It was built at a time of a "hotel boom" in response to the opening of the New York Crystal Palace exhibition of 1853.

[1][2] The site, formerly that of Niblo's Garden,[3] was owned by Stephen Van Rensselaer, and the architects were Joseph Trench and John Butler Snook, who designed the hotel in the "grand commercialized style reminiscent of Roman palazzos,"[4] with many of its furnishings imported from Europe, including the largest plate-glass mirrors in the United States: the interior decorations and furnishings were claimed in 1866 to have cost $200,000.

[7] Unlike many New York hotels, the Metropolitan allowed the slaves of its Southern patrons to stay on the premises.

Mary Todd Lincoln and her black seamstress, Elizabeth Keckley stayed at the Metropolitan on various occasions.

The Lelands hosted them and sought to provide privacy for the unusually attired foreign guests who were hounded by the curious press and public.