Martha Washington Hotel

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The Martha Washington Hotel is a historic building at 30 East 30th Street in Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood. It opened in 1903 as a women‑only hotel and was designed by architect Robert W. Gibson in a Renaissance Revival style. The 13‑story brick-and-stone building was built for the Women’s Hotel Company and, at its peak, housed a mix of short‑term guests and long‑term residents.

Architecture and layout
The brick and stone façade features classical details and a two‑story base with seven bays on each street; the upper stories rise to the top with the center entrance on 30th Street and a recessed top floor. The hotel originally offered public spaces on the ground floors, with most bedrooms on the upper floors. It was built to provide safe, respectable housing for businesswomen at a time when many hotels did not admit single women.

Early history and evolution
When it opened on March 1, 1903, the Martha Washington catered to women who needed long‑term as well as short‑term housing. Men could use the lower floors’ public rooms, but could not rent rooms. Over the years, the hotel changed hands several times, with the Manger family running it from 1920 to 1948 and the Sillins Hotel Corporation from 1950 to 1997. In 1998 it began admitting men and in 2000 it was renamed the Thirty Thirty.

Renovations, rebrands, and later years
The property underwent multiple renovations and name changes in the 2000s. In 2011–2014 it was renovated again, and the interior was redesigned by Annabelle Selldorf. It was briefly named Hotel Lola, then King & Grove New York after a 2012 purchase. In 2014 the hotel was renamed back to the Martha Washington and given a more upscale interior. In 2015 it was sold to CIM, which rebranded it as The Redbury New York and later brought in new management and further updates.

Current status and recent use
The Redbury faced challenges during the COVID‑19 era and, in 2023, New York City began using part of the building as temporary migrant housing, reducing public reservations. The hotel sits on about 143,000 square feet of space across 13 floors and has roughly 250 guest rooms. It remains a designated New York City landmark and is listed in Historic Hotels of America. The site is also recognized on the National Votes for Women Trail for its place in women’s history.

Notable aspects and people
From its early days, the Martha Washington hosted important women’s groups and notable guests. Writers, artists, and public figures—including Sara Teasdale, Louise Brooks, Consuelo Vanderbilt, and Fran Lebowitz—have associations with the hotel. The building’s history reflects changes in New York’s hotel culture, urban development, and the evolving role of women in the city’s professional life.

Today the Martha Washington Hotel stands as a historic building with a long legacy in women’s housing and New York City’s hotel history, continuing to evolve while preserving its landmark status.