Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-09-07
HOTEL UNDERGROUND
New York House with Five Stories
Beneath the Surface.
Lack OF space Overhead Leads 10 the
Construction of Inverted sky
scraper-Some Odd
Features.

Having annexed all the land within
reach as well as a considerable por-
ton OF the adjacent atmosphere in
order to accommodate its oyerwhelIs-
ing accessions in the way of popula-
ton, New York has made a threat
ening advance on the interior of the
earth. Having outdone itself in the
construction of towering monstrosi-
ties. the notion has been conceived,
and carried out. of inverting sky
scraper and extending its accumulat-
ing stories into the earth.
In the building of new hotel op-
posite the Forty-second street station
the designer found himself so circum-
scribed by the Rapid Transit subway
that he was compelled To resort to
some ingenious methods in order TO
secure necessary service front"
The Rapid Transit subway runs
through one corner of the lower stoI~
les SO as to take about one-fifth of
the area of four of them and prac-
tically. incloses the east and north
sides, says the Engineering Record.
preventing access to the street and
light there. This leaves no opportuni.
ty for service entrances except on
Forty-first street, where the right has
been purchased from the city to exc
tend the underground stories 80 feet
from the curb line to the center of
the street, thereby securing excellent
and abundant facilities To receive sup
plies. 1t was desired to provide for all
storage, machinery installation, oper-
ating plant and the general service of
the house below the street level; and
as much of the space was lost through
the Entertainments of the subway, it
was necessary TO carry the excavation
down TO a great depth and build five
stories below the sidewalk level.
The lowest story, 60 feet below the
curb, has bunkers on the south side
for the storage of about 500 tons of
coal, received from chutes in Forty
first street. The remainder of this
story Is occupied with the power
plant, elevator. machinery, pipes,
ducts, etc. The engine room is un-
usually high, with a gallery on the
west side at the level of and connect
ing with a mezzanine floor in the north
side of the building, occupied by the
ventilating apparatus. The next floor
above is at about the level of the sub
way tracks and is devoted principally
TO the laundry and to storage. The
next story, which is two flights down
from the street, has large area
for the servants dining-rooms, htch-
ems, toilet rooms, etc, and from IL 10
an entrance to the subway station, ad.
jacent to which there are barber
shops, chiropodists and other offices
of public nature. The next story is
one fight below the street, and has
kitchen for the main dining-room, a
6Ox125-foot restaurant, a cafe and bar.
room, and passage to a gallery above
the subway, by which guests of the
hotel can reach the Grand Central de-
pot under cover.
!. The rotunda floor, next above, Ia
about at street level and contains the
5Ox1OO-foot main dining-room and the
spacious entrance lobby, which have
heights of about 26 and 30 feet in the
clear respectively. Adjacent to the
dining-room is a palm room with an
elaborate domed roof, 80 feet In di.
ameter, supported on columns. There
is mezzanine floor communicating
with the dining-room galleries and
serving as an overflow for guests and
for the smoking and writing rooms;
and there are also service rooms with
galleries. telegraph and telephone Of
Aces, etc. The street floor IL made
with two levels conforming to the ddf.
ferent grades of Forty-first and Forty.
second streets, and corresponding
offset in the floor is made in the story
below. The second story is devoted to
state apartments. banquet rooms. par.
lors and few large suites. The third
and succeeding stories are arranged in
about $50 suites, each of which in
cludes bathroom. The upper story
Is intended principally for servants
lodgings.