Berny's photos with the keyword: Hotel Plaza

The Plaza Hotel was founded by Captain Walter Fletcher Smith, and was built from an existing colonial building. It was designed by Ricardo Galbis Abella, and constructed by the New York firm of Purdy and Henderson, Engineers. The hotel opened in 1906 and was inaugurated in 1909. A casino was opened in the hotel during the 1950s. It was owned by Philadelphia crime family member Angelo Bruno, along with Joseph "Hoboken Joe" Stassi and his son Joe Stassi Jr. Stassi was an associate of mobster Meyer Lansky. The casino was destroyed by mobs in early January 1959 as Fidel Castro's rebel army overtook Havana