Following up last summer's news about the Plaza Hotel's sale to a developer to be converted to condos, it turns out that retail stores and a small hotel will be included in the plan. Gothamist is relieved that the Oak Room will be reopened; the Palm Court will reopen as well, since it's a landmark. The developer, Elad Properties, says that their goal is to bring the Plaza to the public: "The reality of the ballroom, for example, is that if you're not invited to a wedding there, you may never use it. Now, most of these gorgeous rooms will be open to the public. They should be an amenity for the city." An amenity in the form a three to four story department store within the Plaza! (Elad has been talking to high-end department stores to take over the space.)
It's the passage of time, sure, but there's something a little less romantic about the notion of the Plaza; there had been something deliciously old New York about it. To get over it, Gothamist will read the Eloise books by Kay Thompson, and watch North by Northwest again, for Roger O. Thornhill's fateful drinks at the Oak Room. Plus, there's Plaza Suite and our favorite Baldwin, the fat one, had a cocaine-induced psychosis while at the Plaza.
