Unlike humans, when a hotel gets old, it gets demolished. Can you imagine how Eloise would feel watching a wrecking ball crashing through the walls of her beloved Plaza?

We don’t have Eloise to save the day, but we still do need to save endangered hotels from the evil clutches of real-estate developers who want to put up a condo complex or an office tower. Listed here are some of America’s most endangered hotels that could very well be blown up in the near future.

Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City

Hotel Pennsylvania, New York – Popularly known as the Hotel Penn, this iconic 100 year old New York hotel built by the Pennsylvania Railroad islocated across the street from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. In Jan 2007, the owners – Vornado Realty Trust - announced plans to raze the building and put an office tower in its place.

The hotel’s fate is still undecided, and if enough people care about it, the owners could still decide to keep the Hotel Penn alive and open for business. On the web – www.hotelpenn.com/

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles

Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles – 19-story crescent shaped hotel opened in 1966 and now operating as the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. 

This hotel is at the heart of a raging battle between the Los Angeles Conservancy and the building’s owners – Next Century Associates, who want to raze the hotel and replace it with two towers housing a luxury hotel, condos and other modern monstrosities.

The battle to save Century Plaza went into overdrive earlier this year when the building was named as one of America’s 11 most endangered places for 2009 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and actress Diane Keaton became the public and very vocal face of the effort to save Century Plaza.

On the web – centuryplaza.hyatt.com/

The Watergate Hotel, Washington D.C. – Scene of President Nixon’s Waterloo, the Watergate Hotel has been shuttered since 2007. The previous owners, Monument Realty, wanted to turn it into a luxury apartment complex. A planned renovation which was supposed to be complete by now never really got going, and the hotel remains closed.

The Watergate Hotel, Washington D.C.

The Watergate hotel has now been reportedly purchased by Holland Development Group, and depending on what their plans are, it could either end up as a luxury condo complex, or re-open after a renovation as one of the world’s most famous hotels and a DC landmark and tourist attraction to boot. On the web – www.thewatergatehotel.com/

Dallas Grand Hotel, Dallas – Formerly known as the Dallas Statler Hilton which opened in 1956, this building has also been named to the NTHP’s list of endangered places in 2008, and was also on the Preservation Dallas’ list in both 2007 and 2008.

Dallas Grand Hotel, Dallas, TX

It was supposed to be demolished in 2003, but got a reprieve. Other properties around it are being developed at a feverish pace. Sooner or later, the costs of keeping an eyesore in the middle of a well-developed neighbourhood is going to be too much to bear for Dallas and the building will be torn down.

Photo credits:- Hotel Penn by sfllaw; Dallas Grand Hotel by Steve Clique; Watergate Hotel by tvol; Century Plaza courtesy Hyatt Hotels Corp.

400 years ago this September, Henry Hudson sailed into what is now known as New York Harbor, and ever since, visitors have been looking for a place to stay in New York City. Here’s a few of New York’s ‘centennial club’ hotels, all of which are at least 100 years old.

The Sohotel, New York

Let’s start with a simple question – Which is New York’s oldest hotel still in business? That title belongs to the Sohotel, which has been in operation since 1805 under various names including The Worchester, The Occidental, The Pioneer and now Sohotel.

That’s a 204 year old hotel located just north of the spot where George Washington entered the Bowery with his troops and took command of the city, setting up the government of the United States on November 25, 1783.

This location in lower Manhattan off The Bowery at 341 Broome Street - with walking access to the attractions of Soho, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, China Town, and Tribeca - is pretty good even today.

The Sohotel nowadays makes a decent living as a no-frills budget hotel for students and tourists looking for reasonable accomodations in the heart of Downtown Manhattan.

The Algonquin Hotel, New York

Next question – which is the oldest NYC hotel operating under the same name? That would be The Algonquin Hotel, which opened in 1902.

Nothing much needs to be said about this famed historic hotel which has been immortalized on screen and in the literary works of Dorothy Parker and the rest of the Algonquin Round Table members.

Next up on the list is The Plaza (now the Fairmont Plaza), which opened its doors on October 1, 1907. Billed at that time as the world’s greatest hotel, The Plaza charged the exorbitant price of $2.50 per night for single rooms when it opened.  

Straddling Fifth Ave and Central Park, The Plaza is not only a traditional brunch and afternoon tea spot for New York’s socialites, but also a movie star in it’s own right – most famously featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

Hotel Chelsea, New York

No list of New York hotels would be complete without honorable mention of the Chelsea Hotel - ground zero for Bohemians. The Chelsea is housed in a distinctive landmark building which dates back to 1884, first as an apartment building which opened as a hotel in 1905.

Former residents of the Chelsea include Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Sid Vicious and many more linked to Andy Warhol’s Factory.

Another hotel which just makes the cut as a 100+ historic hotel is The Jane NYC. Originally built as a hotel for sailors with cabin-like rooms in 1908, the hotel was restored and brought back to life in late 2008 as a budget hotel offering $99 rooms.

The Jane’s claim to fame lies in the fact that in 1912, the survivors of the Titanic stayed at the hotel until the end of the American Inquiry into the ship’s sinking.  The surviving crew held a memorial service at the hotel four days after the ship sank.  

Also eligible to join New York’s exclusive centennial club is the The Hotel Wolcott (1904), which also housed one Titanic survivor – Dr. Washington Dodge of San Francisco, who then penned a harrowing first-person account of the tragedy while staying at the Wolcott. Really dodged that one, didn’t he? 

Hotel Chelsea photo by Gyrofrog (creative commons).