America's Palace

Title

America's Palace

Description

In October of 1931, President Herbert Hoover took to the airwaves to announce to the opening of the Park Avenue Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. This historic national radio broadcast set the tone for the new hotel and its role in international politics and culture.

The Waldorf=Astoria has often been referred to as America's Palace. It's no wonder how the hotel acquired this moniker, having hosted major heads of state and dignitaries from all over the world since it opened in the early 1930s.

Guests of the Waldorf-Astoria rely on the deep privacy and security the hotel provides; therefore the archive houses a limited amount of material pertaining to notable guests. The photographs and other materials presented in this collection reflect the public experiences of some of the notable and newsworthy guests at the Waldorf=Astoria.

Collection Items

The Queen Mother, Grand Ballroom, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel
Black and white photograph depicting the Queen Mother at a dinner held in her honor by the English-Speaking Union of the United States in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, November, 3 1954.

His Serene Highness, Rainier III & Miss Grace Kelly at their Engagement Party.
Black and white photograph from the party celebrating the engagement of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier III of Monaco held in the Conrad Suite of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, January 1956.

The Duke & Duchess of Windsor at the April in Paris Ball, the Grand Ballroom, 1959
Black and white photograph depicting the Duke and Duchess of Windsor dancing at the annual April in Paris Ball, April 10, 1959.

Winston Churchill prepares a speech at a Grand Ballroom Dinner in his honor
Black and white photograph depicting Winston Churchill preparing to respond to his critics just days after his 'Iron Curtain' Speech at a Grand Ballroom Dinner in his honor, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, March 15, 1946.

General Charles C. DeGaulle, Grand Ballroom, 1945 "We are not afraid of peace" speech
Black and white photograph depictng General Charles C. DeGaulle preparing for his "We are not afraid of peace'" speech, Grand Ballroom, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, August 17, 1945.

Duke and Duchess of Windsor with Elsa Maxwell, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel
Black and white photograph depicting the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Elsa Maxwell on their way to the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, April 10, 1959.

"The Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the April in Paris Ball in the Waldorf=Astoria Grand Ballroom"
Black and white photograph depicting the Duke and Duchess of Windsor attending the April in Paris Ball in the Grand Ballroom, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, April 10, 1959.

Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, October 1941
Blackand white photograph depicting the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, October 20, 1941. The Duke and Duchess lived in the Waldorf Towers for many years.
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