THE ROGER SMITH.

I stayed at the Hotel Roger Smith for 15 years, and I am not entirely certainly why. Familiarity, perhaps. It felt a bit shabby during my 2000 stay, so I've moved on to other hotels.

Mr. Smith was a benefactor of the UN - hence the flag, and the hotel's supposed popularity with a European clientele. I don't know when it was built, or who built it; I don't know if the top three stories were added later.