Gilsey House Hotel is one of the last reminders that this stretch of Broadway – between Madison Square and Herald Square – was the social center of the city. There were six theaters on the three blocks between 28th and 31st Streets; so many music publishers were on neighboring 28th Street, the sound of their pianos gave rise to the name “Tin Pan Alley.” A block west, meanwhile, was the notorious “Tenderloin” district of brothels and gambling clubs.
The Gilsey House Hotel was among the most luxurious in the city, but a legal battle between the Gilsey family and the hotel operator shut the property down. In 1911 the Gilsey House Hotel became lofts serving the garment industry. In 1980 the building was converted to condominium apartments, and the facade was restored in 1992 – though missing most of the outer set of columns, which had extended over the building line. (See the Wikipedia article for a photo of the original design.)
Gilsey House Hotel Vital Statistics
- Location: 1200 Broadway at W 29th Street
- Year completed: 1871
- Architect: Stephen Decatur Hatch
- Floors: 8
- Style: Second Empire
- New York City Landmark: 1979
- National Register of Historic Places: 1978
Gilsey House Hotel Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report
- The New York Times Streetscapes: The 1871 Gilsey House; Re-Restoration in the Offing (December 29, 1991)
- Daytonian in Manhattan blog (March 20, 2010)
- Curbed New York blog (December 2, 2011)
- Curbed New York blog (April 19, 2013)
- City Realty review
- Manhattan Unlocked blog (January 28, 2011)
- Gilsey House website