Park Avenue Between 49th and 50th Streets
Architect: Schultze and Weaver
Date Constructed: 1931

The original Waldorf–Astoria of the 19th century was located on 5th Avenue at 34th Street; its thirteen hundred rooms were the largest and most luxurious in the city. The nearby stretch of 34th Street was known as “Peacock Alley” because of all the fashionably dressed women who lingered outside the hotel. The original was torn down to make way for the Empire State Building, but the new building on Park Avenue is equally significant. Built in a restrained and tasteful Art Deco style, the perfect massing of the tower tops is an architectural delight. The Waldorf remains one of the most elegant hotels in the city.