It may be home to the most glamorous scenes from the Gossip Girl but it’s no secret that The Lotte New York Palace Hotel holds a specials place in heart of New York City’s history. The provenance of this remarkable venue began over a century ago when Henry Villard, one of the nation’s most prominent financiers, commissioned McKim, Mead & White to create a spectacular residence, constructed in 1882. Throughout the next century the residence changed from private homes to offices for the Archdiocese and later, corporate offices for internationally known companies. It wasn’t until the ’70s, when the Archdiocese…