Barclay Hotel (Philadelphia)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Barclay Hotel was located at 237 S. 18th St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Rittenhouse Square.
| Barclay Hotel Barclay Condominiums | |
|---|---|
 Barclay Hotel in April 2019 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia |
| Address | 237 S. 18th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 |
| Opening | 1929 |
| Closed | 1994 |
| Owner | Allan Domb Real Estate |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John McShain (Barclay Hotel) and Shay Construction (Barclay Condominium) |
| Other information | |
| Parking | located at 18th Street and Walnut Street |
| Website | |
| Rental and Sales Listings | |
The Barclay Hotel opened in October 1929. It was, for a period of time, the most famous hotel in Philadelphia. It was owned by the well-known developer John McShain.
Abscam scandal
In 1980, the hotel was the site of the FBI's Abscam sting operation, which exposed corruption in government. Federal agents posing as Arab sheikhs rented a suite in the hotel, where they solicited the help of local, state, and federal officials.[1]
Condominium conversion
In 1989, the hotel was put up for sale for approximately $30 million. In April 1992, owner Barclay Hotel Associates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The property was subsequently purchased by Princeton, New Jersey developer Peter Marks for $4.3 million in October 1994. Construction on the Barclay Condominiums was completed in 2005.[2]
In the 1994 novel The Fermata by Nicholson Baker, the narrator first discovers his ability to "freeze time" while staying at the Barclay Hotel as a child.
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