2. The Helmsley Building Was Part of Commodore Vanderbilt’s Dream for Terminal City Around Grand Central

Warren & Wetmore designed the Belmont Hotel at 120 Park Avenue for August Belmont, in 1906 as part of Terminal City. Photo from Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Co. 

Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt had a dream, which started with the creation of Grand Central Depot and expanded into the utopian Terminal City. The city was planned to encompass a community of grand residences and hotels crowned by headquarters for at least twelve blocks north of the train station on Park Avenue. The Helmsley Building was part of this large, planned complex, built as the headquarters for Vanderbilt‘s railroad, the New York Central Railroad.

Though the Commodore’s dream did not come to full fruition, much was accomplished. The railroad tracks on Park Avenue were submerged and covered. A cluster of hotels were built and many still stand, though significantly altered. The Commodore Hotel is now the Grand Hyatt New York, with a complete glass reclad. The Roosevelt Hotel is still in operation, but will close at the end of 2020. The New York Biltmore still stands but was gutted, reclad in glass and turned into an office building (now Bank of America Plaza). But inside the former Vanderbilt Hotel, also reclad in glass, you can still find the landmarked Della Robia Bar with its Guastavino tiling. Of all, the Helmsley Building may be the most true to its original design.