Hotel Algonquin, ca. 1907.

Completed in 1902, the Hotel Algonquin is perhaps better known for its guests than its building (though its Beaux Arts design with neo-Renasaiance details, created by Goldwin Starrett, is quite lovely). Originally conceived as a residential hotel (for all intents, an apartment building) called the "Puritan," the owners decided to offer short term stays instead. They were also convinced by the hotel's manager (later owner) Frank Case to change the name to the Algonquin.

It was in the main dining room here, in the years after World War I, that a group of journalists, authors, publicists and actors began meeting daily for lunch. Referred to as the Algonquin Round Table or the Vicious Circle, the daily exchange of conversation and ideas included core members Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood, all of whom wrote for Vanity Fair. Meeting daily for the better part of a decade, the salon inspired literary styles and up and coming writers, and resulted in the founding of The New Yorker magazine.

Today the historic hotel remains open and it still the home of a hotel cat, a tradition started by manager-owner Frank Case. The current hotel cat is a Ragdoll named Hamlet, for former resident John Barrymore's greatest stage role.