The New York TImes headlines called it “The Best Show of the Season in New York City”. The new Sherry-Netherland Hotel became a blazing beacon for miles as the scaffolding above the 32nd story burned itself out. It was the first real skyscraper fire the thousands in the street below had ever seen.
The 1927 fire was during its construction phase and broke out in its scaffolding before its standpipes were functioning. The hotel was not destroyed. The 570-foot-high, 38-story building was the world’s tallest apartment hotel when it was opened and all the floors above the 24th had only one apartment each.
Photo from The New York Times Photo Archives
Iconic Photos 