[5] Historically, the Marriott's site was occupied by five theaters: the original Helen Hayes,[a] Morosco, Bijou, Astor, and Gaiety (later Victoria), all built in the early 20th century.

The preexisting framing was extended and reinforced to support the newer sign, and a 57-foot-long (17 m) Vierendeel truss was installed across the center of the Broadway facade.

[6] The passageway on the eastern side of the site contains a driveway,[6][47][30] which was designed with five vehicular lanes and was intended to divert taxi traffic away from Broadway.

[56] As of 2022[update], the eighth floor contains Revel & Rye Bar and Restaurant, which includes a gold-colored ceiling and rows of lighting.

[14] In the late 1960s, real-estate agent Peter Sharp had acquired the Morosco, Astor, Helen Hayes, and Victoria theaters, with plans to build an office tower on the site.

[71] Jaquelin T. Robertson, who led the city government's office of Midtown Planning and Development, convinced Sharp in 1970 to hire Robert Venturi as a consultant.

Venturi, along with Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour, proposed large signs and "low public spaces".

[14][77] By April 1973, the plans for the hotel had been changed to a single tower with a hollow atrium, increasing the projected cost to $90 million.

[96][100] The New York City Board of Estimate voted to approve a tax exemption for the hotel that August, thereby permitting Portman Properties to contact potential lenders.

[109] Trust Houses Forte of London expressed interest in operating the hotel,[99][106] but the developers announced in November 1979 that they still had difficulties obtaining financing.

[13] Theatrical advocates and preservationists felt the Portman Hotel's new theater would be bulky and impersonal, like the Minskoff and the Uris (Gershwin).

[76][119] In February 1980, actors such as Anthony Perkins, José Ferrer, and Tony Randall protested the proposed demolition of the Helen Hayes, Morosco, and Bijou.

[122] In July 1980, Manhattan Community Board 5 voted to affirm the Portman Hotel,[123][124] despite testimony from opponents including impresario Joseph Papp.

[131] The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development formally placed the federal action grant on hold in January 1981, supposedly because the documents had been sent a few days late.

[54] The original lease ran for 75 years, but Marriott could exercise an option to buy the land at fair market value after paying off the federal grant.

[141] By mid-1981, the only remaining issues to address before the start of construction were a public hearing for the planning process, as well as a lawsuit from Actors' Equity.

[142] Though opponents made many comments at the public hearings,[143] the city published an environmental impact statement in favor of Portman's plans.

[76][39] As a last-ditch effort, opponents put forth a competing proposal by Lee Harris Pomeroy, which was largely similar to Portman's plans[144] but would cantilever the hotel over the theaters.

[8] Actors' Equity and other preservation groups had tried to add the Morosco to the NRHP in early 1981, though the federal government initially rejected the move.

[164] Demolition of the Helen Hayes and Morosco commenced on March 22, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, and several high-profile actors and theatrical personalities were arrested in the ensuing protests.

[165] The Morosco was demolished quickly as it was never listed on the NRHP, but some historically and architecturally significant items from the Helen Hayes were preserved.

Because of the heavy traffic and densely built neighborhood, there was only a small amount of space where builders could work, and materials could not be staged nearby.

[55][236] As part of the renovation, the bars, restaurants, meeting rooms, and ballrooms were upgraded, and a sky bridge measuring 240 feet (73 m) long was installed at the ninth story.

[242] Architectural Forum wrote that "any Portman in a storm (especially that of Times Square) will do just fine",[243][26] while The New Yorker commented, "The hotel looked like fun".

[243][244] Conversely, Stanley Abercrombie of Architecture Plus said "the hotel threatens to effect, at street level, a weakening rather than a strengthening of Times Square vitality".

[28][245] Abercrombie, writing for the Journal of the Institute of American Architects, said in 1982: "The new hotel may do wonderful things for the area, but it could have been even more beneficial if another site had been chosen for it.

[247] When the hotel finally opened, Goldberger called the design outdated, with the mass "looming over Times Square like an upended bunker".

[65][248] Newsday said two years after the hotel's completion that the "exterior could hold its own against anything in Dallas", while the "interior resembles the set where Luke Skywalker battled Darth Vader.

"[202] Herbert Muschamp said: "Throughout the hotel, design issues a protective order that makes the city outside a forbidding presence, mercifully kept at bay.

"[249] U.S. News & World Report, which did not rank the hotel among the top 100 in New York City, wrote: "For some previous visitors it's this Marriott's high-caliber service that wins them over [...] but for others it's the enviable location.