Why is the Plaza Hotel Closing? The Story Behind the Façade

Of the 700+ hotels in New York City, The Plaza Hotel stands apart. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the stout, eighteen-story building at the corner of 59th Street and 5th Avenue, just south of Central Park, is more of an icon in the cityscape than any of its super-tall neighbors could hope to be. It hosted The Beatles just before their breakthrough performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, welcomed F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, inspired the eponymous Neil Simon play Plaza Suite, acted as a backdrop in Home Alone 2, and was the home of the fictional Eloise, the little girl who roamed its elegant halls. Now, nearly 120 years after it first opened, it’s shutting its doors—at least for a few years.

Starting in 2027, the Plaza Hotel will embark on a four-year-long renovation of its marble façade. First designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in 1907, the hotel’s base and lower levels are crafted from rusticated marble, with the upper levels being made from a polished, smooth marble exterior. Rusticated marble deteriorates more quickly when exposed to the elements, and can often need to be repaired and restored within twenty years. Coincidentally, the 2027 renovation comes just 19 years after the last major renovation to the hotel in 2008.

Restoring the hotel’s façade will require more than just throwing up the scaffolding and calling in a team. The façade and the interior of the hotel are recognized as registered landmarks both nationally and by the city. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is working closely with the hotel to help with the restoration efforts and preserve the architectural beauty of the building.

“Designated as both an individual and interior landmark, the Plaza Hotel’s elegant French Renaissance-style architecture, distinctive roofline, and prominent location have made it an iconic feature of the New York City skyline,” says Courtney Metakis, from the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission. “Its grand, public interiors have made it an enduring part of the city's cultural identity for more than a century." The commission did not comment further on the plans for the renovation or guidelines to keep in line with the commission’s protected status.

While this oversight is meant to preserve the history of the hotel in the event of, say, billionaire real estate developers encroaching in the vicinity of the building, it also can make restoration projects like this vastly more complicated. The commission will require the restoration process be carefully managed to preserve the integrity of the marble and any historical details. The hotel has enlisted Allison Doyle Partners (ADP) Architects for the job—the same firm that worked on the previous renovation of the interior architecture. Design firm HLZAE will oversee the façade’s masonry restoration in particular.

“The undertaking reflects the complexity of maintaining a property of such architectural and historical significance, with careful consideration given to preservation requirements and the building’s long-term care, as well as the safety of our guests, employees, and the wider community,” the hotel’s management said in a statement. “The scope and complexity of the façade works require detailed planning and coordination with relevant stakeholders, alongside adherence to applicable historic preservation requirements. Further considerations relating to the planning and execution of the works remain under review as the process advances.”

While the restorations are only to the marble surface of the building, the meticulous nature of the job would have disrupted all aspects of the Plaza experience for would-be guests. If you spent $1,500 for a room (or upwards) and woke up not to the sun cresting over Central Park, but because a man on a scaffold was drilling just outside your window, you would likely be upset about it.

There’s never a good time to announce a multi-year closure, but the hotel is now working to make good on many of its long-term plans guests have made. Last April, bride-to-be Christine Carney booked the Plaza for her wedding, and was still sorting out down payments for the booking as of just a few weeks ago. Since the announcement of the closure, she's had to start looking for an alternative venue in time for the big day. The hotel is also working with union The Hotel & Gaming Trades Council to place the Plaza’s 378 staffers into new jobs for the interim of the restoration.

Luckily, the neighborhood has no shortage of historic hotels from a bygone era of the city. If you were planning a trip to stay at The Plaza (or had one booked and this is how you’re learning that it’s been canceled…) consider going just across the street to the Sherry-Netherland, up 5th Avenue another block or two to The Pierre, or around the Eastern side of Central Park for a night at the Lowell or the Carlyle.

For more of our favorite New York City hotels, see here.