The Gramercy Park Hotel: A New York Icon

From the Roaring Twenties to a Rock 'N' Roll Landmark

Since it opened in 1925, the Gramercy Park Hotel has always been one of New York's premiere cultural hotspots. Early in its history it served as the backdrop to Humphrey Bogart's first marriage and housed a young John F. Kennedy. Soon Babe Ruth was a regular at the bar, and Joe DiMaggio was feted there. Most famous, perhaps, was the period in the 1970s, when rock 'n' roll royalty dubbed the hotel "the Glamercy," and acts such as the Clash, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Madonna, and more stayed "on the way up or on the way down." The hotel's history also includes the harrowing personal story of the Weissberg family who owned it for many years and lived there. Author Max Weissberg reveals an inside look at the hotel's storied past as a rock 'n' roll muse and a New York icon.

Max Weissberg is an award-winning director, writer, and producer from New York City, where his family ran the Gramercy Park Hotel. Fluent in German and Russian, he began his career as an assistant at LenFilm Studios in St. Petersburg, Russia, during a student exchange program. Weissberg holds a BA in German from Reed College and an MFA in directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. His notable works include the documentary he co-produced, Hotel Gramercy Park, which earned a jury citation at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, and his first feature film, Summertime in New York, which won Best Screenplay at the 2013 First Time Fest. More recently, his second feature film, Karaganda: Red Mafia, screened in festivals worldwide and is now available on Prime. Weissberg has also written for Rolling Stone and worked on television projects for Paramount Network, MTV, TV Land, and others.