St. Cloud Hotel on Broadway, Corner 42nd Street, New York City

The old St. Cloud Hotel opened in 1868 on the southeast corner of Broadway and Forty-second Street, three blocks from the Grand Central Depot, on the present site of Knickerbocker Hotel. The building was a fine structure of brick, with facings of light colored sandstone. It was five stories in height, above the basement, had a frontage of 124 feet on Broadway, and extended 200 feet along 42nd Street. The main entrance was from Broadway, and there were two private entrances upon 42nd Street. The proprietors were the Rand Brothers (including George W. Rand) and the hotel had accommodations for about 350 guests.

The hotel was equipped with an elevator of Otis Tufft's manufacture to access to the various floors, every room was heated by steam and each sleeping apartment was supplied with hot and cold water. From each room ventilators communicate with large central shafts, extending to the roof, securing a constant circulation of fresh air.

On the roof there was a big iron tank kept constantly filled with water to use in case of fire. Each floor was supplied with hose and fire extinguishers, in readiness for use, and in the basement there was a steam-pump for use in case of fire, capable of throwing 2000 gallons of water per minute.

Upon the first floor there were three dining rooms, the largest, capable of seating about 300 guests. The St. Cloud was famous for the excellence of its table. The remainder of this floor was occupied by the private and general offices, reading roam, bar room, telegraph office, baggage room, wash room, coat room, etc. On the second floor there was the ladies' parlor. The remainder of this and the entire third and fourth floors were arranged in suites of apartments, with bath rooms. The fifth floor was chiefly occupied by single rooms. The lower floor or basement contained a large barber shop and the billiard room, which had an entrance from Broadway, was furnished with six tables.

The adjacent brownstone building, 25 x 100 feet in area, was a private residence before becoming part of the the hotel about 1875.

On October 19, 1892, John Jacob Astor IV took over the lease of the hotel. Astor kept Rand Brothers running the hotel. In 1893, Astor contracted Philip C. Brown to design an annex to the hotel on the site at 143 West 41st Street, that was part of the property.

By 1901, Astor gave a long term lease on the property to a group of investors, who wanted to build a larger hotel. By that time the area around Broadway and 42nd Street was growing rapidly.

By 1902, the old St. Cloud Hotel was demolished to make room for the new hotel, but when the new hotel was under construction, the lease was passed on to the Knickerbocker Hotel Company. The Knickerbocker Hotel was completed on the site in 1906. Today, its rooftop bar, overlooking Times Square is named after the 19th century St. Cloud Hotel.