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The name Waldorf Astoria conjures images of Gilded Age opulence for the elite and the personalities that illuminated the Gilded Age in New York. Visit the old location on Fifth and 33rd and the current day incarnation on Park Avenue.

Famed throughout the world, New York's Waldorf Astoria is quite simply the grandest of all grand hotels. Host to emperors, rajahs, potentates, and plutocrats--not to mention every US president since Grover Cleveland--its name has become synonymous with the epitome of glamour, luxury, and sophistication. The name Waldorf Astoria applied to two different but equally magnificent hotels. The first was the connecting Hotel Waldorf and Astoria Hotel operating at the corner of Fifth Avenue and West Thirty-third Street. It was a Gilded Age pleasure dome created by the Astor family for New York's social elite. The second and present Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue is the ultimate expression of Gotham's Jazz Age extravagance. Vintage photographs herein record the architecture, decoration, and history of these two extraordinary establishments as well as the outsized personalities who created and dwelt within them.

For a century, the Wardman Park Hotel has been the choice hotel destination for everyone from politicians to celebrities and tourists enjoying a visit to our nation's capital. Built in 1918 by developer Harry Wardman on the site of his expansive mansion, the hotel's architect designed the hotel to take advantage of the bucolic park-like setting. Wardman Park Hotel was both an upscale hotel and a residence, with US presidents, vice presidents, congressmen, Supreme Court justices, and celebrities residing there. Life at Wardman Park Hotel was like living at a resort, as guests relaxed in the hotel's enormous pool and attended lavish galas. Over the years, Wardman Park Hotel has undergone many expansions; however, a portion of Harry Wardman's original structure remains. Today, the hotel includes well-appointed rooms, luxurious suites, and condominiums and is regarded as a prime convention and meeting space destination.

Located just four blocks from the White House, the Mayflower Hotel is "Washington's Second Best Address," as coined by frequent guest and former U.S. president Harry S. Truman. The hotel, which opened its doors on February 18, 1925, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized for its architectural significance as well as its historic distinction. The first major social event at the Mayflower Hotel was Calvin Coolidge's charity and inaugural ball. This began a tradition of hosting inaugural events for Democratic and Republican presidents. The hotel's history is inextricably tied to the history of the nation's capital and, in many ways, to the nation itself. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote his inaugural speech in Suite 776 with the famous line, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." J. Edgar Hoover ate lunch at the Mayflower every working day for more than 20 years. In 1973, the Mayflower served as the temporary Chinese Embassy while their offices were being renovated. For over 80 years, this landmark has been regarded as the "Grande Dame of Washington, D.C."