The 12-story with a mezzanine hotel was built in 1912-13 by German-born stockbroker Gustavus Sidenberg (1843–1915), whose wife the hotel is named after, and was designed by the firm of George & Edward Blum, who specialized in designing apartment buildings. The hotel, which was known in its heyday as "the Waldorf of Harlem", exemplifies the Blums' inventive use of terra-cotta for ornamentation, and has been called "one of the most visually striking structures in northern Manhattan."Hotel Theresa was lavish. It was known for the people it attracted and its social life. Up until the 1930s, Hotel Theresa was strictly for white people only. The hotel began accepting black guests in the late 1930s essentially out of necessity once black businessman Lovie B. Woods bought the hotel.otel Theresa was known for its famous guests, its bustling boutique, and its active dining room and club.
