hotel, and the various public rooms were also supposed to attract guests, Construction of the hotel itself commenced in August 1922. The Shelton was partially open by late 1923 and had been completed by March 1924. Following the Shelton's completion, other hotels in the area, such as the Lexington and Waldorf Astoria, were also constructed. Early operation 1920s to 1940s As a bachelor hotel, the Shelton originally catered solely to men. In September 1924, the hotel announced that it would admit women after the vast majority of the hotel's tenants voted in favor of it. According to The New York Herald, New York Tribune, although many of the residents favored retaining men-only clubrooms, "when it came to the hotel dining rooms, salons and the library and card rooms they missed the dash of color". The first female guests checked into the Shelton that October, and the hotel's 75-foot-long swimming pool opened the next month. The swimming pool hosted the Hotel Shelton Dolphins, a women's swim team, and it was also used for meets by the AAU Women's Swimming Association. After five companies established the Continental-Leland Corporation in 1925, the Shelton became the flagship hotel of the corporation; James T. Lee was the president of the corporation. Hughes & Hammond placed a $4 million, ten-year mortgage loan on the hotel in 1928; this mortgage loan replaced a $4.25 million bond issue that was placed circa 1924. The Knott Management Corporation took over the Shelton Hotel's operation in March 1935. That September, the Knotts announced a $65,000 renovation of the hotel, which would be designed by Charles F. Winkleman. As part of the project, the Pompeiian room (which had been the hotel's café) was converted into a lounge, and the lounges on 49th Street were converted into a grill and cocktail room. In October 1935, the New York Life Insurance Company took over the Shelton at a foreclosure auction, bidding $300,000 and assuming the hotel's $3.64 million mortgage. The Knott Corporation managed the hotel on behalf of New York Life, and it operated an entertainment venue at the hotel, the Shelton Corner. The Shelton remained popular in the 1940s, when it hosted civic meetings and other events. The hotel's advertisements praised its amenities, the affordable prices of the restaurant's meals, the live music at the Shelton Corner, and the proximity to Grand Central Terminal. Guests could pay nightly or weekly fees to