The Ansonia Hotel, a Beaux-Arts style building located at 2109 Broadway in Manhattan, first opened its doors in 1904. One of the unique and whimsical features of the Ansonia's early years was the presence of live seals in its lobby fountain.
The Ansonia has hosted a number of notable guests over the years, including:
- Babe Ruth, the legendary baseball player.
- Florence Foster Jenkins, a socialite and amateur soprano known for her lack of singing ability, who lived there from the 1930s until her death in 1944.
- Enrico Caruso, the famous Italian operatic tenor.
- Arturo Toscanini, the renowned conductor.
- Igor Stravinsky, the influential composer.
- Ezra Pound, the poet.
- The Continental Baths, which occupied the basement and were famously frequented by stars like Bette Midler and Barry Manilow in the 1970s.