The view of Paris from the Suite Eiffel of the Hotel Lutetia is breathtaking. Up seven floors, under the canopy of the hotel’s rooftop, the view from its windows shows you why Paris is a city that can sweep you off your feet. Not to mention the Hotel Lutetia’s incredily rich history in the first half of the twentieth century. But this evening, the view and the hotel’s storied past take a backseat to the Suite itself, designed and customized by sculptor-designer Guillaume Piéchaud.
Inside Grossinger’s Catskills Resort in Liberty, NY
Waist-high grasses choke back the yawning entrances of the Jennie G. Hotel, whose toppled fence serves more as an invitation than a barrier. Here in the sleepy town of Liberty, NY, the derelict hilltop lodge is not only a destination for the curious, it’s a daily reminder of the town’s old eminence, an emblem of a dead industry, visible from miles around. (more…)
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Grand Central Terminal, we will be exploring all aspects of the terminal, from its most famous attributes to its hidden treasures. Last week, we showed you what Grand Central could have been if other architects had built it. Now, we will explore the City that was created alongside Grand Central Terminal.
Reed & Stem’s original design for Grand Central Terminal
For the past century, New York City has been graced by Warren & Wetmore’s Beaux Arts masterpiece. However, most people are unaware that Grand Central Terminal does not stand on its own. The original plans by Reed & Stem, along with William John Wilgus, called for an entire city to accompany their train station.
120 Park advertises itself as “Spectacular Views, Extraordinary Location, Extraordinary Opportunities.” This “extraordinary location” is a post-modern skyscraper located at 120 Park Avenue. The twenty-six story building was constructed in 1982 for Philip Morris, which was headquartered there, and designed by Ulrich Franzen & Associates and built with the assistance of Weiskopf & Pickworth. Prior to the Philip Morris Building, this plot of land was home to an Art Deco masterpiece and a record claiming hotel, and a vestige of Old New York. (more…)
On March 12, 1925, a delegation of Masons requested that President Calvin Coolidge lay the cornerstone for their new Masonic club and hotel on 73rd Street between Broadway and West End Avenue. Sam A. Horwitz, the Sublime Leveler (or president), said to the President; “Mr. President: We gentlemen represent and speak for five million Masons throughout the world. The greatest Masonic monument is about to be erected in the City of New York, costing $2,000,000, or more, which will be the first and most complete Masonic hotel and clubhouse in the world, open to every living Mason. It is the earnest desire of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Senator Wadsworth, Senator Copeland, Al Jolson, Samuel S. Koenig, Supreme Court Judges and city officials of all parts of the country who are active members of the Level Club, of which I am President, to have you, Mr. President, preside at the cornerstone, which is to be broadcast throughout the country as one of the greatest Masonic events in the history of Masonry.” (more…)
In the lobby of our hostel within the walls of old Dubronik, we sat with new friends over wine. One backpacker whispered of an abandoned hotel where a traveler he met had found an intact wine cellar and undetonated grenades. It was decided that the next day, a few intrepid would go search for it. Nobody knew where it was–all we knew was that outside the city walls, we needed to follow the main road along the harbor.
About halfway there, we could see the ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in 1991 during an attack by Serbian forces on the city of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence. The hotel was only six years old–the cornerstone we found had the year 1985 etched in. During the course of the multi-month siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia.
Not much has been done with this grand luxury complex since then. It is sometimes used for large unofficial raves and more often used for graffiti and dog-walking. Nonetheless, a noose and the large amount of neo-Nazi/White Power graffiti made for some creepy exploration.
The mixed paint, debris, rock graffiti spelled “BALKANIC,” making use one of the side pools
Whimsical Banksy-ish graffiti on the walls
There are several distinct sections to the hotel and it takes hours to explore. In photographs, it’s difficult to convey the sheer size of the complex.
Note the cruise ship peeking in from behind the building–I bet most of the cruisers don’t even notice this immense ruin
The further you go up into the hotel rooms, the darker it gets. Most of the rooms are filled with debris and shattered glass, but standing on the balconies with the Mediterranean sun and the views of the turquoise sea, you could still get a sense of the once luxurious accommodations.
In the depths, we found china embossed with the Hotel Belvedere logo, unopened packs of notepad paper and laundry bags. What we didn’t find were the grenades and wine cellar, likely the stuff of urban legends.
Hotel Belvedere notepads, intact and in their original packaging
Laundry bags
Bills with the hotel logo. Note that they are in dinara, the old Yugoslavian currency. And for some reason they’re dated 1938/85.
China with hotel insignia found in the hallway
Whole walls had fallen over and there was a mix of stuff everywhere
It amazed us that the packages and notepads had remained so intact after twenty years
On the backside of the resort, an old water or power facility was built into the rocky coastline. Everything inside was incredibly corroded.
This dock once serviced the resort and next to it is an exterior, glass elevator which gave people a view of the water as they moved from the water’s edge up to the main resort.
We guessed that the wine cellar might be below this potential cafe/restaurant area but we came up empty
To get to the Hotel Belvedere, walk southeast from the old city of Dubrovnik along the coast. Be sure to explore some of the winding staircases that take you down to the water as a detour:
You can get a glimpse of the Hotel Belvedere just around this bend
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