4. Belmont Hotel
Photo via Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Co.
Warren & Wetmore designed this hotel at 120 Park Avenue for August Belmont, in 1906. Belmont was responsible for the creation of the Belmont Park Racetrack and in 1902, founded the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The hotel was 292 feet high and possessed a private subway entrance for Belmont’s personal subway car, the Mineola. In 1928, the hotel closed its doors and the building was remodeled as an office building and was connected to Grand Central Terminal. The building was demolished shortly thereafter and essentially forgotten. A number of interesting buildings have since been located at 120 Park Avenue, including the Philip Morris Building.
Terminal City was an integral aspect of Reed & Stem’s winning design for Grand Central Terminal. They envisioned a terminal that would be the focal point for a new neighborhood. While some of their proposed tenants never relocated, a new neighborhood was born. It was influenced by the City Beautiful movement and was a city planner’s dream. Hotels and office buildings were constructed to complement one another and Grand Central. Even though little is left of the original Terminal City, what was begun with these hotels and their accompanying office buildings would inspire future architects and planners including those who worked on Rockefeller Center. That is why Terminal City deserves at least some of the spotlight flooded upon its namesake terminal.
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