The largest and tallest hotel in NYC at the time of its opening, the 43-storey New Yorker is the quintessential example of the setback style of the Art Deco era. Opened on January 2, 1930 after the expenditure of $22.5 million. In addition to 2500 rooms and the ballrooms there were ten private dining "salons" and five restaurants employing 35 master cooks. The barber shop was one of the largest in the world with 42 chairs and twenty manicurists. There were 92 telephone operators and 150 laundry staff washing as many as 350,000 pieces daily. This was all supported by America's largest private power plant, which the New Yorker had installed down in the sub-basements.
Woody Allen filmed scenes for Radio Days and Bullets Over Broadway in the ballroom here.