HomeBangladeshAmerican mogul who met tragic end built secret entrance to historic hotel

American mogul who met tragic end built secret entrance to historic hotel

-

A secret entrance to an iconic hotel can be found in the deep and dark depths of the New York subway system.

The Knickerbocker Hotel was built by one of America’s wealthiest men, John Jacob Astor IV, who commissioned the guilded joint in 1901, five years before it opened to the public. The hotel, which is an example of Beaux-Arts architecture, was located at the corner of Broadway and 42nd street in Midtown Manhattan, near Times Square and the Theatre District. It was a popular destination for the great and good of the city, and is even rumoured to be the birthplace of the martini.

Sadly, the Knickerbocker closed in 1921, in part due to financial pressures caused by Prohibition and the death of Astor, who perished on the Titanic. The hotel was turned into offices for Newsweek magazine. Since then, it has been restored and reopened to the public.

But a secret entrance to the hotel remains. Located in the renovated Times Square Station next to the shuttle train, there is an inconspicuous door with ‘Knickerbocker’ written above it in capital letters. There have been many rumours about the door’s use, whether it be providing access to the hotel’s basement, a secret doorway or direct entrance for people on the downtown platform of the Interborough Rapid Transit subway line, in place at the time.

A video of the secret doorway and passage went viral on social media platform, TikTok, in 2021. In the video,John Friia – who runs the account called Here in NYC – shows the location of the door and shares history of the hotel. He says: “While the entrance is now sealed, it used to take people directly to the bar of the famous Knickerbocker Hotel.”

The hotel had over 500 rooms, in addition to restaurants and bars that could cater for 2,000 people. It reopened in 2015 — and now hosts events, including a great view of the ball dropping on New Year’s Eve. After spending decades as an office building and landing a coveted spot on the National Register of Historic Places, the Knick reclaimed its coveted corner on 42nd and Broadway as a leading Times Square hotel in 2015.

To visit the doorway, head outside of the Times Square subway station and head to the subway entrance at the southeast corner of Broadway and 42nd Street. The door can also be seen from the shuttle platform, across the end of Track One. It is adjacent to the MetroCard machines.

Can we send you the Mirror Travel newsletter with weekly travel news and inspiration?

LATEST POSTS

Tony Slattery predicted own death five years before tragic heart attack

Have I Got News For You star, Tony Slattery, predicted his death five years before his tragic heart attack.The much-loved comic's partner, Michael Mark Hutchinson,...

‘My husband wants to divorce me over what I did at a brunch event’

A woman has been threatened with divorce after her husband was left furious over her actions at a brunch event. The 30-year-old woman went to...

Woman who dedicated life to crafting ultimate baby name list shares ‘cool’ options

Expecting a baby and still undecided on names? Or just musing over future family plans?A woman who has dedicated her life to crafting a list...

Spain U21 star faces three years in jail for ‘deliberate bookings’ in betting scam

Sevilla star Kike Salas faces the prospect of three years in prison after being arrested for allegedly picking up deliberate yellow cards in matches.The defender,...

LATEST ARTICLES