Hotel Edison

The hotel as seen from 515 Madison Avenue, 1933

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

Hotel Edison is a historic hotel building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is part of the Triumph Hotels collection which is owned by Shimmie Horn and Gerald Barad.[1] It was constructed in 1931. 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. It is located on 47th Street, west of Broadway. 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.

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.

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, and Michael Keaton is seen drinking at the hotel's bar, the Rum House, in the 2014 film Birdman.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "New York's New Boutique Hotel Brand". Leaders Magazine.
  2. ↑ Richard Panchyk New York Skyscrapers page 94 (includes prints of building)
  3. ↑ "New York for people who already know New York" by Mark Mason, The Spectator, 7 November 2017

Coordinates: 40°45′35″N 73°59′10″W / 40.75968°N 73.98611°W / 40.75968; -73.98611

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