Thayer Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Thayer Hotel is a 149-room "Historic Hotel of America" property located 50 miles north of New York City on the banks of the Hudson River
at 674 Thayer Road in West Point, New York
on the campus of the United States Military Academy
. It is named after Sylvanus Thayer
, West Point class of 1808, the "father of the Military Academy."
The Thayer Hotel has three main markets: tourists visiting West Point, weddings, and corporate conferences. The Thayer Hotel came under new management in October, 2009. The 149-room hotel has been completely renovated, re-branded, and is now being marketed to host corporate events and leadership training.
on Trophy Point
. The West Point Hotel served the academy for over a century, hosting a long list of dignitaries such as Robert E. Lee
, Ulysses S. Grant
, Stonewall Jackson
, Winfield Scott
, William Tecumseh Sherman
, Washington Irving
, Edgar Allan Poe
, and James Whistler
. Perhaps that hotels' history is tied most famously to one of West Point's most famous graduates, General Douglas MacArthur
. During General Douglas MacArthur's time as a cadet, his mother lived in the West Point Hotel. When Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur returned from World War I to become the Superintendent of West Point, he started a major expansion program of the physical buildings. The new Thayer Hotel was one of these expansion projects and the Thayer Hotel officially opened May 27, 1926 with 225 rooms. General MacArthur would return to West Point and stay in the hotel in 1962 for one final time to give his noted "Duty, Honor, Country" speech to the cadets as he received the Thayer Award.
The former Iranian hostages were housed at the hotel immediately upon their return to the US. The former hostages spent the night at the hotel signed a menu which is still on display in the lobby, as well as a brass plaque given by the former hostages to the Thayer Hotel thanking the hotel for welcoming them home.
The Thayer Hotel has undergone several renovations over the years and now has 149 rooms, and several conference rooms of various sizes. The Thayer Hotel is an Historic Hotel of America. The main conference rooms and public spaces are all named after historic figures in American history who were instrumental in West Point's history. The hotel has named the "President George Washington Ballroom" (who first headquartered at West Point in 1779); President Thomas Jefferson Patio (founded the US Military Academy in 1802); President Ulysses S. Grant Room (class of 1836); President Dwight D. Eisenhower Room (class of 1915); "General Douglas MacArthur Room (class of 1903); General of the Armies John J. Pershing Room (class of 1886 who led our armies in WWI); General Omar Bradley Room (class of 1915); and General George S. Patton Tavern (class of 1909).
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
at 674 Thayer Road in West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
on the campus of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. It is named after Sylvanus Thayer
Sylvanus Thayer
Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States.-Biography:Thayer was born in Braintree, Massachusetts,...
, West Point class of 1808, the "father of the Military Academy."
The Thayer Hotel has three main markets: tourists visiting West Point, weddings, and corporate conferences. The Thayer Hotel came under new management in October, 2009. The 149-room hotel has been completely renovated, re-branded, and is now being marketed to host corporate events and leadership training.
History
In 1829, the West Point Hotel was built near the PlainThe Plain (West Point)
The Plain is the parade field at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The flat terrain of the Plain is in contrast to the varied and hilly terrain of the remainder of the campus. The Plain rises approximately above the Hudson River and has been the site of the longest...
on Trophy Point
Trophy Point
Trophy Point is a scenic overlook of the Hudson River Valley located at West Point, New York. It has been the subject of numerous works of art since the early 19th century. Trophy Point is the location of Battle Monument, one of the largest columns of granite in the world...
. The West Point Hotel served the academy for over a century, hosting a long list of dignitaries such as Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
, Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
, Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
, William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
, Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
, Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, and James Whistler
James Whistler
James Whistler is the name of:* James Abbott McNeill Whistler , American-born, British-based artist, known for the painting colloquially known as Whistler's Mother...
. Perhaps that hotels' history is tied most famously to one of West Point's most famous graduates, General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
. During General Douglas MacArthur's time as a cadet, his mother lived in the West Point Hotel. When Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur returned from World War I to become the Superintendent of West Point, he started a major expansion program of the physical buildings. The new Thayer Hotel was one of these expansion projects and the Thayer Hotel officially opened May 27, 1926 with 225 rooms. General MacArthur would return to West Point and stay in the hotel in 1962 for one final time to give his noted "Duty, Honor, Country" speech to the cadets as he received the Thayer Award.
The former Iranian hostages were housed at the hotel immediately upon their return to the US. The former hostages spent the night at the hotel signed a menu which is still on display in the lobby, as well as a brass plaque given by the former hostages to the Thayer Hotel thanking the hotel for welcoming them home.
The Thayer Hotel has undergone several renovations over the years and now has 149 rooms, and several conference rooms of various sizes. The Thayer Hotel is an Historic Hotel of America. The main conference rooms and public spaces are all named after historic figures in American history who were instrumental in West Point's history. The hotel has named the "President George Washington Ballroom" (who first headquartered at West Point in 1779); President Thomas Jefferson Patio (founded the US Military Academy in 1802); President Ulysses S. Grant Room (class of 1836); President Dwight D. Eisenhower Room (class of 1915); "General Douglas MacArthur Room (class of 1903); General of the Armies John J. Pershing Room (class of 1886 who led our armies in WWI); General Omar Bradley Room (class of 1915); and General George S. Patton Tavern (class of 1909).