10. The Original Ritz-Carlton Hotel
The original Ritz-Carlton Hotel, opened in 1911 at Madison Avenue and 46th Street. Also designed by Warren & Wetmore, is was another lost New York City hotel of Terminal City. In addition to its luxurious amenities, ballrooms rooms and cuisine (French chef Louis Diat is said to have invented Vichyssoise soup there, though others have made the same claim), it was apparently notable also for its engineering. A magazine on engineering from 1913 proclaimed that “hotel ventilation has become a fine art,” with a three page feature on the system at the Ritz-Carlton New York.
The Biltmore was demolished in 1951 to make way for an office building. A new Ritz-Carlton would not operate again in New York City until 1982 on Central Park South.
Next, discover the Secrets of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and the Secrets of the Plaza Hotel.