Coordinates: 40.75553° N 73.98190° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

The Algonquin Hotel opened in 1902. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues on West 44th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York (59 West 44th Street). In the early 20th century, its owner-manager, Frank Case, began its tradition of hosting literary and theatrical notables. 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... NY redirects here. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

In 1919 the hotel became the site of the daily meetings of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who gathered to exchange bon mots over lunch in the main dining room of the hotel. The group met almost daily for the better part of ten years. This famous circle, as well as the number of literary greats who lodged there, earned the hotel its status as a New York City Historic Literary Landmark. Famed members of The Algonquin Round Table included Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, Robert Benchley, Marc Connelly, Robert E. Sherwood, Heywood Broun, Neysa McMein, Jane Grant, Ruth Hale and Edna Ferber. The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits that met from 1919 until about 1929, though its legacy endured long afterward. ... Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American writer and poet, best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles. ... Alexander Woollcott, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1939 Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 - January 23, 1943) was a critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine, and a member of the Algonquin Round Table. ... George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889 - June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, director, producer, humorist, and drama critic noted for his many collaborations with other writers and his contributions to 20th century American comedy. ... Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist, film actor, and drama literary editor. ... Marc Connelly photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1937 Marcus Cook Connelly (December 13, 1890 - December 21, 1980) was a member of the Algonquin roundtable and composed several musicals with playwright George S. Kaufman: 1921 Dulcy 1922 Merton of the Movies 1925 Beggar on Horseback Categories: 1890 births | 1980 deaths ... Robert Emmet Sherwood (4 April 1896–14 November 1955) American playwright, editor, and screenwriter. ... Heywood Broun was a reporter, sportswriter and newspaper columnist in New York City. ... Neysa at her artists easel in the early 1920s Neysa McMein (1888-1949) was an American artist. ... Jane Grant (1892-1972) was a New York City journalist who co-founded The New Yorker with her first husband, Harold Ross. ... Ruth Hale (1887-1934) was a feminist leader in New York City who worked for women’s rights in the era before and after World War I. She was married to journalist Heywood Broun and was an associate of the Algonquin Round Table. ... Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 - April 16, 1968), Jewish-American novelist, author, and playwright. ...

Drama critic Brooks Atkinson is quoted on the plaque establishing the landmark, claiming of the Round Table, "By force of character they changed the nature of American comedy and established the tastes of a new period in the arts and theatre." A 1994 film, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, gives an entertaining celluloid portrait of the group at the Algonquin and elsewhere. Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894-January 14, 1984) was the theater critic for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Mrs. ...

Frank Case wrote Tales of a Wayward Inn and Feeding the Lions (a cookbook) about the place. His daughter, Margaret, penned The Vicious Circle in 1950.

Famed director Preston Sturges died at the hotel in 1959. Preston Sturges (August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959), originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated screenwriter and director born in Chicago. ...

The hotel underwent two renovations last century. The first was undertaken the first time the hotel changed hands, and the second was completed in 1998. A recent $8 million renovation was completed in 2004. While these renovations have modernized the hotel, it retains its old-fashioned decor. Currently, each of the 174 rooms is appointed with antique furniture, as well as cable television and complimentary wi-fi internet access in the hotel's public spaces. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

The hotel was sold in 2005 for a reported $74 million.

In 1996 the hotel was designated a national literary landmark by Friends of Libraries USA. The organization's bronze plaque is attached to the front of the hotel.

The Algonquin hosts the legendary Oak Room cabaret (celebrating its 25th anniversary in the 2005-06 season), Blue Bar, and Round Table Room restaurant.

In a recent, highly effective ploy to increase its publicity, it is offering a $10,000 martini, which will contain a diamond in the bottom of the glass, and will have to be ordered three days in advance. This "Martini on the Rock" was first ordered and used in a marriage proposal in December 2004. In 2004, PBS sent a reporter to the Algonquin to do a story on the "Martini on the Rock" and found that the diamond contained in the martini was assessed above the charged value. However, in an NPR story in 2005, when the diamond in the drink, assessed at $15,000, was actually sold to a dealer, the reporter received about $7,000. See: Martini (cocktail) - a popular cocktail. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Each fall the hotel is host of "Parkerfest" sponsored by the Dorothy Parker Society.

In keeping with its literary history, The Algonquin currently lends guests iPods loaded with audio books. The current iPod line. ... Cassette recording of Patrick OBrians The Mauritius Command An audio book is a recording of the contents of a book read aloud. ...

The hotel has a tradition of keeping a cat that has the run of the hotel, except the kitchen and dining areas. The practice dates to the 1930s, when owner-general manager Frank Case took in a stray. Hotel lore says actor John Barrymore suggested the cat needed a theatrical name, so he was called Hamlet. Decades later, whenever the hotel has a male he carries on the name; females are named Matilda. The current Algonquin cat, a Matilda, is an eleven-year-old Ragdoll who was named 2006 cat of the year at the Westchester (New York) Cat Show. Visitors can spot Matilda on her personal chaise longue in the lobby; she can be also be found in her favorite places: behind the computer on the front desk, or lounging on a baggage cart. The doormen feed her and the general manager's executive assistant answers Matilda's e-mail, which is matildaalgonquincat@algonquinhotel.com. The Algonquin throws Matilda a birthday party every year. John Sidney Blyth Barrymore (February 14, 1882 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – May 29, 1942 in Los Angeles, California), was an American actor. ... The Ragdoll is a breed of medium longhaired cat. ... A chaise lounge (French long chair) is an upholstered couch in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs. ...

References

• James R. Gaines, Wit's End: Days and Nights of the Algonquin Round Table (New York: Harcourt, 1977).

• Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, A Journey into Dorothy Parker's New York (Berkeley: Roaring Forties Press, 2005).

External links

• Algonquin homepage
• NPR story on the diamond martini
• Algonquin review from 1951