The Plaza Will Go Dark From 2027 for a Four-Year Marble Restoration
The eighteen-storey landmark at 59th and Fifth will close for work on the facade Henry Janeway Hardenbergh designed in 1907, with 378 staff being placed elsewhere through their union.
The Plaza Hotel will close from 2027 for a restoration of its marble facade expected to run four years, nearly 120 years after the building opened at the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.
The work is confined to the exterior stone, but the constraints are unusual. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh's 1907 design uses rusticated marble at the base and lower levels and a polished, smooth marble above; the rusticated stone weathers faster and typically needs attention within twenty years. The last major renovation was in 2008, nineteen years before the scaffolding goes up. Allison Doyle Partners, which handled the interior architecture on that project, has been engaged again, with HLZAE overseeing masonry restoration.
Both the facade and the public interiors are designated landmarks, nationally and by the city, which puts the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in the room for decisions about how the marble is handled. Management cited guest and employee safety alongside preservation requirements, and said planning details remain under review.
The hotel is working with the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council to place its 378 staff during the closure. Bookings already made, including weddings, are being unwound.