The Broadway Mansions Hotel, a 1934 Art Deco residential tower on the north bank of Suzhou Creek at the Waibaidu Bridge, is one of the most visible landmarks at the approach to the Bund from the north. The 22-storey building was the headquarters for foreign journalists during the Sino-Japanese War and Mao's 1949 revolution — the press corps photographed the communist troops crossing the Waibaidu Bridge from the upper floors.
The Astor House Hotel, a few blocks north, is the oldest hotel in continuous operation in Shanghai (since 1846) and has hosted every major figure in Shanghai's history. The lobby bar is open to the public. The area between the two hotels and the Waibaidu Bridge is one of the most historically dense in Shanghai.