UWS Museum To Display Waldorf Astoria Artifacts During Renovation

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Some of the Waldorf Astoria's most iconic artifacts are coming to the Upper West Side while the Midtown Manhattan hotel is being converted into a condo complex, developers behind the renovation announced this week.

Items such as a piano used by composer Cole Porter, a nine-foot World's Fair Clock Tower and a rocking chair donated by President John F. Kennedy will be put on display at the New-York Historical Society on Central Park West and West 76th Street until the hotel is ready to reopen in 2021, Anbang Insurance Group and the museum announced.

The museum will also be given the responsibility of maintaining the hotel's historic archives.

"Over the years, Waldorf Astoria New York has been a cherished home to many and a home away from home for distinguished travelers," Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of New-York Historical Society, said in a statement. "It is an honor to work with Waldorf Astoria New York’s rich and historically important archives, and beginning this spring, we look forward to sharing these unique historical objects with our visitors before they return to their home."

The hotel artifacts will be put on display at the in the spring, but an exact date was not announced.

Chinese-based firm Anbang began converting a majority of the Waldorf Astoria's hotel rooms into condo units in 2017. The company, which bought the hotel in 2014, plans to replace about 75 percent of the rooms with 350 apartments. About 350 hotel rooms will remain when the hotel reopens, which is expected to be 2021.

The average hotel room at the new Waldorf Astoria will be about 650 square feet, with options for larger rooms. A number of the hotel's public and event spaces will be upgraded during the renovation, developers said. The city Landmarks Preservation designated a number of the Waldorf Astoria's interior spaces as landmarks to preserve the hotel's historic character during the conversion. In public statements Anbang has shown a commitment to preserving most of the Waldorf Astoria's historic elements.

"Waldorf Astoria New York is far more than a building—it has been a gathering place for the world’s most interesting people for nearly 90 years—and we are excited to share its history with the world in new ways. Restoring and displaying the Cole Porter Piano, the World’s Fair Clock Tower, and the Kennedy Rocking Chair at New-York Historical will be a wonderful way for the public to engage with these pieces until they can safely return to the hotel," Andrew Miller, an Anbang executive, said in a statement.