The imprint of the old Loew's Lexington theater is visible (to the right) up to the sixth floor of what is now the Benjamin Hotel.

the flags here appear to be hung at half mast. Searching the date on wikipedia does not reveal why. Anyone?

[The first comment submitted gives the likely explanation. - tterrace]

When I interviewed for my first job in Manhattan (in 1963), for some reason, the company put me here one night. I flew in from Houston and took Carey in, and then somehow got to this place. I was gobsmacked!!!! Such luxury and so au courant! Yes, I took the job!

When I lived nearby in the early 2000s my voting place was in this hotel, in one of the meeting rooms. There were not that many full-time residents in this commercial and hotel district, and many of those who did reside in the area were not U.S. citizens (in large measure because of the proximity of the U.N.), so even though it was right in the middle of bustling midtown Manhattan it was a very lonely polling place.

The hotel staff were largely unaware, and surprised to hear, that there was a polling place in their building. And the poll workers were genuinely happy to have anyone at all come in to vote. There was definitely no wait for a voting machine.

The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission report .

I don't think it's ugly, but it's always seemed strangely out of place in Manhattan. Belongs in the suburbs, maybe. But it's supposed to be a very good hotel.

The hotel in this photo is in compliance with the Shorpy person-in-window rule. Level to a T.

It was ugly then and it's ugly now. I DO like the sign, however.

Its buildings like this that fueled my desire to become an architect - I'm so glad that it looks very close to the way it did when it was built.

The vertical "Summit" sign pictured with such groovy shadows shrieks 1961 all by itself. Somehow, today's "Double Tree" use of the same sign just isn't as cool, or as classic.

I like the way the Beverly Hotel (which I assume is the building next door) hits potential customers in the eye with a BIG WALL AD, trying to lure tourists and visitors away from the Summit with AC, TV, terraced suites etc.

And only about half a dozen blocks from Frank Lloyd Wright's Mercedes Benz showroom on Park Avenue, with its Guggenheim-like ramp.

This was my old subway stop (until the magazine moved to Soho) -- some fantastic terrazzo flooring still extant.

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Your comments got my attention, so I noticed the flags are at half-mast. I looked up the date and found that September 18, 1961 was the day that U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash in Africa.