Quite a beauty on Broadway and 34th Street: When it opened in 1912, the Hotel McAlpin was the largest hotel in the world.
Besides its 1,500 rooms and a spot in then-fashionable Herald Square, the McAlpin had a basement restaurant called the Marine Grill—with multicolor terra cotta ornaments decorating columns and vaulted ceilings.
The Marine Grill also featured some pretty amazing murals that told the story of New York City’s maritime history. Sadly, in 1990, when the restaurant space was taken over by a Gap franchise (and the hotel became a rental building and eventually a co-op), those murals were headed for the trash bin.
But preservation groups stepped in and saved them, installing them in the Broadway-Nassau station in 2000.
Next time you’re downtown on the A train, take a few minutes to check ’em out. Here’s one of the six salvaged murals.
The original iron entrance gate of the Marine Grill, also saved. Here, more photos and information on the murals.
Tags: Broadway-Nassau subway station, Gap on 34h Street, Herald Square, Herald Towers, Hotel McAlpin, Marine Grill, Marine Grill murals, New York City subway art
Ephemeral New York 
February 25, 2009 at 3:27 pm |
In the ’70s and ’80 on the corner of 34th Street there was a Chock Full ‘o Nuts coffee shop where I always stopped in for a cup of coffee and a donut. Though it was a shopping district, at night it was pretty dangerous being not too far from Madison Square Garden or the welfare Hotel Martinique on 31st and Broadway.
February 25, 2009 at 3:43 pm |
thank you. i see these every morning and always wondered. i don’t understand what they’re doing downtown, but they’re nice to pass.
February 25, 2009 at 5:10 pm |
[…] can see beautiful old murals from the old McAlpin Hotel in a downtown subway station. [Ephemeral New […]
March 18, 2009 at 9:16 pm |
This is pretty amazing. The Marine Grill was called “The Alpine” during the early to mid 1980s. I was a regular there, it was part of the McAnn’s chain. In spite of the fact that I went into many a blackout there (ahem), I also remember the incredible terra cotta work. It was an amazing thing to see.
I remember hearing about some of the terra cotta work ending up in dumpsters (now that is a crime), but I’m glad some of this go salvaged and repaired.
March 22, 2009 at 4:46 pm |
My grandmother was married to Michael Lightcap while he was manager of the McAlpin Hotel. I have very little information about that period. Any onformation would be appreciated. Thank you.
March 28, 2009 at 6:10 pm |
MY GREAT GRAND FATHER USED TO WORK THERE. I JUST CAME ACROSS HIS 5 YEAR SERVICE MEDAL
September 18, 2009 at 8:10 pm |
I lived in the McAlpin from 1983-1987. I did not find the area to be unsafe at night, at least no less safe than the rest of NY back then.
I remember being in awe of the food establishment/bar in the “basement.” It was beautiful.
I also remember the chock full o’ nuts on the corner.
The building was old and had problems back then – we were always going on rent strikes to get things repaired. I can’t believe it is a coop now – I’d be afraid to own a piece of such an old and not well maintained building.
January 23, 2010 at 11:49 pm |
I live in Herald Towers (current name of the old Hotel McAlpin).
One mistake in your article… It has never been co-ops.
A few years ago, they tried converting the building to condos. A few floors were sold. However, it didn’t do very well. The vast majority of units in the building are still rentals from the owner of the building.
April 21, 2010 at 5:12 am |
[…] defunct since the 1980s, and Macy’s next door. Far off on the right is the sign for the Hotel McAlpin, the largest hotel in the world when it opened in […]
May 13, 2011 at 4:58 am |
ALMOST EVERY SAT NIGHT FROM 1948 UNTIL THE 1950’S, MY FRIENDS & I WENT TO THE DANCES IN THE MARINE GRILL BASEMENT OF THE McALPIN. SOMETIMES, IN THE SUMMER, THE DANCE WAS HELD IN THE ROOFTOP PENTHOUSE. MANY OF US COURTED THE LADIES WHO CAME TO THE DANCES, & SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS MARRIED GIRLS WE MET THERE. THE BAR & RESTAURANT ON THE LOBBY FLOOR WAS ALSO OUR HANGOUT. ON MY TRIPS BACK TO NY, I ALWAYS VISITED THE HOTEL TO REFRESH THOSE LOVELY MEMORIES.
November 24, 2011 at 5:19 pm |
I stayed at the McAlpin for three weeks at a time in Nov. 1972 Feb
1973 and July of 1973, I had lunch every day in the Marine
Room. Had a good time.
November 24, 2011 at 8:04 pm |
Was watching the Macy’s TG Day parade and could not see the old McAlpin Hotel Marquee. Could the old Tad’s Steak House be gone too? What about the Riverboat Restaurant in the basement of the Empire State Building? The waiters there were the best tippers.
From 1965 to 1968 I was a scruffy young shoe shine boy in front of the McAlpin Hotel which was then mostly the Sheraton Atlantic Hotel. It was about 1967 when the SA Hotel lease expired and it converted back to the McAlpin. I spent years with my shoe shine box on that corner watching, listening and learning about the world.
Hy Greenberg ran the corner newspaper stand with James Manfredonia. Both lovable wise cracking New Yorkers, they helped me through some tough times and were like family to me. Hy was connected, he knew every one in the area and helped convince the police to not chase me away.
There was a nice blind man who use to sell pencils on the same corner back then. I use to get him coffee from the Cock Full O Nuts on the corner. Wish I could recall his name.
Once I watched a sudden gust of wind blow out a massive plate glass window on the 34th street side of that Chock Full O Nuts coffee shop. It cracked into two large horizontal pieces. The upper section of glass blew out towards the street and severed a passing womans neck, who was hugging the building as one does to avoid the wind. I ran back and forth to the Sheriton Atlantic Hotel frantically, grabbing towels to bring to the people who were trying to assist her.
Summer, winter, spring or fall there I was with my shoe shine box. Now that I am reminiscing I realize I did a lot of growing up in front of the McAlpin Hotel.
April 16, 2012 at 10:40 pm |
My last name is McAlpin nice to know someone cared
November 11, 2012 at 6:00 am |
Back in 1976 our high school band stayed in the McAlpin Hotel. We came all the way from Wisconsin and were just amazed by the enormous size of the Hotel and all the wonderful murals inside. We ate most of our meals right there in the Hotel.
December 6, 2012 at 7:09 am |
[…] the hotel was being renovated into apartments in the 1990s, the murals were headed for a landfill. Preservationists rescued them at the last minute, and they were reassembled at Fulton Street by the MTA in […]
December 23, 2012 at 8:55 am |
Stayed here in the 70’s when it was the cheapest hotel we could find in NYC – the McAlpin. We were 17 and didn’t realize the history of the place.
February 23, 2013 at 3:47 pm |
I lived one night in the year of 1975 and 3 nights 1976. It was nice,great hotel to me.
August 11, 2013 at 5:10 pm |
I have a Hotel McAlpin spoon. If someone would like it, email me and I’ll send it to you.
January 21, 2014 at 10:06 pm |
If the spoon is still available, I am interested in getting it.
March 30, 2014 at 6:19 am |
[…] among its amenities. It’s now a rental apartment complex called Herald Towers. But some of its famed murals have been salvaged, and were placed in the Broadway-Nassau subway station in […]
November 10, 2014 at 9:19 am |
[…] the building on the right next to the 1912 Wilson Building. Today, stripped of its once-famous murals, it’s an apartment […]
July 20, 2016 at 11:34 pm |
My grandfather was the architect, Frank Mills Andrews. He was 63 when my father was born and died in 1948, 12 years before I was born. .
November 22, 2016 at 3:44 am |
Would love to talk to you, doing research on the building
August 10, 2017 at 5:01 pm |
Looking for Pictures of the RiverBoat Restaurant in the Empire State Building, Especially the railing.
June 22, 2020 at 11:17 pm |
where can i buy those salvaged items
March 29, 2021 at 3:01 pm |
[…] “Saving the Murals from the Hotel McAlpin.” Ephemeral New York. Blog, February 25, 2009. […]
October 10, 2021 at 4:12 pm |
My grandmother worked at the McAlpin Hotel in the 70’s. I remember family dinner gatherings in the restaurant downstairs and dancing to the music of the German Umpah-pah band. I believe they played on Friday nights. I recall the enormity of the hotel and appreciated the “vintage look” of everything. They were fun times! I have a beer holding vessel from the bar if someone is interested in purchasing it. I can be reached at amandacastro.alsina@gmail.con