Seaway Idlewild Hotel
Current photo of the Crowne Plaza at John F. Kennedy Airport that was once the Seaway Idlewild Hotel.
New York Post 1962 advertisement for the Seaway Idlewild Hotel's London Room with directions.
This 1960 article from The New York Times discusses the property lease for the Seaway Idlewild Hotel when purchased by Seaway Associates Inc.
Known Name(s)
Seaway Idlewild Hotel
Address
N.Y. Int. Airport (Belt Pkwy. Jamaica 30) Queens, NY
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Extant
Description
The Seaway Idlewild Hotel was a large-scale property at the corner of Van Wyck Expressway and Belt Pkwy. The building was expressionist style with an architectural layout of a "C" shape wrapping around a parking lot. The outdoor area surrounding the hotel had shrubbery, grass, and sidewalks to building entrances and streets around the property. The hotel was equipped with three floor levels along both building wings. They stretched out to the sides and were adorned with the words "Seaway Idlewild Hotel" along the top floor windows. The hotel had railings on the roof top.
At the corner of Van Wyck Expressway and Belt Pkwy the building sported a two-story glass wall adorned with the words Seaway Idlewild Hotel. Under the signage were fourteen panes of glass with yellow curtains extending from ceiling to floor. Above the name, an undulating decorative fin adorned the top of the building. The large fin was repeated above the side entrances creating a smaller curvy fin over the doorways.
A postcard of this hotel states it was a favorite spot for commercial travelers and honeymooners with little airport and traffic noise despite its proximity to Idlewild International Airport (JFK). According to advertisements, the Seaway Idlewild Hotel was a three-floor "resort" motel with 112 rooms. The amenities included a swimming pool, conference and banquet rooms, a restaurant, cocktail lounge, contemporary decor, and overall good accommodations. All the motel rooms in the Seaway Idlewild Hotel had a bathroom, and the building was equipped with central air conditioning. There were three banquet rooms and a cocktail lounge known as the "London Room," which held 80 people and included a patio area. The cocktail lounge was wood paneled and had a curved bar with a contemporary theme throughout. The motel even had a 140-person dining room that was used for various events. To accommodate guests, the building honored all credit cards and had free parking for 130 cars.
Today the building is still standing as the Crowne Plaza at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The current hotel has the same shape as the original Seaway Idlewild Hotel but with a modern sleek look. There were more floors added to the establishment and based on a postcard image of the Seaway Idlewild Hotel; the current establishment does not keep any of its original architectural features besides the "C" shape. The Crowne Plaza is currently closed but once offered guests a bar, restaurant, casino, and a 24-hour front desk.
Detailed History
The Seaway Idlewild Hotel was a resort motel that opened in November 1959 at the entrance of Idlewild International Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport. Its original address was 138-10 135th Avenue, Jamaica, New York. The resort motel was listed in the 1963, 1964 and 1966 Green Book issues for travelers. Many advertisements do not use the full address but refer to the motel being located at Belt Pkwy and Van Wyck Expressway at the entrance to Idlewild International Airport. The motel ran many advertisements through a diverse array of publications like the New York Post and the New York Amsterdam News from the years of 1960-1964. The hotel was built for $2,000,000 and within its first year it won the 1960 Queens Chamber of Commerce award.
General manager Jim "J.C." Pullar ran the Seaway Idlewild Hotel and under his direction the resort catered to travelers. The building was also a place for weddings and community affairs with organizations like the Lions Club of Woodhaven-Richmond Hill having luncheons honoring members, celebrating holidays, and installing new officers during the years of 1961-1963. The Long Island Fashion Group had receptions there during 1963-1964 for various fundraisers and benefits. Bunny Roberts even had a seven-night radio show he conducted in the London Room and would air the recording on FM 92.7 WLIR from five to six at night.
The “London Room” was a cocktail lounge and restaurant that served American and international cuisine. Advertisements for the hotel suggested reservations be made through Lou Barney. The restaurant changed its menu everyday under Chef Emil Garcia. Other advertisements in 1962 boasted that the restaurant had king cocktails and master chef Jacques Andrews preparing a variety of international dishes. Some meal options the London Room served were London Broil for $3.50 and seafood flambe and shashlik for $4.75. Desserts included hot apple pie with rum sauce for .60 cents and strawberry Romanoff for $2.50. The London Room even offered a variety of entertainment options including popular violinist Sacha, the Calypso Improvisations of Bob Bravin and Gene Hopel, and musical artists Nicky Robert's and His Magic Guitar.
Many promotional pieces for the motel mentioned the perks of the building being located only a few minutes from LaGuardia airport and at the entrance to Idlewild International Airport (JFK). It was a short distance to the Aqueduct and Belmont racetracks for flat racing and Roosevelt Raceway for top harness racing.
The property lease for the resort motel was bought in 1960 by Seaway Associates Inc. headed by President Charles Ornstein for over $5,000,000. The land the Seaway Idlewood Hotel sat on had been leased for 35 years prior to the 1960 purchase and the lease was made through the David Jaret Corporation. A few years later, in 1962, the Seaway Idlewild Hotel was purchased by Yassky Corporation. This corporation was looking to add 250 rooms to the resort motel as well as outdoor and indoor swimming pools, dining rooms, and hand ball courts. The president of the Yassky Corporation said renovations would begin within two months of purchase and all management staff would be kept. A few years later in 1964 the motel was sold to Imperial "400" National Inc. and would undergo a name change to the Imperial "400" Seaway Idlewild Hotel. This corporation was a motel chain that owned hundreds of establishments around the country, and when the Seaway Idlewild Hotel was bought it became Imperial "400" National Incorporated's first purchase in New York State. In 1965 the hotel was then sold again to Prayer and Associates for $1.25 million. The owners of the well-known Tudor Hotel in Manhattan were the purchasers of the property during that time. The Seaway Idlewild Hotel is now the Crowne Plaza at JFK Airport, which is currently closed.
