St. Nicholas Hotel, New York City

The façade of white marble and the dark northern wing of the old St. Nicholas Hotel, on Broadway, New York City, looking south from Spring Street, between 1859 and 1873. The utility pole, on the right, indicates it was probably taken in the 1860s or later (see Wired Cityscapes in New York City). Published by E. & H.T. Anthony & Co., Emporium of American and Foreign Stereoscopic Views, Chromos and Albums. Source of the photo: Stereoscopic views of hotels, New York Public Library.

The St. Nicholas was located on west side Broadway, between Broome and Spring streets. This hotel opened in January 1853 as a luxury hotel and it was fully completed on March 1, 1854. At the time, it was considered to be the largest hotel in the world. The Broadway front was 275 feet in length and the Spring Street front was 200 feet. The rear, on Mercer Street, was 275 feet. The hotel closed in 1884.

The upper part of the hotel, reached by a massive staircase of polished oak, was divided into three sections communicating by corridors. The three largest dining-rooms comfortably accommodated six hundred guests. The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors were devoted to private parlors, chambers, and single rooms. From the telegraph office in the bar-room, messages could be transmitted to almost any part of the United States. The hotel was lighted by gas.