What Happened to the Broadway Central Hotel?

The Broadway Central Hotel (originally known as the Grand Central Hotel) was a historic New York City landmark located at 673 Broadway in the NoHo neighborhood. Opened in 1870, it was once one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in the United States, but it is now remembered primarily for its tragic collapse in 1973.

The building rose eight stories and contained 630 rooms, capable of housing over 1,200 guests at once.

It reached a total height of 171 feet.

Built by Elias S. Higgins and designed by architect Henry Engelbert in the Second Empire style, it was a lavish hotel aimed at the wealthy, featuring marble fronts, three elevators, and grand dining rooms.

The hotel was the site of a scandalous, sensational murder when robber baron Jim Fisk was shot and killed on its grand stairway by Edward S. Stokes over an actress, Josie Mansfield.

After years of neglected renovations—including the reported removal of a structural wall in the basement—the building's structure failed. A massive section of the hotel collapsed into Broadway, killing four people and leading to the demolition of the remainder.

The site is now occupied by a New York University law school dormitory.