The once grand, Vanderbilt Hotel, built in 1924 and designed by W. L. Stoddard, was modified in the 1960’s. At that time the U. S. Government in the 1960’s and 1970’s was to provide modest housing for the elderly in either new buildings or in renovated buildings. If an ornate building was approved for a federal grant for retrofitting for apartments, it was the policy of the U. S. Government to have all of the decorative façade removed by the developer during the retrofit. The thought behind this policy was to demonstrate to the public that public funds were not being lavishly spent on public housing units. Such was the fate of the ornate façade of the George Vanderbilt Hotel.
The building was again renovated in the the late 1990’s by Public Interest Projects. Read more here
Next to the Vanderbilt Hotel is the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium still found today inside the US Cellular Center.