Our History
Nearly a century of jazz, gold leaf and good company — and four years bringing it all back.
A jewel box on the avenue
Hollis Crane designed the Meridian Trust as “a cathedral of commerce”: black granite, emerald marble and a lobby ceiling of hammered gold. Our restoration kept 80% of the original fabric.
“We didn’t want a museum. We wanted the building to feel as alive as it did in 1927.” — Odette Marsh, owner
Ninety-eight years in six chapters
- 1926
The Meridian Trust
Architect Hollis Crane completes a twelve-storey bank and members’ hotel, crowned with a gold sunburst.
- 1927
The first ball
The Emerald Ballroom opens with a charity ball; a young Duke Ellington plays until dawn.
- 1933
The vault bar
With Prohibition repealed, the bank vault becomes the city’s most discreet bar.
- 1971
Long sleep
The hotel closes; the lobby is boarded up and the brass lifts fall silent.
- 2020
Restoration
Craftspeople spend four years re-casting terrazzo, re-gilding ceilings and rewiring all 96 rooms.
- 2024
The Gilded
The doors reopen — with the original lift attendant’s grandson at the front desk.
How we keep the house
Old-school service
A concierge who knows your name, your paper and how you take your coffee.
Quietly sustainable
Geothermal heating, no single-use plastic and a rooftop beehive.
Local makers
Lamps, linens and ceramics made within a hundred miles.
Living history
Free building tours every Saturday — guests and neighbours welcome.
Your room is waiting
Book direct for our best rate, a welcome cocktail at the Verdigris Bar and late checkout whenever we can.