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Hotel Edison

This article is about the New York City hotel. For the Pennsylvania hotel, see Edison Hotel (Sunbury, Pennsylvania).

Hotel Edison
The hotel as seen from 515 Madison Avenue, 1933
Map
General information
Address228 West 47th Street
Town or cityManhattan, New York
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°45′35″N 73°59′10″W / 40.75968°N 73.98611°W / 40.75968; -73.98611
Opened1931
OwnerShimmie Horn
Gerald Barad
Technical details
Floor count26
Design and construction
Architect(s)Herbert J. Krapp
Website
Official website

Hotel Edison is at 228 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Opened in 1931, it is part of the Triumph Hotels brand, owned by Shimmie Horn and Gerald Barad.[1] Thomas Edison turned on the lights when it opened. It accommodated 1,000 guests on 26 floors and offered three restaurants. It attempted to mimic the telephone number PEnnsylvania 6-5000 of the Hotel Pennsylvania by using the telephone exchange name CIrcle 6-5000. Herbert J. Krapp was the architect,[2] and Milton J. Kramer was the original owner. The hotel's ballroom was used as the Broadway theatres Arena Theatre in 1950 and as the Edison Theatre from 1972 until 1991, when it was converted back into a ballroom.

Tony Pastor performing at the Hotel Edison circa 1947, photographed by William P. Gottlieb

In the early 1950s, "Glorious" Gloria Parker and her orchestra hosted an evening broadcast on WOR from the Hotel Edison. Parker would open the show with the glass harp (or musical glasses) and feature the popular Latin sound on her marimba with her orchestra.

Henry Jerome was a band leader at the hotel when he heard from Bill Randle about a trio. This led the signing of Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison to a management contract. Jerome got Johnny a daytime job as an elevator operator at the hotel and moved The Rock and Roll Trio in the hotel from the YMCA. He secured a contract for the trio with GAC (General Artists Corporation) and with the Coral division of Decca Records.

The hallway walking scene preceding Luca Brasi's murder in the 1972 film The Godfather was filmed in the hotel. It was the penthouse in Woody Allen's 1994 film Bullets over Broadway. Neil Simon's 2001 play 45 Seconds from Broadway is set in the hotel's cafe.[3] Michael Keaton is seen drinking at the hotel's bar, the Rum House, in the 2014 film Birdman.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "New York's New Boutique Hotel Brand". Leaders. Vol. 37, no. 4. October 2014.
  2. ^ Panchyk, Richard (2010). New York Skyscrapers. Arcadia Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 9780738572963. (includes prints of building)
  3. ^ Lefkovitz, David (August 16, 2001). "Stadlen n' Seldes Are 45 Seconds from Broadway When Simon Show Starts Oct. 16". Playbill.
  4. ^ Mason, Mark (November 7, 2017). "New York for people who already know New York". The Spectator. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
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