George Boldt

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George Charles Boldt (1851-1916), a self-made millionaire, influenced development of the urban hotel as a civic social center and luxurious destination.

He was proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and owned the Bellevue-Stratford hotel in Philadelphia (now the Park Hyatt), and was a trustee of Cornell University, to which school his daughter donated the Boldt Tower, a gothic residence hall. Perhaps best known for building Boldt Castle in the Thousand Islands area of New York State. The castle was intended as a gift for his wife Louise Kehrer Boldt, but when she died suddenly in 1904, construction was halted. The castle, largely completed, is now a major summer tourist attraction at Alexandria Bay.

George Boldt is credited with popularizing Thousand Island dressing during his time at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, when he instructed Maitre D' Oscar Tschirky to include it on the menu.

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