The hotel's original public rooms, which included a lobby and restaurants, were in the basement and first floor; many of these spaces have since been modified.

[2][3] The land lot is L-shaped, wrapping around another structure at the northwest corner of 28th Street and Madison Avenue, and measures 205,132 square feet (19,057.4 m2).

The 28th and 29th Street annex was the work of architect Charles T. Mott, who specialized in row houses in New York City.

[15] At ground level, on both sides of the 29th Street entrance, are high round-arched openings with concave frames, balustrades, and keystones flanked by carvings of oak leaves.

[23] On the fourth to tenth stories, the facade of the original hotel is largely made of brick with limestone or terracotta trim, and the window arrangement is similar to that on the base.

[25] Above the tenth story runs a cornice with a Greek key pattern, as well as curved hoods that protrude from each of the wide bays.

[27] Originally, the hotel's main public rooms were in the basement and first floor, while the upper stories housed the guestrooms.

[27] East of the original lobby was a dining room on Madison Avenue, with a paneled plaster ceiling and mosaic floor, though much of the decoration was damaged or covered up by the early 21st century.

[32] The basement retains some of its original details, including marble floors and a men's cafe with wooden ceiling beams.

[37] Part of the basement and first floor were combined in 2004 to form a double-level restaurant space next to the modern lobby, covering 7,000 square feet (650 m2).

[16] New Yorkers began establishing mansions and row houses north of Madison Square Park during the mid-nineteenth century.

[53] Real estate developer Myer Hellman bought the Scottish Rite Hall at Madison Avenue and 29th Street in April 1901[56][57] for $175,000.

"[56] Hellman quickly leased the site to Maitland E. Graves,[58][59] who hired Harry Allan Jacobs to draw up plans for the hotel.

[60] Graves wanted an elaborate structure facing onto Madison Avenue, though the main entrance was relocated to the longer 29th Street frontage in the final plans.

The hotel catered to both short-term visitors and long-term residents; early advertisements described its proximity to Grand Central Depot and the Fifth Avenue shopping district.

[74] Raegener leased a 200-foot-deep site next to the hotel in November 1905,[75] and he hired Charles P. Mott, his brother-in-law, to draw up plans for a 12-story annex there.

[46][81] The Seville's operators acquired the neighboring four-story row houses at 86 and 88 Madison Avenue, collectively occupying a 50-by-200-foot (15 by 61 m) lot, in July 1913.

Advertisements for the hotel praised the structure's fireproof construction and described the nearby entertainment venues, stores, and transportation.

[84][85] That December, Raegener's firm Roy Realty Company bought the 10-story apartment building at the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 28th Street, south and east of the hotel.

[46] In December 1929, the Roy Realty Company leased the hotel to Jacob Wilson of the Seville Operating Corporation for 89 years.

[115] As part of the project, a three-story annex with a new main entrance was built at 86–88 Madison Avenue, and the guest rooms were refurbished.

[126][127] The Carlton became part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection brand in early 2012,[124][128] and several specialty suites opened at the hotel later the same year.

[131] After the purchase, GFI announced in November 2016 that it would renovate the Carlton's lobby, create a 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) retail space, and rebrand the hotel as the James New York – NoMad.

[141] A writer for The Austin Statesman wrote in the early 1940s that the Seville was "one of the older, conservative hotels of [the neighborhood], with high ceilings and spacious lobby".

[142] In 1983, the Boston Globe wrote: "It has spacious rooms, shabby furnishings in some of them, but luxurious marble baths in the manner of a European hotel.

[143] The New York Times wrote in 2007 that the Country restaurant and "the cheer of the well-trained staff" were positive qualities but that the hotel lacked a gym or exercise room, "a glaring omission".

[116] A writer for The Daily Telegraph praised the hotel for being "elegant and formal without being stiff or old-fashioned" but criticized the lack of service and the fact that her room overlooked a brick wall.

[117] When the hotel was renovated into the James New York in the late 2010s, a writer for The Globe and Mail said: "The rooms are spacious and as well-appointed as one would expect from a hospitality group that made its name in SoHo.

[144] When the hotel was renovated in 2007, a writer for the New Haven Register said the Wolfson family's "vision has produced stunning results throughout, but the showstopper is an original stained glass dome that illuminates the elegant dining room".

[44] Alfred and Joyce Pommer, who wrote a book about Murray Hill, Manhattan, in 2013, described the former Hotel Seville as having "altogether a robust design".