Historic Hotels of Midtown from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age
Thursday, October 15, 2026
10 AM – 12 PM
In-person
Midtown, Manhattan
This outdoor walking tour tells the story of the famous hotels of Midtown from The Plaza and St. Regis to the Peninsula and Waldorf Astoria. Learn what the neighborhood was like before they were built and how they survived the challenges of Prohibition and beyond.
We’ll cover all kinds of hotels: transient, apartment, bachelor, Raines law, and more, but the focus will be on the lavish, post-Gilded Age hotels that set the standard for elegant design and cutting-edge technologies. Many residents settled in for months or even years. Get ready to hear their incredible stories.
This tour will be led by Bowery Boys Walks licensed tour guide Amy Cook.
Historic Hotels are a 2026 Six to Celebrate priority – New York’s only targeted citywide list of preservation priorities that provides strategies and resources to neighborhood groups at a critical moment to reach their preservation goals.
The route covers a distance of 1.4 miles at a moderate pace and will take place rain or shine.
Please e-mail [email protected] with questions about accessibility.
General Admission $15
Friends of HDC / Seniors $10
This tour is sold out. Sign up here to join our waitlist and receive updates on future offerings.
Six to Celebrate is generously supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by New York City Council Members Gale Brewer, Virginia Maloney, Christopher Marte, and Lincoln Restler.
Image Credits: Kimberypeninsula. The Peninsula New York. 2019.