Just off Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan, only two blocks from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, yellow taxis stop and start before a row of heavy glass doors at the base of an imposing 47-story building. A single doorman stands outside, his white-gloved hands folded. Above him the name of the building is scrawled on the aging concrete: The Waldorf-Astoria.
The old hotel has been casting its shadow over 49th Street since 1931, when it was built to replace its two forebears, the Astoria and the Waldorf. (Both hotels were flattened to make way for the Empire State Building.) In all that time, it has consistently been the hotel of choice for celebrities, heads of state and visiting dignitaries. But the Chinese company that acquired it in October 2014 has announced plans to overhaul the entire building, putting the hotel out of commission for three years. In the meantime, leaders of state and...
