Park Central Hotel
Park Central Hotel is a historic independent hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, opened in 1927 and currently managed by Highgate.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Park Central Hotel is a historic 25-story hotel at 870 Seventh Avenue, between West 55th and West 56th streets in Midtown Manhattan, southwest of Carnegie Hall. The property contains 761 rooms and occupies the eastern half of a city block extending between Seventh Avenue and Broadway. Although its name refers to its proximity to Central Park, the hotel does not provide direct views of the park. The building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style and opened on June 12, 1927. Its location placed it within the expanding hotel and entertainment district surrounding Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Times Square, and Central Park. The property replaced the Van Corlear building, an early apartment hotel designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh that had been constructed in 1879 and demolished in 1921. The hotel's ownership and operating identity have changed several times. Harry A. Lanzer sold the property to Sheraton in 1948, after which it operated as the Park-Sheraton Hotel. Sheraton renamed it The New York Sheraton Hotel in 1972. In 1983, Sheraton sold the hotel for $60 million to V.M.S. Realty, which appointed Dunfey Hotels to manage it through the Omni Hotels division. The property adopted the name Omni Park Central in January 1984. Developer Ian Bruce Eichner acquired the hotel in 1995, ended its Omni affiliation, and restored the Park Central name. During the 1990s ownership transition, approximately half of the hotel's former 1,450-room inventory was converted into the Manhattan Club, a 266-unit all-suite timeshare development at 200 West 56th Street. This conversion changed the scale and composition of the remaining hotel operation. The Park Central's facade was renovated in 2007. It is now an independent hotel managed by Highgate Holdings, although the property's ownership structure is not identified in the available reference material. Park Central has also had a notable cultural and historical presence. Its former Mermaid Room, established as a cocktail bar and nightclub in the late 1940s, hosted pianist and bandleader Irving Fields and his trio from 1950 through 1966. Public figures associated with the hotel include Jackie Gleason, who lived there while filming The Honeymooners, actress Mae West, and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who maintained a suite from 1950 to 1953. The hotel hosted the National Football League Draft from 1980 to 1985. The property is additionally associated with several well-known deaths and violent incidents, including the 1928 shooting of gangster Arnold Rothstein in a hotel suite, the 1933 death of silent-film actor Roscoe Arbuckle from a heart attack while sleeping in his suite, and the 1957 assassination of mobster Albert Anastasia in the hotel barber shop. These events contribute to the hotel's reputation as a location embedded in New York's twentieth-century social, entertainment, and organized-crime history.
History
Park Central Hotel stands on a site with a long history in New York lodging. The earlier Van Corlear building, designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, opened in 1879 as what is described as New York City's first apartment hotel. It was demolished in 1921, making way for the present hotel development. Harry A. Lanzer built the Park Central, which opened on June 12, 1927. The 25-story Renaissance Revival building was designed for the dense Midtown district developing around Seventh Avenue, Carnegie Hall, Broadway, and Central Park. Its name reflected its location near Central Park rather than a direct relationship with the park or a claim to park views. The hotel occupies the eastern portion of the block, while the western portion is anchored by the separate 1740 Broadway building. The property became part of the Sheraton system in 1948 after Lanzer sold it to Sheraton. It was initially known as the Park-Sheraton Hotel. Sheraton changed the name to The New York Sheraton Hotel in 1972; this name should not be confused with the later Sheraton New York Hotel. During this period, the hotel functioned as a large conventional Manhattan hotel and also developed a social and entertainment identity. The Mermaid Room, created in the late 1940s as a cocktail bar and nightclub, became associated with Irving Fields and his trio, who performed there from 1950 to 1966. The hotel has been connected with figures from entertainment, politics, and organized crime. Jackie Gleason lived at the property in 1955 and 1956 while filming The Honeymooners. Mae West was also associated with the hotel, and Eleanor Roosevelt maintained a suite there between 1950 and 1953. The building's history also includes several notorious incidents. Arnold Rothstein was shot and fatally wounded in one of its suites in 1928. Roscoe Arbuckle died of a heart attack while asleep in his suite in 1933. On October 25, 1957, Albert Anastasia was assassinated in the hotel barber shop, an event that became one of the property's most widely remembered episodes. In 1983, Sheraton sold the hotel for $60 million to V.M.S. Realty. Dunfey Hotels was contracted to manage it through its Omni Hotels division, and the property was renamed Omni Park Central in January 1984. The hotel also hosted the National Football League Draft from 1980 through 1985, giving it a role in the history of professional American football as well as in New York hospitality. Developer Ian Bruce Eichner acquired the property in 1995. After the sale, it left the Omni chain and returned to the Park Central Hotel name. Eichner converted half of the hotel's reported 1,450 rooms into the Manhattan Club, a 266-unit all-suite timeshare project at 200 West 56th Street. This redevelopment reduced the conventional hotel inventory and created a distinct timeshare use within the broader property complex. The facade was renovated in 2007. The hotel now operates as an independent property managed by Highgate Holdings. Available reference material does not identify a current owner, corporate parent, chief executive, or publicly traded affiliation. The hotel's continuing identity rests on its central Manhattan location, historic architecture, accommodation capacity, and links to the city's entertainment and twentieth-century urban history.
- 2007
Facade renovation
[1]The hotel's exterior facade is renovated.
- 1995
Property leaves Omni and returns to Park Central identity
[1]Ian Bruce Eichner acquires the hotel, which leaves the Omni chain and resumes the Park Central Hotel name.
- 1984
Omni Park Central name adopted
[1]The hotel is renamed Omni Park Central in January.
- 1983
Hotel is sold to V.M.S. Realty
[1]Sheraton sells the property to V.M.S. Realty for $60 million; Dunfey Hotels is engaged to manage it through Omni Hotels.
- 1957
Albert Anastasia is assassinated
[1]Mobster Albert Anastasia is killed in the hotel's barber shop on October 25.
- 1950
Eleanor Roosevelt maintains a hotel suite
[1]Eleanor Roosevelt begins maintaining a suite at the hotel, a stay that continued through 1953.
- 1948
Sheraton acquires the hotel
[1]The property is sold to Sheraton and becomes known as the Park-Sheraton Hotel.
- 1927
Park Central Hotel opens
[1]Harry A. Lanzer's 25-story Renaissance Revival hotel opens on June 12 at 870 Seventh Avenue.
- 1921
Van Corlear building is demolished
[1]The earlier apartment-hotel structure is demolished to clear the site for the Park Central development.
- 1879
Van Corlear building is constructed
[1]The Van Corlear building, designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh and described as New York City's first apartment hotel, is built on the future Park Central site.
Products and positioning
An independent, full-service historic Manhattan hotel positioned around central Midtown access, Renaissance Revival architecture, and proximity to Carnegie Hall, Broadway, and Central Park.
Hotel accommodation · 1927
Park Central guest rooms
The principal offering is conventional hotel accommodation in a 25-story Midtown Manhattan property. The hotel is described as having 761 rooms and serves visitors seeking access to Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Central Park, and other central Manhattan destinations.
Bar and nightclub · 1940
The Mermaid Room
The Mermaid Room was established as the hotel's cocktail bar and nightclub in the late 1940s. It became a recognized entertainment space during the postwar period and hosted Irving Fields and his trio from 1950 to 1966.
Timeshare accommodation · 1995
Manhattan Club
The Manhattan Club is a separate all-suite timeshare development created during Ian Bruce Eichner's redevelopment of the property. It contains 266 units and is located at 200 West 56th Street on the north side of the broader hotel complex.
Controversies
1957
Assassination of Albert Anastasia
Mobster Albert Anastasia was assassinated in the hotel's barber shop on October 25, 1957. The killing is one of the most notorious events associated with the Park Central.
1928
Shooting of Arnold Rothstein
Jewish-American gangster Arnold Rothstein was shot and fatally wounded inside one of the hotel's suites. The incident became part of the property's long association with New York organized-crime history.
Brand decisions
1995
Return to independent Park Central operationStrategyBackground
Following Ian Bruce Eichner's acquisition, the property ended its affiliation with Omni.
Action taken
The hotel left the Omni chain, restored the Park Central name, and converted approximately half of its former room inventory into the Manhattan Club timeshare development.
Aftermath
The hotel became smaller as a conventional lodging operation and incorporated a distinct 266-unit all-suite timeshare project.
1983
Sale to V.M.S. Realty and transition to Omni managementM&ABackground
Sheraton sold the hotel after operating it under several names, creating an opportunity for a new ownership and management structure.
Action taken
V.M.S. Realty acquired the property for $60 million and contracted Dunfey Hotels to manage it through Omni Hotels.
Aftermath
The hotel adopted the Omni Park Central name in January 1984.
Acquisition price. $60 million (1983)
1948
Sheraton acquisition and rebrandingM&ABackground
The hotel changed ownership as Sheraton expanded its branded hotel portfolio.
Action taken
Sheraton acquired the property and operated it under the Park-Sheraton name.
Aftermath
The property remained within the Sheraton system until its 1983 sale.
Sources1 sources
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