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Flashback: The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 21, 2010
Modified May 21, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 21, 2010
Modified May 21, 2010
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Did you hear about the cute couple who just got hooked up with 1950s pricing at the Waldorf-Astoria, after not staying there since their wedding night on May 20th, 1950? The Daily News has Edith and Robert Scalise's story, which began at Brooklyn's PS 157 when they were around 12 years old, and was made official in 1950 when they wed at a Williamsburg church.
That year, their room cost at the hotel was $23.10, their restaurant bill was a whopping $3.47 and they made a phone call which racked up an additional 15 cents. These days, the same night would cost around $600 to $800! (The above photos were mostly taken around that time.)
The Waldorf-Astoria has been housed in two historic landmark buildings—the first on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building, and the current one at 301 Park Avenue. Perhaps the most intriguing bit of history is that secret railway, known as Track 61, which would cater to VIPs (the elevator was even large enough to fit Franklin D. Roosevelt's car on it). It might be time to revisit the story about Andy Warhol having a party down there.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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