Over the past few years, the Michael W Travels family has stayed at the Radisson Martinique in NYC a handful of times.
If we want to spend a night in the city, we find the location to be an interesting one due to it being right in the heart of Korea Town.
The Radisson Martinique on Broadway is a historic hotel, which opened in 1897 with over 500 guest rooms. At the times, it was known simply as the Hotel Martinique on Broadway.
During one of our stays, we learned that the hotel was also famous for a bit of sports history. The Martinique is where the PGA, Professional Golfers Association of America was formed back in 1916.
While I’m not a fan of golf, I did find it very interesting to learn that a major sports organization was founded in this NYC hotel.
In 2011, the PGA Gallery at the Martinique opened on the second floor of the hotel. During a couple of our stays, we stopped by to check it out.
The PGA Gallery is comprised of various artifacts and photos hanging in a hallway of the hotel.
The first thing I stopped to look at was this frame which has a PGA symbol in it along with minutes and signatures from the meeting which formed the organization.
The info at the bottom of the frame reads: “The Professional Golfers Association of America, Founded April 10, 1916 at The Hotel Martinique on Broadway.“
Like I mentioned above, you’ll come across lots of framed photos in the hallway that make up the gallery..
In 2011 the PGA returned to the Radisson Martinique to celebrate the 95th anniversary of their first meeting and to open the PGA Gallery at the Martinique
The gallery, “traces the history of the PGA from its New York roots and 35 charter members to its growth into the largest working sports organization in the world.”
To recognize the occasion, Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of NYC at the time), proclaimed Wednesday, August 31, 2011 as “PGA of America Day.”
Final Thoughts:
The Radisson Martinique is a great place to stay. Even if you’re not a golf fan, it’s definitely worth a quick look at the PGA Gallery to learn about an interesting part of sports history in America.
The Radisson Martinique on Broadway is located at 49 West 32nd Street, New York, NY.
