New-York tribune., 1920-06-26
to
oUp on Hotel
Manhattan Site
Resort Where the Famous
Cocktail Originated d
Will Close Wednesday;
Prohibition Is Blamed
Lease Is Sold by Bowman
Worlds Largest Hostelry
To Be Built in Pershing
Square i'll New Group

The Manhattan Hotel in it's day one
of the most famous hostelries Of the
country, will close it's doors next
Wednesday and cease to exist as
hotel. A new skyscraper will be erected
on the site, at the corner of Forty
second Street and Madison Avenue
Details of the project, previously an
nounced, we're made public yesterday
by John Nee. Bowman.
The abandonment by the Bowman in
terests Of the Manhattan is part of a
general regrouping scheme affecting
the Pershing Square hotels under Bow
man control. The changes involve the
doubling of the accommodation offered
by the Comm odore and a new 5000
room hotel on the present site of the
Murray Hill Hotel. The old Murray
Hill will be pulled down, as has been
announced.
National City Company Buys Lease
The lease on the Manhattan property
held by Mr.. Bowman has been sold to
the National City Company, which
takes possession July 1. 1t Is under
stood that the new owners will erect
an Office and store building on the site.
Mr.. Bowman's lease has six and
half years to run, with an option Of
twenty-year renewal. The deal also in
wolves the removal of the headquarters
Of the Old Colony Club and the Trans
portation Club to the Biltmore. The
furnishings, including those Of the
suite which was once the New York
headquarters of President Mckinley,
will be sold at auction.
The plans announced for doubling
the accommodation Of the Commodore
involve the construction. of 1000
room addition on the northwest corner
of Lexington Avenue and Forty-third
Street. This will give the Commodore
1000 rooms, which it is said will make
it the largest hotel in the world. The
new building to replace the Murray Hill
Hotel will. have 5000 rooms, which will
bring the total accommodations Of the
Bowman hotels in this area to 10000
that the aim of the new Murray Hill
will be to establish reputation as the
most luxurious hotel in the world.
The Manhattan is one of the last
Of the chain of hotels which helped to
make New York famous in the early
part Of the century, and is one Of
several which have outgrown their
usefulness and dropped from sight in
the last year or so. The Manhattan
was a contemporary of the Holland
House, and little earlier than the
Knickerbocker which closed its doors
last month.
The hotel was designed in a period
when ornate furnishings and luxury
were the aim of the hotel architect
and before the rush of modern travel
cut down the size Of hotel rooms, and
multiplied their number by four. I'M
medately adjoining the Manhattan
stands the Biltmore, which typifies the
modern hotel idea. On approximately
the same space as is occupied by the
Manhattan's 600 rooms, the Biltmore
has 1000 sleeping chambers.
Home of Famous Drink
Mr. Bowman said yesterday that pro-
hibition had much to do with the fail
ure Of the Manhattan to produce the
necessary returns. In spite of the
Eighteenth Amend(ent, there are still
many persons alive who can remember
what a Manhattan cocktail was, and
this famous drink was first concocted
and took its name from the hosiery
With prohibition, Mr.. Bowman said
it became impossible to run such q
hotel as the Manhattan save at a
loss. The first demand for a success
full modern hotel is accomm odation
and while the Manhattan was in it's
day one of the most successful hotels
in New York it could not compete with
other and larger ones under prevail
ing conditions.