Title: Waldorf Astoria New York Content: thumb|290px|Park Avenue foyer (in 1988) The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is a famous luxury hotel in mid-town Manhattan, New York City. It has had two landmark buildings. The first was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a 47 floor, Art Deco landmark, designed by architects Schultze and Weaver and dating from 1931. The Waldorf Astoria New York is a member of Hilton's Luxury and Lifestyle Brands with Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Denizen Hotels. The Waldorf Astoria brand is made up of the Waldorf Astoria in New York and The Waldorf Astoria Orlando. The modern hotel has three American and classic European restaurants, and a beauty parlor off the main lobby. Several shops surround the lobby, which has won awards for its original period character. An even more luxurious "hotel within a hotel" in its upper section is known as The Waldorf Towers operated by Conrad Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has its own railway platform as part of Grand Central Terminal, used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, and Douglas MacArthur, among others. People could go to the platform by using an elevator large enough for Franklin D. Roosevelt's car. ==Notable residents== * Hossein- Gholi Noori * Herbert Hoover * Paris Hilton * Douglas MacArthur * Nikola Tesla * The Duke of Windsor and Duchess of Windsor * Frank Costello, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and Charles "Lucky" Luciano * Cole Porter and Linda Lee Thomas had an apartment in the Waldorf Towers, where she died in 1954. * Marilyn Monroe * The official residence of the United States' Permanent Representative to the United Nations is in the Waldorf Towers. ==Notable events== * The investigation into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was held at the Waldorf- Astoria. * After a New York ticker-tape parade in his honor for winning four Olympic gold medals, Jesse Owens had to ride the freight elevator to attend a reception for him at the Waldorf-Astoria due to his being African-American because only white people could ride in the main elevators.As quoted in "Owens pierced a myth" by Larry Schwartz in ESPN SportsCentury. (2005) * From 1960 until 1978, Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians televised their annual New Year's Eve show live (in the Eastern and Central time zones) from the Grand Ballroom. * The NASCAR Sprint Cup end-of-season awards banquet has been held at the Waldorf-Astoria every year since 1981. * The annual International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria is held to formally introduce young high society women to New York society. * The Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, Xaverian High School and Syosset High School hold their Senior Proms in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel. Regis High School and Hunter College High School in Manhattan and Pelham Memorial High School have also held their prom in the Starlight Ballroom. * Since 2006, Russian Children's Welfare Society (RCWS) hosts black tie gala - the "Petroushka Ball" - to raise funds to support orphaned and disabled children in Russia. * St. John's University holds its annual President's Dinner in the grand ballroom. ==Related pages== * List of tallest buildings in New York City * Waldorf education