Wow, that was interesting, thanks for posting it.
The original hotel building is rather hideous, IMHO (very "50's") and I've never been a fan of excessive opulance (or Las Vegas, lol!)...nevertheless, it's sad to lose that "history" and many memories for many NY people...
Always a dilemma...restore or rebuild or "repurpose" (loathsome word)? Thanks for posting a great article!