Gilsey House
- Architect
- Stephen Decatur Hatch
- Year
- 1871
- Style
- Second Empire
- City
- Manhattan, NY
Gilsey House is an eight-story, 300-room former hotel at 1200 Broadway, designed by Stephen Decatur Hatch for Danish immigrant merchant and city alderman Peter Gilsey. Built from 1869 to 1871 at a cost of $350,000, it opened as a hotel in 1872 and became a favorite of Diamond Jim Brady, Aimee Crocker, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Clemens.
the building
Cast-iron facade. The Second Empire facade's cast iron was fabricated by Daniel D. Badger, a leading advocate of cast-iron architecture, though the extent of his design contribution is unknown.
Luxury amenities. Rooms featured rosewood and walnut finishing, marble fireplace mantles, bronze chandeliers, and tapestries, and Gilsey House was the first New York hotel to offer telephones to guests.
the style
Built in the Second Empire style, the hotel's cast-iron facade was among the era's showcases for the material, fabricated by Daniel D. Badger.
More on Second Empirethe architect
Stephen Decatur Hatch designed Gilsey House for Peter Gilsey, who leased the site for $10,000 a year.
significance
Gilsey House is a New York City Landmark (LP-01039) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated in 1979.
nearby
- Marble Collegiate Church
- Grand Hotel
- The Wilbraham
- Hotel Wolcott
- 261 Fifth Avenue
- Church of the Transfiguration