What to Bid on at the Waldorf Astoria Auction
For anyone who has wondered what became of the furniture filling the 42 floors of the Waldorf Astoria before it closed for renovation, here is the answer: from October 17 through November 15, Kaminski is auctioning off over 15,000 items from the hotel. The array is impressive, if eclectic; exactly what one might expect from a hotel that opened in 1931 and hosted no fewer than 16 presidents, Marilyn Monroe, Cole Porter, and Winston Churchill.
Several of the furnishings up for auction would have been from when the suites were occupied by their namesake celebrities. A few highlights include a grandfather clock by Cartier that stood in the presidential suite (Lot 1633), a pink chair and ottoman from the Marilyn Monroe suite (Lot 11), an Italian console from Cole Porter's suite—the musician lived at the Waldorf Astoria for over 30 years—and a Steinway & Sons piano from the Saudi Arabian suite (Lot 695). Other miscellaneous items run the gamut from embroidered pillows featuring one of Queen Elizabeth's corgis and 1920s elevator fixtures (Lot 7123) to the door leading to President Herbert Hoover's suite (Lot 401). There are also rugs, mirrors, table lamps, and side tables galore, that date back to the 19th century, as well as photographs of celebrities during the hotel's heyday.
Previews are being held at a now-defunct mall Taunton, Massachusetts, not a particularly glamorous space, but the only one the auction house could find that could accommodate the sprawling 1.7 million feet of furniture. Proceeds will benefit the renovation of the exteriors and gardens of St. Bartholomew’s Church and Community House, a landmark building across the street from the Waldorf Astoria.
Although no date has been set for the reopening of the hotel, at least you can have a piece of its history (or a corgi pillow) in the meantime.
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