The Waldorf-Astoria’s Iconic Clock Is Ready To Run Again
A year-long restoration lets this horological shine like new.
Source: Optimist Consulting
Originally published by Jack Forster on Hodinkee.
The late 19th century saw the construction of some of New York’s most luxurious hotels, not the least of which was the Waldorf-Astoria. Originally two hotels, the Waldorf and the Astoria (constructed on adjacent lots and, at first, fierce competitors) were unified under one managing company following a truce between the feuding Astor family members who owned them.
In 1929, the original buildings, by then threadbare and expensive to maintain, were demolished and the Empire State Building constructed in their place, but a new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel—an Art Deco masterpiece intended to be unrivaled in lavishness—was constructed at its current location on Park Avenue, opening to great fanfare in 1931.