To spot the Garden City Hotel, look for a grand, light-brick building with a large central tower topped by a white cupola and a big clock right above the entrance-just behind the waving American flag.
Right in front of you stands the legendary Garden City Hotel, a place where fortunes were made and lost, legends rested, and even presidents once nervously checked the time on that clock above the door. Picture the year 1874-the smell of new lumber in the air, horses’ hooves clopping down dusty Long Island roads, and millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart strutting about, overseeing the finishing touches on his proud hotel. Back then, $150,000 was a king’s ransom! Stewart ran the first hotel himself, and after he passed, his devoted wife Cornelia took the reins. Can you imagine the family dinners? “Please pass the salt-and the deed to the hotel!”
After Cornelia left this world, the hotel passed into the hands of her relatives, guided by one of America’s most famous architects, Stanford White. By 1895, a brand new version rose-so stylish, with a cupola inspired by Independence Hall. And just when guests were getting comfortable, disaster struck. Early one September morning in 1899, fire swept through, leaving only ashes in its wake.
But this hotel doesn’t stay down for long. The third incarnation, glimmering in Georgian Revival style, arrived in 1901. This was the one that drew high society like moths to a chandelier-think Vanderbilts, Pierpont Morgans, and the kind of fancy hats that needed their own seat. By 1927, the whole world watched as Charles Lindbergh arranged to sleep here the night before his historic Transatlantic flight. Spoiler: he ended up napping elsewhere. I guess even famous aviators can’t resist a friend’s couch.
Over the years, the hotel changed hands more times than a rumor in a small town, from the Knott family to ambitious developer Michael Forte, who, sadly, saw the grand old place torn down and his plans fizzle. The site spent years as a dusty patch of nothing, until in 1983, when the Nelkin family brought the hotel roaring back to life. It has since welcomed everyone from JFK and Margaret Thatcher to pop icons and international royals-a guest list long enough to fill the ballroom! In 2014, a $35 million renovation polished every corner so you can experience the glamour of a modern classic
