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SIDEBAR: The Plaza mystique (see end of text)
The air conditioning in the Plaza Hotel's presidential suite broke several years ago, and the owners decided not to spend the $100,000 it would take to fix it. So the sprawling apartment, complete with a walk-in safe the size of a small bedroom, sits empty, like a ghost town in the sky.
The world-famous, 98-year-old landmark hotel, with its gold-leaf trim and 1,700 crystal chandeliers, is fraying at the edges. About 30 of the 805 chambers are out of commission, left uninhabitable by water damage. During heavy rains, buckets are placed outside the Palm Court to prevent drips from ruining the carpet.
An elaborate, $350-million renovation, which will patch leaks, preserve marble fireplaces, modernize the infrastructure and reconfigure and enlarge the rooms, is to start next month. The last night guests will sleep with Eloise in their midst, until the Plaza reopens in late 2006, is April 29.
But the planned refurbishment, which the new owner says will restore the building to its former glory, is not what many New Yorkers or guests had in mind. The blueprint has created a backlash, led by the hotel workers union, which stands to lose 900 jobs.
Elad Properties, which bought the Plaza for $675 million last year, plans to transform much of the chateau-like abode, at the enviable intersection of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, into 200 expensive condominiums with park views, pre-war touches and sumptuous kitchens.
The project also envisions a large commercial component. Elad president Miki Naftali said he is talking to high-end fashion retailers to fill 160,000 square feet on lower floors, including the grand ballroom.
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