#209 The Waldorf-Astoria's Complicated History

The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Tom Meyers

Society & Culture, History, Documentary, Places & Travel

4.8 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2016

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You might think you know this tale, but do we have surprises for you. The Waldorf-Astoria -- or the Waldorf=Astoria or even the Waldorf Astoria -- has been a premier name in hotel accommodations since the opening of the very first edition on 34th Street and Fifth Avenue (the location of today's Empire State Building). But the history of the current incarnation on Park Avenue contains the twists and turns of world events, from World War II to recent diplomatic dramas. In essence, the Waldorf Astoria has become the world's convention center. Step past the extraordinary Art Deco trappings, and you'll find rooms which have hosted a plethora of important gatherings, not to mention the frequent homes to Hollywood movie stars. But its those very trappings -- some of it well over a century old -- that finds itself in danger today as recent changes threaten to wipe away its glamorous interiors entirely. boweryboyshistory.com Our book The Bowery Boys' Adventures In Old New York is now out in bookstores and online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/boweryboys

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The Bowry Boys Episode 209, the legend of the Waldorf Astoria.
0:05.2	Hey, it's the Bowry Boys!
0:06.8	Hey!
0:07.8	Support for the Bowry Boys is provided by our listeners.
0:11.5	Join us for as little as a dollar a month by visiting patreon.com slash Bowry Boys.
0:19.9	Hi there, welcome to the Bowry Boys. This is Greg Young.
0:22.4	And this is Tom Myers.
0:23.7	With the magical story of one of the world's greatest hotels,
0:28.4	the Waldorf Astoria, an establishment that traces back to New York's gilded age.
0:34.4	The story of the Waldorf is rather fabulous, as we'll be talking about today,
0:39.0	and it reflects a larger story of the city on the move in the 20th century.
0:44.6	This won't merely be a story of lavishly appointed rooms or glamorous evenings at the cocktail bar,
0:50.8	although of course we're going to have a lot of that in this story.
0:53.6	The Waldorf Astoria is perhaps one of the most important privately run businesses
0:58.6	in the 20th century due to American politics and international relations.
1:03.6	At many points in this story today, what happens within the walls of the Waldorf Astoria
1:08.0	eventually influence what happens across the country and even all over the world?
1:12.6	As we'll be discussing, the Waldorf has been more than simply a hotel.
1:17.0	It's also served as a second home to presidents, to visiting dignitaries from around the world
1:23.8	and to some of the world's most famous entertainers,
1:27.2	from Cole Porter to Frank Sinatra to Paris Hilton.
1:31.2	Oh yes, we have delightful grand ballrooms filled with celebrities.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tom Meyers, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Tom Meyers and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.