The Plaza Hotel Auction
Christie’s is pleased to announce the March 15 sale of select contents from New York’s legendary Plaza Hotel. The sale, featuring 350 lots with estimates ranging from $50 to $18,000, allows collectors from around the world the opportunity to own a piece of the legacy of this glamorous and celebrated landmark.
The sale includes a wide array of items, from monogrammed flatware and china, to elegant chandeliers and mirrors, entry tables, bed linens and more. Many of the lots are packaged together, designed to celebrate quintessential Plaza experiences such as “Breakfast in Bed” and “Room Service.” The “Breakfast in Bed” package (estimate: $500-700) includes two pairs of pajamas, monogrammed slippers, Mascioni robes with Plaza monogram, Oscar de la Renta Plazamonogrammed teacups, saucers, and more; among the items in the “Room Service” package (estimate: $800-1,100) are Frette linens, a silver-plated ice bucket and pair of candlesticks, monogrammed champagne flutes – even the service cart. Of particular note among the packaged lots is a collection of items from the legendary Polynesian rendezvous, Trader Vic’s (estimate: $2,000-3,000). Included in this set of memorabilia is a whimsical 6-light palm tree chandelier complete with a figural monkey and a collection of Trader Vic’s signature soy sauce dishes. Other packaged lots include “Dinner for 4” (estimate: $600-800), “Dinner for 8” (estimate: $800- 1,000) and “Dinner for 12” (estimate: $1,000-1,500). Included in these sets are Frette table linens, gilt metal sidechairs, Schonwald china, Zwiesel stemware, as well as silver-plated monogrammed flatware and serving pieces.
Items from the famed Oak Room and Oyster Bar are also featured prominently in the sale. Among the highlights from the Oak Room is the large corner humidor (estimate: $8,000-12,000) and Steinway baby grand piano (estimate: $8,000-10,000). Other highlights from the Oak Room include a selection of leather club chairs (estimate: $1,500-2,000 per pair). Among the Oyster Bar highlights is the brass Oyster Bar sign and menu chalk boards (estimate: $500-800), as well as a set of eight bronze barstools (estimate: $1,500-2,000).
Additional highlights of note include the parquet ballroom dance floor used throughout the hotel (estimate: $2,000-3,000), brass doorknobs cast with the Plaza monogram in crest (estimate: $150- 250 for a set of 6), and a pair of slippers from celebrated Plaza “resident,” Eloise (estimate: $400- 600).
The sale will also feature items from a number of The Plaza’s famous named suites, including the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite, the Lady Mendl Suite, and the Presidential Suite. Among the many items from the Frank Lloyd Wright Suite are a set of eight photomechanical reproductions of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural renderings (estimate: $800-1,200) and two pairs of Frank Lloyd Wright-style mahogany armchairs (estimate: $200-300). From the famous Lady Mendl Suite, named after the international hostess and interior designer, Elsie de Wolfe Mendl, items include a George III-style inlaid mahogany sideboard (estimate: $2,000-3,000), a silk damask canopy and headboard (estimate: $700-900), and a pair of George III-style mahogany library armchairs (estimate: $1,200-1,800). Finally, among the highlights from the many rooms of the famed Presidential Suite are two pairs of Louis XV-style parquet gilt white painted doors (estimate: $1,000-1,500), a collection of Oriental rugs (estimate: $2,000-3,000 each), a master bedroom suite (estimate: $5,000-7,000), several collections of hardware from the Presidential Suite master bathrooms (estimates range from $700-900 to $1,000-1,500), and more.
To celebrate the sale and the magic of The Plaza, Christie’s will be hosting a Black and White Ball at the Christie’s Galleries in Rockefeller Center on March 14. Inspired by Truman Capote’s famous Black and White Ball of 1966, this event will honor the glamour and history of this famed hotel. Other events at Christie’s surrounding this sale include a March 12th lecture by author Deborah Davis, who consulted to Christie’s for this sale, on her upcoming book, PARTY OF THE CENTURY: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, which will be published in March by Wiley.
THE LEGEND OF THE PLAZA
The Plaza Hotel has been one of the world’s most lavish and spectacular hotels since it opened its doors in 1907. Designed by renowned architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh to replicate the grandeur of a French Renaissance-style Chateau, the 19-floor hotel cost over $12 million to build – an astronomical price at the time and more than had been spent on any other building in New York.
The Plaza was accorded landmark status by New York City’s Landmark Commission in 1969 and is the only New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior and The New York State Register of History Places. In July 2005, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated eight of The Plaza’s public spaces as landmarks, including the Palm Court, the Grand Ballroom, the Oak Room, the Oak Bar, the Edwardian Room, the Terrace Room, the Fifth Avenue lobby and the 59th Street lobby.
A NEW ERA FOR THE PLAZA
The hotel closed its doors in April 2005 to undergo an extensive $350 million renovation and restoration. When The Plaza reopens in early 2007, in time to celebrate its 100th anniversary, it will include a superlative hotel with 282 rooms and suites, 182 “Private Residences,” a collection of exclusive retail boutiques and the fully restored Palm Court, Oak Room and Bar, and other defining public spaces.
This event is organized by Christie's
