10 Secrets of the Hotel Pennsylvania, Under Demolition - Untapped New York

10 Secrets of the Hotel Pennsylvania, Under Demolition - Untapped New York

Demolished earlier this year, it was built in 1919 as a companion to the original Penn Station across the street, and both were designed by McKim, Mead, & White. It was the largest hotel in the world when it opened. Its phone number inspired a hit Glenn Miller song, "Pennsylvania 6-5000." In 1981, as the New York Statler, it was the headquarters hotel for the National Invitational Tournament, held across the street at Madison Square Garden. The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane, with Nolan Richardson in his first year as head coach and great players like Paul Pressey, Greg Stewart, and Rondie "Poindexter" Turner, prevailed over West Virginia and Syracuse to take the NIT title. My best friend was given a trip to the NIT with the team as an early high school graduation gift, and he invited me along. Another high school friend joined us, and we stayed in a very small room at the very aged Statler, where the soda machines sold only White Rock beverages and the TV was black and white (no cable). Tulsa radio and TV sportscasters set up in the hotel's lobby to interview players, coaches, and the fans who made the trip. The team's charter flight to LaGuardia was my first ever plane flight, and I had my first (and for many years, only) alcoholic beverage, a celebratory cup of champagne, on the flight home after the final victory.

MORE: New York Times feature story on the Hotel Pennsylvania and the preservationists who tried to save it.