New York City – 8 March 2017 –
New York City has landmarked historic interiors throughout the Waldorf Astoria to preserve them as the hotel’s Chinese owners start a years-long renovation, Associated Press reported.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission has voted to keep the Art Deco details in dozens of spaces in the grand Park Avenue building.
China’s Anbang Insurance Group bought the Waldorf in 2015 for nearly US$2 billion from Hilton Worldwide. The makeover involves converting hundreds of guestrooms into privately owned condominiums.
The landmarks vote includes preservation of the grand ballroom and the entrance “wheel of life” created from 140,000 marble tiles. The lobby’s huge, chiseled tower supports a small Statue of Liberty. The exterior already is landmarked.
The hotel hosted US presidents, royalty and celebrities for eight decades before closing on March 1.