Hotel Edison is a historic hotel building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was constructed in 1931. Thomas Edison turned on the lights when it opened. It accommodated 1,000 guests on 26 floors and offered three restaurants. Herbert J. Krapp was the architect, and Milton J. Kramer was the original owner. It is located on 46th and 47th Street, west of Broadway. The hotel's ballroom was used as the Arena Theatre in 1950 and as the Edison Theatre from 1972 until 1991, when it was converted back into a ballroom.
In the early 1950s, "Glorious" Gloria Parker and her Orchestra hosted an evening broadcast on WOR from the Hotel Edison. Parker would open the show with the glass harp (or musical glasses) and feature the popular Latin sound on her marimba with her orchestra.
Henry Jerome was a band leader at the hotel when he heard from Bill Randle about a trio. This led the signing of Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison to a management contract. Jerome got Johnny a daytime job as an elevator operator at the hotel and moved The Rock and Roll Trio in the hotel from the YMCA. He secured a contract for the trio with GAC (General Artists Corporation) and with the Coral division of Decca Records.
References
External links
- Official website
