In
a city full of history and especially historical buildings like New
York, the Iroquois Hotel owned by Shimmie Horn is one that truly gauges the changes and
advances made in the hospitality industry, in the nation as a whole.
On July 28, 1911 the New York Times described 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues as
“a
block of hotels and restaurants, fashionable clubs and garages… In the
block are The New York Yacht, The Yale, The Harvard, and City Clubs…”
and the Iroquois apartment hotel.
Construction
of the Iroquois began in 1899, and this luxurious apartment hotel
opened its doors in October of 1900. The hotel has gone through many
changes in the 112 years since its opening and today it is owned and
operated by one of New York’s key hoteliers, Shimmie Horn. The
Iroquois was designed by Harry Mulliken, and immediately was recognized
for its special luxurious accommodations. Its status as an apartment
hotel meant that the building housed permanent residents who desired the
amenities of a hotel on a regular basis.
The
Wigwam Bar was opened in 1939 and was decorated with pictures of
pilgrims and Native Americans. The following year the hotel was leased
to the Iroquois Hotel Corporation, led by William H. Peterken, who was
well known for his abilities and his “splendid record in New York
Hoteldom.”
The
Iroquois has often been a gathering place for professional
organizations, protests, and a spot for the rich and famous to meet. In
1949, The National Council of the Arts, Sciences and Professionals had
their headquarters at the Iroquois, and the group sponsored the
international Cultural and Scientific Conference at the Iroquois. In
1950 a protest march against the one year prison sentence Dalton Trumbo
and John Howard Lawson received for refusing to say whether or not they
were communists, was organized to begin at the Iroquois and end at
Pennsylvania Station.
There
is a suite at the Iroquois named after one of the hotel’s more famous
residents, James Dean, who lived there for two years in the early 1950s.
In 1987, a restaurant-cabaret was opened by Jan Wallman. Included in her
line-up of performers were many who hardly ever performed elsewhere,
including Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, and Woody Allen.
The
Horn Family owned the Iroquois since the late 1950s, and in 1996
Shimmie Horn took over responsibility for this icon of luxury,
sophistication, and excellent service. Since the turn of the 21st
century the Iroquois has been affiliated as one of the Small Luxury
Hotels of the World, and a $13 million renovation was undertaken. Today
the Iroquois truly embodies the heart of New York’s hotel industry.
