NYC’s Iconic Waldorf Astoria Gets it’s Own “Presidential Library”

By:  Mario Mancini

The famed Waldorf Astoria on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is getting an exclusive “Presidential Library”. The New York Post reports, “the hotel — which is in the midst of a sweeping residential conversion dubbed the Towers of the Waldorf Astoria — is partnering with the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit founded by first lady and frequent Waldorf Astoria guest Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 to preserve the White House’s history. The association will create a presidential library in the storied building set to debut next summer.”

The new library will be part of over 50,000 square feet of amenities available to residents of the private condominiums being built as part of the hotel. It is set to be designed by the renowned Jean-Louis Deniot. Any regular hotel guest who is not a VIP will unfortunately not have access to the space.

Stewart McLaurin, the president of the White House Historical Association, says that the collection will span more than 500 books and will be continuously updated with new titles, according to The New York Post.

McLaurin told The New York Post, “We’re not going to be biased to one president and will represent them all,” he said. “We will also have our group’s inventory of books that we have published over the years”.

Shivani Vora reports, “beyond the books, McLaurin says that the library will serve as a mini museum of sorts, with objects on display such as replicas of china used in the White House and bookends that replicate architectural elements of its exterior”.

The Waldorf Astoria has always been a beacon of excellence in their 129 year history. According to Wikipedia, “the original Waldorf Astoria was built in two stages along Fifth Avenue and opened in 1893; it was demolished in 1929 to make way for the construction of the Empire State Building. Particularly after its relocation, the Waldorf Astoria gained international renown for its lavish dinner parties and galas, often at the center of political and business conferences and fundraising schemes involving the rich and famous. After World War II, it played a significant role in world politics and the Cold War, culminating in the controversial World Peace Conference of March 1949. Conrad Hilton acquired management rights to the hotel on October 12, 1949, and the Hilton Hotels Corporation finally bought the hotel outright in 1972. It underwent a $150 million renovation by Lee Jablin in the 1980s and early 1990s. The Anbang Insurance Group of China (now Dajia Insurance Group) purchased the Waldorf Astoria New York for US$1.95 billion in 2014, making it the most expensive hotel ever sold. The Waldorf was closed in 2017 and its upper-floor hotel rooms were converted into 375 condominiums called The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria. The renovated structure will retain 375 hotel rooms on the lowest 18 floors and is expected to reopen by early 2023.”