The Waldorf Team Takes a Tour

Earlier this morning, myself and my fellow team members from the Waldorf Astoria had a very rare opportunity to take a personalized tour of Grand Central Concourse and Station which is located only a “stones throw” away from our hotel. Our tour guide, Daniel, was able to give us a behind the scenes tour of the concourse and even the tracks underground (please be aware that because of the connection of our hotel’s history with Grand Central Station, we were able to take this tour, this tour is not open to the public). We were able to see Grand Central Station from a whole new angle, however, the most interesting part of the entire tour was seeing President Roosevelt’s train car with my very own eyes. 

A View from the Top of Grand Central Station

On October 21, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a trip to New York City to begin campaigning for his fourth term as President of the United States. He visited all five boroughs of our great city and while in Manhattan and was scheduled to stop specifically at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, from exactly 7:35 P.M. to 10:05 P.M, to attend a conference for the Foreign Policy Association as well as a dinner in his honor. Although Roosevelt left exactly on time that evening, his train car however, has remained underneath our hotel until this day…nearly 70 years!

Photo of the Train Car taken by Tracey, a fellow team member.

 

In 1953, Adlai Stevenson, former Ambassador to the United Nations, made a visit to New York City and of course scheduled a visit to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The archive photo featured below shows Adlai Stevenson with Secret Service agents and a Waldorf Astoria bellman standing next to a train car (this train is not Roosevelt’s).

Adlai Stevenson with Secret Service Agents underneath the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1953.

 

This photo below was taken earlier this morning (2/28/2014) and shows me and some of my fellow team members in the very same spot where Adlai Stevenson and his “team members” were photographed.

 

Some of the Waldorf Astoria Team Members in the same exact spot where Adlai Stevenson stood, 2014.

Today’s tour called to mind just how unique history is, especially when it is brought into the relevancy of present day. Our hotel is filled with moments of relevancy such as this; you too can stand in the Grand Ballroom where Kings, Queens, and Presidents have all dined under our beautiful chandelier! In the meantime, you can visit us virtually by viewing our archive website at http://www.waldorfarchive.org, perhaps you already have photographs of your own that can be compared with our archive photos online!

– Erin Allsop, Archivist of The Waldorf Astoria New York

@WaldorfNYC    http://www.waldorfarchive.org

Erin is a graduate student in the Masters program of Library and Information Science at CUNY – Queens College, where she is focusing her studies on Archival Management and Preservation. You may contact her by email at erin.allsop@waldorfastoria.com with any inquiries or questions you may have.