Mission: Encourage The Roosevelt Hotel owners, investors, and developers to restore this 100+ year old icon of New York City's history and charm, reopen this classic establishment, and breathe new life into the city. 

The Roosevelt Hotel

45 E 45th St

New York, NY 10017

Between Madison & Vanderbilt 

A personal plea: The first time I stayed at the Roosevelt was in 2002, for organizing technology and publishing conferences in the City. Walking in, I was in awe, thinking - someday I'll be able to afford to stay here on my own. The last time I stayed was in 2019 for UN Women's Week, where I felt accomplished and comfortably at home. My family lineage extends over 5 generations to the late 1800s in Manhattan, with multiple family members having attended and were faculty at Columbia University, writers at the New York Times, friends of Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway, philanthropists with community organizations, homes and offices from Wall Street area to Morningside Heights, and a romantic tale of my grandparents having met in NYC during WWII, when my grandfather was a sharpshooter trainer in the U.S. Army, and my grandmother was a nurse at Halloran Army Hospital on Staten Island, where she met Frank Sinatra. 

Image Source: www.youtube.com/@TheRooseveltHotel

The Roosevelt Hotel has set the stage, having been featured in many popular films over the years, including The Irishman, Quiz Show, Men in Black 3, 1408, Wall Street, The French Connection, Malcolm X, The Dictator, Man on a Ledge and Maid in Manhattan; plus television shows including Mad Men, Wheel of Fortune, and Law & Order. 

This icon of Old New York originally opened in 1924, and was named after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. The hotel has hosted guests and survived a century of history, including Prohibition, World War II, the 80s boom, and 9/11. 

Among its many charms, "The Roosevelt Hotel houses artwork by renowned painters N.C. Wyeth and Arthur Crisp. A three paneled mural by N.C. Wyeth, a 20th-century American painter, is the centerpiece of the Hendrick Hudson dining room. Wyeth titled his piece “Half Moon in the Hudson” in commemoration of the English explorer better known as Henry Hudson, whom the dining room was named after. The landscape depicts Hudson’s ship sailing on the Hudson River." - Untapped New York.

Since its early days, the hotel has been called the "Grand Dame of Old New York" and the "Grand Dame of Manhattan." With no surprise, the Roosevelt holds the longstanding heart of the city. 

Image Source: www.youtube.com/@TheRooseveltHotel​

The Roosevelt has been owned by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) since 2000, after extensive investments since 1979, backing from Saudi Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. PIA is owned by the foreign Government of Pakistan, and so is a state-controlled entity at 85% shareholder.

In October 2020, The Roosevelt closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In June 2023, the City of New York under Mayor Eric Adams entered a $220 million deal with PIA, leasing the hotel to the city as a migrant shelter through 2026. This agreement ceased in February 2025. 

Global real estate advisory firm JLL was hired by Pakistan in January 2024 to advise on property transition, though recently stepped down. Reportedly, the future of The Roosevelt Hotel remains in flux. 

Manhattan is no stranger to changes in historical property ownership, and challenges to maintain, secure, and upkeep the original architectural charm of the city, which is a beacon to the world. 

Other historical properties like the Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street also has seen a change of hands over the years, but has since emerged as a modernized, upscale hotel, while preserving the avant-garde artistry of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s which established its inspiration as a staple of the Chelsea NYC arts district. Countless iconic artists stayed and lived at the Chelsea, including Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Velvet Underground & Nico, Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger, Chet Baker, and Jack Kerouac. The CIA reportedly even had a spot at The Chelsea.. 

On another personal note, I spent many years staying at The Chelsea on a monthly basis in transit from Boston. Seeing the paintings on the walls that were a barter for rent and room stay by the artists, and spending time in the same hotel rooms where these musicians and artists rested, was inspirational indeed. The Roosevelt was "a step above", as I shifted uptown from Chelsea. But now is facing similar challenges for the future. 

Though originally built between 1883 and 1884 in a Queen Anne Revival and Victorian Gothic design, perhaps the Vietnam and post-Vietnam era of the Chelsea can offer some inspiration for restoration and enhancements to the post-WWI, WWII and post-WWII original establishment and 100 year era of the Roosevelt. 

Granted, the solemn emptiness of COVID pandemic, followed by the chaos of the migrant crisis yielded much foot-traffic throughout the rooms and floors of the Roosevelt. But perhaps a simple gutting, revamping, and re-opening of The Roosevelt Hotel is just what Manhattan needs to take a step forward into the city's next era. 

Image Source: www.youtube.com/@TheRooseveltHotel

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Disclaimer: This independently authored petition is not affiliated to The Roosevelt Hotel, its owners, investors, developers, or associates.