10. It was the Site of a Mysterious Murder When It was Being Built in 1906

Newspapers at the time called it the Midair Murder. When the Plaza Hotel was being constructed in July of 1906, a union disagreement led to watchman Michael Butler being hit over the head. He fell three stories from the eighth to the fifth floor to his death. Other workers, witnessing his fall, simply returned to work, leaving his body on the scaffolding for some time after. Journalists at this especially sensational time in American media history had a frenzy, and wrote constantly on the case, up until the exoneration of four workers implicated in the murder. The New York Times, reporting on the trial, chose “MURDERERS EXONERATED” for their headline.
Next, read about the Plaza Hotel Oak Room’s last drink in 2011. Get in touch with the author @jinwoochong.