The building was originally six stories high and was developed in two phases as the headquarters of the Lambs, a theatrical social club.

[21] The fourth story contains flat-arched terracotta lintels,[22] and the keystones of each flat arch are topped by lambs' heads.

[26][27] The building's bar, designed by White, was decorated with red walls;[28] Cosmopolitan magazine wrote in 1958 that the spaces "have the warm and friendly look of an Elizabethan tavern".

[25] The second-story rooms were illuminated by the French windows and contained details such as a fireplace mantel with denticulation; pilasters in the Ionic order; and paneled ceiling beams.

[40][41] The auditorium on the third and fourth stories was demolished because it was badly deteriorated, but other components of the old clubhouse were preserved, such as the second-floor memorial alcove and some of the decorative details.

[38] The corridors leading to the guestrooms on the upper stories were redecorated in red, blue, or brown when the building was converted into a hotel.

[46] The rooms contain suede walls and leather-paneled closets; each unit also had a stereo system, flat-screen TVs, and DVD players.

[37][48] The penthouse unit, named for the Barrymore family, comprises two suites, one of which has a spiral staircase leading to a roof terrace that overlooks the Belasco Theatre.

[52][53] The Lambs relocated its headquarters, or "Fold", multiple times in the late 19th century,[24] renting space at several buildings around Union Square, Manhattan.

[75][76] Theatrical figures such as Bobby Clark, John Drew Jr., Edgar Selwyn, and Douglas Fairbanks stayed in the clubhouse's bedrooms.

[76] The Hartford Courant reported in June 1909 that the Lambs acquired a site from the Medcef Eden Realty Company at 120–126 West 44th Street,[a] with plans to develop an 18-story clubhouse there.

[85] The club finally announced in February 1915 that it would build a six-story annex at 132–134 West 44th Street for $250,000,[8] having obtained a $300,000 first mortgage loan from the Dime Savings Bank of New York.

[86][87] The architects filed plans with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings in April 1915,[29][88] and work on the annex proceeded during World War I.

[111] During World War II, the clubhouse hosted weekly dinners for members of the United States Armed Forces.

Cosmopolitan magazine described the Lambs' "stately brick clubhouse" as a "hallowed stronghold of Broadway actors and song-and-dance men of the old school".

[122][123] To avert foreclosure, the club proposed admitting non-theatrical professionals and women as members,[119][122] in addition to renting out its theater.

[120][122] The same month, the Lambs admitted its first female member, Carolyn Newhouse, whose family was helping raise the $450,000 for the club's mortgage.

[120] The Lambs' new general director, Gene Frankel, planned to refurbish the building's theater and add classrooms and rehearsal halls.

[24][131] The clubhouse was sold at auction the next month to the Tremont Savings and Loan Association for $350,000,[28][132] even though the building had been appraised at $1.2 million just the previous year.

[134] The church intended to use the building for "the enrichment and development of Christian artistic, dramatic, and musical ministries in New York City".

[138][135] The Lambs relocated to the Women's National Republican Club building at 3 West 51st Street, adjacent to Rockefeller Center.

[146] The same year, nutritionist Glenna McCollum applied for a grant from the Foundation Center of Manhattan to pay for upgrades to the church's facilities.

[147] With the redevelopment of Times Square in the late 1990s, the Lamb's Theatre began to stage more family-friendly productions at the clubhouse, and the third-floor theater was also used for live radio broadcasts.

[141][142] According to pastor John Bowen, the building was physically deteriorating, and the partnership with Hampshire Hotels would allow the church to offer a wider range of programs.

[36][158] The Lambs Club restaurant at the hotel, which had been announced in 2008,[159] ultimately opened in September 2010 with Geoffrey Zakarian as executive chef.

[45][160] The restaurant, operated by Chatwal, was named in homage to the building's original tenant;[49][139] it quickly became popular among women who worked in fashion, publishing, and hospitality.

[160] Although the Chatwal New York was much smaller than other buildings in the area, Ralph Gardner Jr. of The Wall Street Journal wrote that the hotel "aspires to make up for [this] in amenities—closets inspired by leather Vuitton-like travel trunks; Frette linens, duvets and pillows; and a 'minibar curated by Geoffrey Zakarian'.

[39] A single worker remained on site to maintain the hotel during its extended closure, turning on all the showers and sinks twice a month and flushing the toilets once a week.

[166][167] According to White's grandson Samuel, the building's facade presented "a strictly businesslike character, as if to emphasize the orderly nature of the membership rather than its artistic and presumably extremely entertaining qualities".

[46] A reviewer for the Toronto Star characterized the hotel as an "intimate 76-room property that seamlessly blends the charm of the past and the creature comforts of the present".