Hotel Pierre in New York City

The Pierre is a luxury hotel located at 2 East 61st Street, on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan. It opened its doors on October 1, 1930 as Hotel Pierre, with 714 rooms, mixing permanent and transient guests.

The 41-story building, with a three-story copper-clad mansard roof, was designed in Georgian-style by architects Schultze & Weaver and erected on the site of the old Elbridge T. Gerry Mansion, facing Central Park and adjoining the Metropolitan Club. It was named after Charles Pierre Casalasco, a former restaurant owner, who built the hotel based on a joint venture with a group of Wall Street.

Elbridge T. Gerry died in 1927. His son, Robert Livingstone Gerry was one of the sponsors of the hotel. The site, covering a large plot, was leased in February, 1929, for a period of sixty-one years by the Pierre Estates and the construction of the hotel began soon after.

By September 1931, the hotel ran into financial difficulties. Charles Pierre died in 1934. In 1938, the hotel was sold to J. Paul Getty (1892-1976). By October 1939, Harold Rowland, president of the Getty Realty Corporation, owner of the Hotel Pierre, took over as manager of the hotel, replacing Edward H. Crandall. In 1959, the Pierre became a cooperative by the Pierre Management Corporation. In December 1962, John L. Slack was appointed the general manager of the Hotel Pierre. In 1967, the Pierre Service Corporation took over the hotel. In 1981, it came under the management of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. In 2005, it was acquired by the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.