By now, the final guests have checked out of the storied Waldorf Astoria, which temporarily closed its doors yesterday. Soon, the legendary hotel—which has hosted everyone from U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries, to A-list celebs and maybe even your mom—will transform, with rooms in its exclusive towers turning into condos, and the hotel portion getting a refresh.
But before that happened, curious onlookers and tourists alike flocked to the hotel for one last night, capturing photos and videos of the New York City icon. The fate of the hotel’s interiors is still unclear—though the building itself is a landmark, the interiors don’t have the same protection (though the LPC is considering it). Owner Anbang has stated its intention to preserve and restore those public spaces, but right now, there’s no telling what that may mean.
Thus, people visited the hotel one last time, snapping photos of Peacock Alley and the Grand Ballroom, as well as the lovely Art Deco details that are part of why the space became so popular—and naturally, many of these appeared on Instagram soon after.
Filmmaker Stephen Paul Wright also shot a short video that offers a minute-long tour of the space. See you on the other side, Waldorf.