11. 1939Oak Room supper club opens

    The Oak Room begins its history as a supper-club and performance space.

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12. 1927Case purchases the hotel

    Frank Case acquires the hotel and continues operating it until his death in 1946.

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13. 1920Algonquin Round Table era

    Regular lunches and conversations among writers, critics, editors, and performers establish the hotel’s defining cultural association.

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14. 1907Frank Case takes over the lease

    Frank Case converts the apartment-hotel concept into a traditional lodging business and builds relationships with literary and theatrical guests.

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15. 1904Western annex becomes part of the hotel

    A former stable adjoining the hotel is incorporated into the property and later accommodates club, entertainment, bar, and event uses.

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16. 1902Hotel opens

    The Algonquin opens at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan in a building designed by Goldwin Starrett.

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A landmark urban hotel positioned around literary heritage, theatrical history, historic architecture, and a central Midtown Manhattan location.

• Guest rooms and suitesAccommodation1902

  The hotel offers 181 guest rooms and suites in a historic Midtown Manhattan property. Accommodation is marketed through the building’s architectural character, central location, and literary associations. The room inventory includes individual rooms and multi-room suites, while exact configurations and amenities may vary with renovation and operating practice.

• Blue BarFood and beverage1997

  The Blue Bar occupies the ground floor of the hotel’s western annex. It forms part of the property’s public hospitality offer and continues the annex’s long history of social and entertainment use. The bar’s current menu and service details are not specified in the available reference material.

• Oak RoomEvents and conferences1939

  The Oak Room was historically a supper club and cabaret venue associated with performers from New York’s theater and music scenes. Following the closure of the cabaret operation in 2012, the space was adapted for meetings, conferences, private dining, and events. The modern room is approximately 1,650 square feet and can be divided into smaller sections.

• Meeting and conference facilitiesEvents and conferences

  The modern hotel includes five meeting or conference rooms. These facilities extend the property beyond overnight accommodation and support private functions, business gatherings, dining events, and other hosted occasions in a historic setting.

• 2012Conversion of Oak Room useOther

  The long-running Oak Room cabaret nightclub was no longer maintained as a permanent performance venue.

  What changed. The cabaret operation was closed, and the space was repurposed in part for private breakfast service and later conference and event use.

  Aftermath. The change ended an important chapter in the hotel’s theatrical history but kept the room within the property’s event offering.

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• 2010Joining Marriott’s Autograph CollectionStrategy

  The independently characterized historic property entered a larger international hotel distribution and brand platform.

  What changed. The Algonquin became affiliated with Marriott International’s Autograph Collection.

  Aftermath. The hotel retained its individual identity while gaining association with Marriott’s collection of distinctive properties.

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• 1998Lobby expansion and removal of the Rose RoomOther

  The hotel adapted its public-room layout during a major renovation phase.

  What changed. The Rose Room was demolished as the lobby was expanded, and the Round Table Restaurant was moved into the former room’s area.

  Aftermath. The physical setting associated with the Round Table changed, while the hotel continued to interpret the literary legacy through restaurant and lobby features.

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• 1907Conversion from apartment hotel to conventional hotelStrategy

  The original apartment-hotel model attracted few long-term tenants, limiting the property’s fit with its intended operating concept.

  What changed. After leasing the property, Frank Case repositioned it as a traditional lodging hotel and cultivated theatrical and literary clientele.

  Aftermath. The change helped establish the social and cultural environment for which the Algonquin later became known.

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• 2022Historic guest-book artwork added to the lobby

  An artwork assembled from salvaged guest books was installed above the reception desk, extending the hotel’s preservation-oriented interpretation of its history.

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• 2012Oak Room cabaret closes permanently

  The long-running cabaret nightclub ended operations; part of the space was subsequently adapted for private breakfast and event use.

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• 2010Hotel joins Marriott’s Autograph Collection

  The Algonquin became part of Marriott International’s independent-minded Autograph Collection hotel portfolio.

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• 1920Algonquin Round Table becomes a defining cultural association

  Writers, critics, editors, and performers met regularly at the hotel during the 1920s, creating the association later known as the Algonquin Round Table.

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• 1907Frank Case converts the property into a traditional hotel

  After leasing the property, Frank Case moved it away from its original apartment-hotel concept and attracted a clientele from New York’s literary and theatrical circles.

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• 1902Algonquin Hotel opens in Midtown Manhattan

  The hotel opened at 59 West 44th Street in a building designed by Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company.

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1. Algonquin Hotel