Pakistan Signs Deal With US to Revamp NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel (1)

Pakistan agreed to work with the US to revamp the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, marking a step forward in its plans to re-purpose a building once dubbed the “New Ellis Island” for its role in sheltering migrants.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance said Thursday it launched a “strategic economic initiative” with the US General Services Administration to handle the operation, maintenance, renovation and redevelopment of the property.

The deal was negotiated by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the statement. Witkoff has an extensive background in New York City real estate.

The Covid-19 pandemic pushed the Roosevelt to permanently shutter.

Photographer: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

The Roosevelt Hotel opened in 1924 as ...