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Hygeia Hotel: 1895
... circa 1895. "Boat landing at Old Point Comfort and Hygeia Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Razed by the Feds This, the second Hygeia Hotel, was torn down in 1902 after the feds took the land back. Its neighbor, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/25/2016 - 11:00am -

Hampton Roads, Virginia, circa 1895. "Boat landing at Old Point Comfort and Hygeia Hotel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Razed by the FedsThis, the second Hygeia Hotel, was torn down in 1902 after the feds took the land back. Its neighbor, the Chamberlin Hotel, did however burn to the ground in 1920 and was replaced by the massive brick pile which still stands. Hygienic HygeiaNote the spray of droplets emanating from the sprinkler bar on the tank watering the road. Quite the HotelWant an inside look? Also About Those ShipsI think Atlanta is indeed the most likely suspect. According to The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships the Olympia was built in San Francisco at Union Iron Works, commissioning on 5 February, 1895. She left Mare Island on 25 August, 1895 to join the Asiatic Fleet. Boston was at Mare Island from 7 October, 1893 until 10 January, 1896 when she too departed for the Far East. That seems to leave Atlanta to be the ship as she spent her time in the North Atlantic Squadron. "New Navy" ShipsLike today, Hampton Roads was a major naval base in 1895. Some of the ships in the background are recognizably some of the steel vessels built to modernize the Navy at the end of the 1880's. The brig-rigged vessel at the left is almost certainly of the Atlanta class. The schooner-rigged 2-stacker in the middle is the San Francisco. These can be identified from drawings on Pages 18 and 27 of Friedman's "US Cruisers: an Illustrated Design History." The Atlanta class of 3 ships was commissioned from 1886 to 1889, while San Francisco was commissioned in 1890. The vessel on the right seems not to match anything in the book; she appears to be barkentine rigged. I'm open to suggestions. All these Navy ships have the period appropriate paints scheme of white topsides and buff superstructures -- of course we can't tell that from this black and white image. Flag detailForty eight stars showing on the high flying flag. Still years out in 1895. [You're counting wrong. - Dave] Oops! I tried short cut: six down times eight across top. Me bad. [Eight across the top, eight across the bottom, and four rows of seven. - Dave] USS OlympiaI do believe that that would by the USS Olympia in the background given the twin masts and double smokestacks and the year, as the USS Boston, USS Kearsarge were not part of the fleet until 1898. The Question Every Shorpyite is AskingWhen did it burn down? One year 'til UtahDave is right about the number of stars---two rows of eight and four rows of seven---44. Utah became Number 45 in 1896. About those shipsIn my most humble opinion, I believe the ship on the left is either Atlanta or Boston (same class), the one in the middle either the Philadelphia or San Francisco (same class) while the elusive ship on the right could be the Chicago. At first I thought the one on the left was Olympia, but the funnels are not quite right, nor the masts. It is maddening, there is just enough visible to make you sure you don´t know for sure. Further About Those ShipsThe ship on the right could be the gunboat USS Petrel. The funnel and rigging seem to match. If that's the case, it would put the picture a bit earlier, as she was reassigned to the Asiatic Squadron (Hong Kong) in 1891. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Horses)
Fairview Hotel: 1916
Washington circa 1916. "Fairview Hotel, 1st Street and Florida Avenue." The proprietor is former slave and ... the city wanted to tear down the, um, stately Fairview Hotel. I can't imagine this was seriously a room for rent, unless it's just the ... Post, September 3, 1916. PLEAD FOR QUAINT HOTEL Hundred Neighbors Sign a Petition To Save Sutherland's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 1:21pm -

Washington circa 1916. "Fairview Hotel, 1st Street and Florida Avenue." The proprietor is former slave and "colored philosopher" Keith Sutherland. See the comments below for more on him. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Room comes with outside bar.I wonder if he ever tried to patent his Pepecual Motion machine? Soup to GoTake a good look at the wooden cart. It has a kerosene container with a tap. It looks like it goes under the "soup" pot. Maybe Mr. Sutherland took his cart around and sold food as a vendor. He has a counter on both sides! Amazing. I don't know why......but I have sudden craving for a delicious CORBY CAKE™. Gold Dust Twins"I will agree with you sister why do they want to break up Fairview for" Cryptic sign. One might assume the city wanted to tear down the, um, stately Fairview Hotel. I can't imagine this was seriously a room for rent, unless it's just the check-in. Looks more like a ramshackle lunch stand. Fair View?Why, I'd say it was better than fair. It's downright byootyfull. Gold Dust Twins"Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder - The Many Purpose Cleaner. Gold Dust products were represented by the Gold Dust Twins, two African-American children surrounded by gold coins. The orange box with the universally recognized twins practically jumped off the shelf. In fact the twins were one of the best known trademarks of the 19th century. Let the Twins Do Your Work was the tag line. The back of the box shows the twins tackling several household chores as well as a list of 34 cleaning jobs made easier by using Gold Dust. http://www.the-forum.com/advert/golddust.htm Wow!Now this is one of the most interesting photos posted on Shorpy in a long time. I would love to know the story behind the "I will agree with you sister..." sign. This Quaint StructureWashington Post, September 3, 1916. PLEAD FOR QUAINT HOTEL Hundred Neighbors Sign a Petition To Save Sutherland's "Fairview." A petition eight feet long, signed by about 100 neighbors of the Fairview Hotel, First street and Florida avenue northeast, will be introduced as evidence against the condemnation and closing of this quaint structure when a hearing is held at the District building Tuesday to determine whether the property shall be razed for sanitary reasons. Keith Sutherland is the aged colored proprietor, and he hobbled to the District building last week and appealed to Daniel Donovan, secretary to the board of commissioners, to save his place. Since filing his appeal the health department has investigated the property. Its report has been turned over to Commissioner Brownlow, and will be heard at the hearing. Fairview is a one-room hotel, opposite the Baltimore and Ohio freight yards. On the spotless whitewashed walls the proprietor, Sutherland, has written some quaint bits of philosophy for the edification of his customers -- truck drivers and employes about the yards. Corby - Washington's Biggest BakeryArticle from October 1915 issue of Bakers Review courtesy of Google Books: The largest bakery in Washington--and model one, too, in every sense of the word--is that owned and operated by the Corby Baking Co., one of the most progressive baking concerns in the United States. The firm was organized twenty years ago, when they started a little bakery down town. In 1902 they bought out a baker at 2305 Georgia Ave., (where their present plant is situated), and then built the first addition. In 1912 they built again, giving the Plant of the Corby Baking Co., Washington, D. C. building its present size. The article even has pictures! Say!I think I stayed there one year Thursday night! Roof GardenFor me a most entertaining aspect of the photo is the three rusty tins being used as planters on top of the shack:     FAIR     VIEW     HOTEL And the whiskey bottles on the stand tell a lot about this place. Those signsKeith Sutherland's quaint signs would qualify today as genuine folk art. Gold Dust TwinsFred Lynn and Jim Rice were known as the Gold Dust Twins in 1975. I figured the name came from somewhere, but I didn't know it was from washing powder. Sage DiesWashington Post, Feb. 21, 1933. Sage Dies Former Slave Prophesied Voters' Landslide for Roosevelt. Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher and prophet whose political forecast won him the thanks of President-elect Roosevelt, fulfilled his final prediction Sunday when he folded his hands about a Bible and died at his home, 1640 Eleventh street. The former slave felt the approach of death Friday, his children said. He called his family together and instructed them to prepare a funeral, saying that he would die on the Sabbath. Last August Sutherland dreamed of a great voters' landslide for Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dream was so "clear" that he wrote Mr. Roosevelt a description of it. Mr. Roosevelt responded with a "thank you" note saying he found the prediction "very encouraging." For the past half century Sutherland has kept a restaurant in Washington where the walls were posted with his prophecies, many of them showing unusual foresight. He was 79 years old. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the P.A. Lomax funeral home, Fourteenth and S streets. Interment will be at Harmony Cemetery. He is survived by four children. The Real McCoyIt actually looks like Grandpappy Amos McCoy's apple cider stand. Hostelry Spared Local News Briefs Upon recommendation of both the health officer, William C. Woodward, and Building Inspector Hacker, the District commissioners decided not to condemn "Fairview," the famous hostelry at First street and Florida avenue northwest , owned by Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher. About a month ago complaints reached the health office that "Fairview" was insanitary and a menace to the health of the city. The commissioners decided to investigate, but before they were ready to take action, an eight-foot petition signed by hundreds of residents of the northeast section, asking that "Fairview" be allowed to remain, was presented to them by Sutherland. Washington Post, Sep 9, 1916 District Building Notes Keith Sutherland, the aged colored proprietor of the Fairview Hotel, at First street and Florida avenue northwest, impressed city authorities so much last week with a plea for the retention of his property, which had almost been condemned to be razed, that it is likely the "hostelry" will be allowed to stand. Sutherland hobbled to the District building and presented a petition for his place signed by about 200 neighbors. Health Officer Woodward investigated the property and it is understood reported favorably on letting it remain. The building inspector, Morris Hacker, has the matter now under consideration. Sutherland is famous throughout his section of the city for his bits of philosophy, with which the walls of his establishment are painted. Washington Post, Sep 10, 1916 Alley Cook-ShopsWashington Post, Jan. 1, 1897. LICENSES FOR ALLEY COOK SHOPS. Judge Kimball Decides They Are Liable To a Fee of $25 a Year. The alleys of this city are filled with colored cook-shops, which heretofore have paid no license fee. Judge Kimball said yesterday, however, that every one of them must pay $25 a year. Only the police and the people who visit the numerous alleys and little streets of the city know how many of these cook-shops exist. The colored people generally resort to these places for pigs' feet, meat pie, and substantial provender prepared by the old mammies and quaint old colored men who run them, and cook dishes to the taste of the people of their race. The police yesterday brought into court, as a test case, Keith Sutherland, who has conducted a cook-shop for many years at 1111 R street. He was released on bonds after he took out a license, and as the matter has now been tested the police will bring all the proprietors of unlicensed cook-shops to the Police Court. Into the FutureThe descendants of Keith Sutherland's little counter 100 years ago were still going strong when I moved to Washington in the 1980s. I was directed by my new colleagues to explore the alleyways around our offices at M Street and Connecticut Avenue for (legal) hole-in-the-wall eateries for lunch and breakfast. It didn't take long for these places to become favorites of mine. I've been gone from D.C. for 20 years now; I'm wondering if these establishment still exist. Sutherland Family 1880 Census 1643 Vermont Avenue Sandy Sutherland, 54 Rach Sutherland, 57, (wife) Webster Sutherland, 12, (son) Keith Sutherland, 25, (son) Hattey Sutherland, 22, (daughter-in-law) Mary Sutherland, 6, (daughter) Willie Sutherland, 4, (son) 1900 Census 1112 R St Keith Sutherland, 46 Hattie Sutherland, 44, (wife) Arthur Sutherland, 3, (son - adopted) Webster Sutherland, 32, (brother) 1920 Census 104 Seaton Place Northeast Keith S Sutherland, 65 Hattie D Sutherland, 64, (wife) Webster Sutherland, 52, (brother) ???, 14, (daughter) Arthur L., 21, (son) Cora, 15, (daughter-in-law) Pinkey ???, 52, (mother-in-law) Just like India of todayHere in India, we still have thousands of "hotels" just like this one. I can walk to the end of the street here and find three of them that in black-and-white wouldn't look so different. Many are even on wheels (carts with bicycle wheels). Most have similar folk-art signs complete with misspellings. And similar records of cleanliness. I always thought it was interesting that restaurants in India are still called hotels. Now I see it's not odd, just archaic. Corby BakeryIt later became a Wonder Bread bakery (last time I was by there, the old "Wonder Bread" sign was still in place). The Corby buildings are still there (east side of Georgia just north of Bryant Street) and now house a strip of retail shops and fast food places. "Arbiter of all Brawls""Keitt" Sutherland was getting towards the end of a colorful life here. Washington Post, February 4, 1900. EX-KING OF THE BOTTOM Once Dominated a Notorious Section of the City. WHERE CRIME AND EVIL REIGNED. Reminiscences of "Hell's Bottom," Which Formally Kept the Police Department Busy, Recalled by "Keitt" Sutherland, the Odd Character Who Figured as Self-appointed Arbiter of all Brawls –- His Curious Resort in Center of that Section. KEITT'S. I, am, going, to, put, my, name, above, THE DOOR. The above legend with its superfluity of commas, inscribed on a piece of board about a foot square, nailed above the door of a tumble-down building at the intersection of Vermont avenue, Twelfth and R streets, marks the abode of the “King of Hell’s Bottom.” The structure thus adorned is the pool room of “Keitt” Sutherland, overlord and supreme ruler of the negroes in the vicinity. Although the encroachments of modern dwellings, increase in the police force, and other accompaniments of growing metropolitan life have somewhat shorn him of his feudal rights and curtailed his former realm, “Keitt” is now, and always will be, monarch of all he chooses to survey. It is still within the memory of the present generation when “Hell’s Bottom” was a fact and not a memory. The swampy, low-lying ground bred mosquitoes, malaria, and – thugs. It was the quarter set apart for and dominated by the tough element of the colored population. A white man with money in his pocket studiously avoided the locality after dark, or else set a fast pace to which he adjusted the accompaniment of a rag-time whistle. Half a dozen saloons congested within the radius of a block served the barroom habitués with whisky as hot as chile con carne and as exhilarating as Chinese pundu. Fights arose approaching the dimensions of a riot, and the guardians of the law had all they could do to quell the disturbances. A policeman or two was killed, and that, together with the growth of the city, led to the rehabilitation of “Hell’s Bottom.” Now it is interesting mainly in its wealth of reminiscence. “How did I happen to put up that sign?” Keitt repeats after the inevitable query. “I’ll tell you. You see my folks used to own that property, and they was sort o’ slow dyin’ off. I knowed I was going to come into it some day, an’ I thought I might as well let people know it. About that time a show came along, and they sang a song somethin’ like this: “I am going to put my name above the door. For it’s better late than never. An’ I’ll do so howsomever.’ It gave me an idea. I just put that sign above the door. After while the folks died, an’ I got the property.” Queer Sort of Place. Guided by the much-be-commaed signboard, the visitor goes to the door of the poolroom and inquires for “Keitt.” He finds the room filled with colored youth of all sizes, the adults of which are engaged in playing pool at 5 cents a game. The balls on the table are a joblot, the survivors of the fittest in many a hard-fought game. The cushions are about as responsive as brickbats. But the players do not seem to care for that so long as they can drive the balls into the pockets and make their opponents pay for the sport. An ancient, dingy card on the wall informs the reader that he is within the precincts of the “Northern Light Poolroom.” The same placard also gives the following warning: “Persons are cautioned against laying around this building.” “Where is Keitt?” inquires the intruder, who finds himself regarded with suspicion. “Two doahs down below. Jest hollah ‘Katy,’ an’ he’ll show up,” is the answer. “Keitt” on inspection justified the right to the title of “king.” He is a giant, weighing 250 pounds, well distributed over a broad frame six feet and one inch in height. He looks like a man who would not shun a rough and tumble fight. He does not have to. A registered striking machine off in the corner shows that he can deliver a 500-pound blow. He might do better, but unfortunately the makers of the instrument did not figure that a man’s fist was a pile driver, and 500 pounds is as high as the machine will register. Many are the tables told of his prowess; of how he whipped in single combat the slugger of the community, a man who had challenged any five to come on at once; of how when only a bootblack in the ‘60’s, he sent three bullies about their business with broken heads and black eyes; of how he used to suppress incipient riots in his saloon by means of his strong arm and without the aid of the bluecoats in the neighborhood. Indeed, the police used to say that “Keitt” was as good as a sergeant and a squad with loaded “billies.” But “Keitt” (the name is a popular conversion of the more familiar “Keith”) has not won his way entirely through the medium of brawn. He is a man of intelligence, and has a keen eye for business. He is the magnate of the neighborhood, with property in his name, money in the bank, and a good comfortable roll about his place of business. He can go down in his pocket and bring out more $50 bills than the average man caries about in the $5 denomination. If one hints robbery or burglary “Keitt” simply rolls his eye expressively, and enough has been said. No one cares to tamper with his till. Plenty of Local Color. The saloon on the outside looks like a combination coal and wood shed. “Keitt” apologetically explains that it was formerly a stable, and that he has not had time to fix up much. Nevertheless, the fish, beans, sandwiches, and other eatables are so tempting that the frequenters of the place do not pay much attention to external appearances. The magic of the proprietor’s name draws as much custom as he can attend to, and fully as much as the customers can pay for. There is a charm about the old haunt that cannot be dispelled by police regulations or the proximity of modern dwellings. On Saturday night the place takes on something of its old glory. In the smoke-begrimed room – hardly 12 by 12 – are found thirty or forty men eating and talking. Through the thick clouds of smoke the lamps throw out a dim gleam, and the odor of frying fish and the fumes of the pipe struggle for the mastery. The crowd gets noisy at times, but any attempt at boisterousness is quieted by a word from the dominant spirit of the gathering. If any one gets obstreperous he is thrown out on the pavement, and it makes little difference to the bouncer whether the mutinous one lands on his head or not. This is the negro Bohemia. They who live from hand to mouth love to come her. The boot-black with a dime receives as much consideration as the belated teamster with a roll of one-dollar bills. Business is business, and “Keitt” is a business man. Consequently there is very little credit given. “Five or ten cents is about the limit,” says the autocrat. But “Keitt” is something of a philanthropist., although he makes his charity redound to his personal benefit. An illustrated placard, done in what appears to be an excellent quality of shoe blacking, has the figure of a man sawing wood. It bears the following words, “Just tell them that you saw me sawing wood at Keitt’s for a grind.” The term “grind” is synonymous with mastication, the wood sawyer thereby being supposed to do a stunt for the recompense of a square meal. This does away with the tearful plaint that is ever the specialty of the hungry and penniless, gives employment to the idle, and increases the size of “Keitt’s” wood pile. The latter is sold to the negroes of the neighborhood at prevailing prices. “Keitt” figures that his method is wiser than giving unlimited credit, and he is probably right. “Keitt” is a mine of reminiscence. He has been in Washington 1862, when he came from Charles County, Md., where he was born a slave. He was a bootblack around the Treasury building, and he remembers seeing Lincoln’s funeral pass by, with the white horse tied behind the hearse. His history of the rise and fall of “Hell’s Bottom” is quite valuable from a local standpoint. Divested of dialect, it is as follows “’Hell’s Bottom’ began to get its name shortly after the close of the war in 1866. There were two very lively places in those days. One was a triangular square at Rhode Island avenue and Eleventh street. It was here that an eloquent colored preacher, who went by the name of ‘John the Baptist,’ used to hold revival services, which were attended by the newly-freed slaves. The revival was all right, but the four or five barrooms in the neighborhood used to hold the overflow meetings, and when the crowds went home at night you couldn’t tell whether they were shouting from religion or whisky. “Then there was what was known as the ‘contraband camp,’ located on S street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth. The negroes who had just been freed stayed there waiting for white people to come and hire them. They got into all sorts of trouble, and many of them settled in the neighborhood. Money was scarce and whisky was cheap – a certain sort of whisky – and the combination resulted in giving the place the name which it held for so many years. The police force was small. There was no police court, and the magistrates before whom offenders were brought rarely fixed the penalty at more than $2. Crime and lawlessness grew terribly, and a man had to fight, whenever he went into the ‘Bottom.’ “The unsettled condition of the locality made things worse. Men used to shoot reed birds where Corcoran street now is. I have caught many a mud turtle there in the 60’s. I saw a man get drowned in the creek at Seventh and R streets. At the point where the engine-house is now located on R street a man could catch all the minnows he wanted for bait. Tall swamp grass afforded easy concealment for any one who wanted to hide after a petty theft or the robbery of some pedestrian. Consequently, it is small wonder that the law was defied in those days. Many Disorderly Rowdies. “A white man never wanted to cross the ‘Bottom’ after dark. If he did he had to keep stepping. Just how many crimes of magnitude were committed there no one can tell. The life of the negro was far from easy. If a fellow took a girl to church, the chances were that he would not take her home. A gang of rowdies would meet him at the church door as he came out. They would tell him to ‘trot,’ and he seldom disobeyed. They escorted the girl themselves. It was impossible to stop this sort of petty misdeeds. “At times the trouble grew serious. I have seen 500 negroes engaged in a fight all at once in ‘Hell’s Bottom.’ That was during the mayoralty elections, and the riot would be started by the discovery of a negro who was voting the Democratic ticket. I have had big fights in my old saloon, but there was only one that I could not stop with the assistance of two bouncers I had in those days. There were fully fifty men in the saloon at the time, and most of them were drunk. They began to quarrel, and when I could not stop them I blew a distress call. About fifteen policemen came, for in those days it was useless to send two or three to quell a disturbance around here. When word came that the police were after them the last man of them rushed through the rear part of the saloon, and I’ll give you my word that they broke down the fences in five back yards in getting away. Not a man of them was captured. “Ah, those were the days. Things are quiet around here now, but sometimes we have a little fun, and then the boys go to the farm for ninety days. I keep ‘em pretty straight in my place, though, let me tell you.” (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Hotel Pontchartrain: 1907
The Hotel Pontchartrain in Detroit circa 1907. By the mid-teens the hotel had been topped off with a huge mansard roof that added five floors ... is "dressed up" back in those days. The Pontch The Hotel Pontchartrain stood on the southeast corner of Woodward Ave. (foreground) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 9:54am -

The Hotel Pontchartrain in Detroit circa 1907. By the mid-teens the hotel had been topped off with a huge mansard roof that added five floors of guest rooms. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. And Of Course ....it was torn down in the 1960's, right? There's a Burger King on that corner now, right? Near MissBottom left corner, near the photo label. Looks like a man might get a chance to try out the pedestrian catcher on the front of the street car, if he doesn't scoot out of the way pretty quickly. I love the way everyone is "dressed up" back in those days. The PontchThe Hotel Pontchartrain stood on the southeast corner of Woodward Ave. (foreground) and Cadillac Square (along left side of the Hotel). According to the book "Detroit Then and Now," the Russell Hotel stood on this site from 1857 until it was torn down to make way for the Hotel Pontchartrain, which opened in 1907. In 1920, the Hotel Pontchartrain was demolished to make way for the National Bank Building at 660 Woodward Ave. It is now known as the First National Building (shown below). View Larger Map Short LifeIt only lasted 13 years?? Built by George DeWittBuilt by George DeWitt Mason, it was torn down in 1920. His architectural partnership was also responsible for many other Michigan landmarks, among them the famous Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Albert Kahn apprenticed with Mason's firm, and later went on to design many of Henry Ford's auto plants. The current Pontchartrain Hotel is in a different location close to the Detroit River. Build, demolish, replace. Repeat.Why was this substantial-looking building torn down after only 13 years? I thought that kind of wastefulness only happened in modern-day Las Vegas. MisfitI got curious about the sign MISFIT, and since it is next door to a billiards parlor thought it might be a sleazy bar or something. A Google search turned up this article from 1889. Seems as though Shorpy should know about that shop! [This particular Misfit was the haberdashery owned by Sol Berman at 120 Woodward Avenue. There's another Misfit sign shown here, in New York, and here, in St. Louis. - Dave] HugeIt makes me dizzy looking at this now, being used to seeing tall buildings, but that was 1907! It would have been even more amazing then. The PontchMuch of the block south of the old Pontch (the Metropole in particular) is still standing, in various stages of use and upkeep. A Short StayA big reason the "Pontch" didn't last that long is that only a few of the rooms had private baths. When it opened in 1907 most high-end hotels still used shared baths. When the Detroit Statler was completed in 1916 all 1000 rooms all had private baths and central air-conditioning, the first hotel in the country to do so. Seven US presidents visited its famous long bar. The picture here is prior to the addition of the top five floors in 1916. [I think it was the Statler's public rooms that were air conditioned, sometime in the 1930s. - Dave] StreetcarsI notice that most of the streetcars seem to have been able to operate in only one direction so I suppose they had reverse loops at the end of the track or else they made complete loops through downtown. In one of the Pontchartrain Hotel photos there is a Birney(?) car with the ability to swap ends with the trolley pole for bidirectional operation. TrolleysI sort of remember the old Webster/Melrose Avenue trolley cars in the Bronx. They had driver controls at either end. At the terminus, 149th Street, the driver then pushed the seatbacks forward (or backward) so that the passengers could sit facing the direction of travel. The conductor then took his operating lever and went to the opposite end of the car, folded his seat down and took control. I also think he reversed something on top of the car, probably the rods that connected to the overhead power lines. During the warmer months the sides of the car were open. The Flamingo Roomat the Hotel Pontchartrain, from a color post card mailed in Detroit at 4 pm on July 24, 1909. The publisher? Detroit Publishing Company, of course! (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Halcyon Hotel: 1912
January 29, 1912. "Halcyon Hotel, 12th Street and Avenue B, Miami, Florida." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... size. Gone But what a replacement! The Halcyon Hotel was never particularly profitable. It lasted from 1910 to 1939 and was ... Alfred I. Dupont Building. Here is a period postcard. Hotel Halcyon - 1902-1939 Lots of great pictures of the Hotel Halcyon here ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 11:18am -

January 29, 1912. "Halcyon Hotel, 12th Street and Avenue B, Miami, Florida." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gone But what a replacement! The Halcyon Hotel was never particularly profitable. It lasted from 1910 to 1939 and was replaced by a Depression Era masterpiece, the Alfred I. Dupont Building. Here is a period postcard. Hotel Halcyon - 1902-1939Lots of great pictures of the Hotel Halcyon here. Wild HorseI doubt if the photographer noticed it at the time but the potted plant at the foot of the steps gives the horse on the right quite a fright wig! Avenue B and Model B (or K)That looks to be an example of Ford's early and ill-fated foray into the high-priced car market, the 1906-1908 Model K, out in front. Or it could be the earlier 1904-1906 Model B. Neither sold well due to the high price. The K had a 6-cylinder front-mounted engine with about 40 horses and cost the equivalent of about $64,000 to $77,000 in today's money. People wanted Fords to be cheap. The next thing they came out with was the Model T. I am a novice at identifying Brass Era cars, but it looks to me like the car on the right, with the rear end facing the camera, might well be another Ford of the exact same type, but with the windshield folded down or removed. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Park Avenue Hotel: 1905
... edifice opened in April 1878 as the Working-Women's Hotel , only to close eight weeks later due to an acute case of insolvency. Reopened as the Park Avenue Hotel, the cast-iron marvel at 34th Street lasted until 1924, when it was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/17/2014 - 10:19am -

        This Second Empire edifice opened in April 1878 as the Working-Women's Hotel, only to close eight weeks later due to an acute case of insolvency. Reopened as the Park Avenue Hotel, the cast-iron marvel at 34th Street lasted until 1924, when it was replaced by an office tower. New York Circa 1905. "Park Avenue Hotel, Fourth Avenue entrance." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Re: FocusedThink "f/64"! There were very good, rectilinear lenses, and with perspective control in the camera, architectural photos could give a true representation of the lines, but to get such clear focus across the plane, it takes a small aperture, and either long exposure or lots of light. Fourth AvenueFourth Avenue is one of Manhattan's shorter avenues today, extending only to 14th Street. It stops a mile short of where this hotel once stood. Way back when, however, it ran much of the length of Manhattan and into the Bronx. Starting in the 1850s, the city began renaming the sections north of 34th Street "Park Avenue," the much grander moniker by which it's still known today. Being located between 32nd and 33rd streets, the Park Avenue Hotel wasn't actually on Park Avenue at all, as at the time the roadway south of 34th was still called Fourth Avenue. One would have to assume that the hotel's owners were eager to latch onto the cachet that even then was associated with Park Avenue. In 1924, the builder of the office building that replaced the hotel got the city to agree to extend the Park Avenue name two blocks farther south, to 32nd Street, so the building would get the vanity address of One Park Avenue. It's still around today and still has that address. In 1959 the city cut back the Fourth Avenue name still further, renaming the stretch between 17th and 32nd "Park Avenue South." It is Union Square East between 14th and 17th. Much more about Fourth Avenue here. FocusedThe lens used for this must have been the best lens in the world in 1905, tack sharp from corner to corner! Better than most people get even now. Picture in pictureThese photographs are amazing, but the real jewels are contained within. Zooming in on the main entrance gives you a glimpse of life in 1905, with the guests arriving and departing in their fancy carriages and the baggage handlers on call to the left. Click to enlarge. Those hatches?Who can identify the purpose of the two propped-open hatches along the side of the building? I first thought they were coal chutes but that didn't seem plausible (wouldn't the building be steam heated from a central supply? And they're too far from the curb) Ventilators? Maybe... any ideas? VehiclesAt least one of the fancy carriages appears to be an omnibus, a public conveyance, and may have a regular run from the hotel to a ferry slip or railway stop. The other two may be for hire as well. Of course, for those inclined to save a penny or ten, there's always that convenient subway kiosk. Upon a closer lookIt appears that the carriage drivers are being professionally stoic. The buildings architecture is quite beautiful. Still Fourth AvenueTo many of us older New Yorkers (even if we no longer live there) it is Fourth Avenoo, not Park Avenue South; just like it is Sixth Avenoo, not Avenue of the Americas. Today's ViewThis view is from my office window, looking north up Park Avenue. The building directly across from my window is the current One Park Avenue, which replaced the Park Avenue Hotel. It was quite a jolt to see the hotel photo on my computer screen and realize I was actually looking out the window at it's replacement! (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Square Hotel: 1910
Portland, Maine, circa 1910. "Congress Square Hotel, Congress Street and Forest Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... no vanishing point in the vertical direction, making the hotel look more imposing. This is doable with a view camera by some ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2020 - 12:28pm -

Portland, Maine, circa 1910. "Congress Square Hotel, Congress Street and Forest Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Still thereAnd looks more or less the same. It's now an apartment building. Nice strong shouldersI particularly like the way the photographer has cancelled the perspective on this photo so the left and right edges of the tower are parallel. Though the photo appears to be taken from the second floor, there is no vanishing point in the vertical direction, making the hotel look more imposing. This is doable with a view camera by some combination of tilting and raising the lens relative to the glass photographic plate. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_camera#Movements Eastland Hotel From My Youth I spent many an hour looking out on Congress Street from that 5th floor corner window. My great-aunt Irene Banks, an employee at the American Can Corporation in Portland, was a "hotel lady" who lived there for 40-plus years until her passing in 1971. She never married, and as I recall she did like her weekly excursions to the "Green Front" store. Which in Maine at the time was the state-run liquor store. There were other relatives, a great-great aunt and her husband, who lived in another section of the hotel. One block down Forest was Steve's Hot Dogs and Newsstand. They served up another Maine staple, Red Hots! Here's my aunt inside her room 1967. TNX to my Cousins for the picture and correct Floor! I would likeThe cool room, please. (The Gallery, DPC)
Hotel Secor Fireproof: 1909
Toledo, Ohio, circa 1909. "Hotel Secor, Jefferson Avenue and Superior Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... The Brickbuilder and Architectural Monthly, 1909. Hotel Secor — Toledo. George S. Mills, Architect. ... … The architectural terra cotta used in the Hotel Secor … was furnished by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:16pm -

Toledo, Ohio, circa 1909. "Hotel Secor, Jefferson Avenue and Superior Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. It could be a winnerWe may have a winner of the Shorpy award for the Building Whose Appearance Has Changed the Least in 100+ Years. It Still Stands!And it's for lease if you want it, according the to Google maps. Long Before Cpl. KlingerThe "Liquor Co. Base Ball" sign in the lower right corner serves as a reminder that today's Fifth Third Field, home to the Toledo Mud Hens, lies just one block to the south (right) of the Secor in this photo. Fifth Third Field is one of the best-designed, best looking minor league parks in the country. The 1908 Mud Hens played at a place called Armory Park, several blocks to the north of the Secor. Such a reliefTo know that it didn't burn in 1911! George Stratford Mills The Brickbuilder and Architectural Monthly, 1909. Hotel Secor — Toledo. George S. Mills, Architect. The building is 120 feet by 169 feet, ten stories and basement. The cost was 24½ cents per cubic foot, measured from average footing level to highest part of roof, leaving out court. The building is equipped with three 250 horse power water-tube boilers; three generators; ice making and refrigeration plant; four plunger elevators; complete ventilating plant; artesian well; pumping plant, etc. There is a ball room and convention hall on the ninth floor, and servant's quarters and laundry on the tenth floor. Every room has in connection either a complete bath room or toilet room with lavatory and watercloset. … The architectural terra cotta used in the Hotel Secor … was furnished by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company. The Newbie AsksWhy did canvas awnings fall out of favor? They seem like a swell energy-saving idea. [Air-conditioning. Which the awnings be replaced with blinds, curtains and solar glass. - Dave] Some changes notedFrom Google Streetview it appears the fancy suspended canopy and the balcony above are gone now. And the parked cars have been changed. I work in this buildingJust so you all know a bit more about this building, I know a few things about it since I work on the sixth floor (I can actually "look" into my office on that photo). The bottom floor now houses one of the best restaurants in Toledo, Registry Bistro. Along with the restaurant is an art gallery and a lobby that also acts as an art gallery. There is also an event space next to the restaurant. The second and third floors are used for a school, Horizon Science Academy. Above that, you can find an art gallery on the sixth floor along with the Toledo Opera offices and many artist studios. Along with the artist studios, there are also a few law offices on the top floors. Across the street is no longer a "liquor company" but instead the Commodore Perry Apartments (formerly a hotel as well). The Seagate Convention Center connects to the Secor Building (formerly "Secor Hotel") by way of some shared doors. The buildings that you see to the right "behind" the Secor Hotel no longer exist, instead paved over for loading areas for the Convention Center and hotels there. It's exciting to find such a wonderful photo of the building I work in everyday. Toledo has many architectural wonders that have stood since the late 19th/early 20th century, harkening back to a time of economic prosperity. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars, Toledo)
Hotel Chalfonte: 1907
The Jersey Shore circa 1907. "Hotel Chalfonte and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." The 10-story Chalfonte was ... so many Monopoly men in one place? "I'd like to build a hotel, please." And on the right is Haddon Hall, where my family used to ... from Haddon Hall: Steeplechase Pier: 1905. Grand Hotel Isn't that a beautiful place? Just grand! (The Gallery, Atlantic ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 2:41pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1907. "Hotel Chalfonte and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." The 10-story Chalfonte was A.C.'s first "skyscraper" resort. View full size. This settingWould have driven the anarchists of the day into a violent frenzy! An MTV ProductionOn "Jersey Shore: The Black & White Edition," no one can see your orange skin. Ah, to be a millinerNot a single bare head to be seen. Mystery SolvedSo that's where all of the dignity went. Young NuckyIs that him walking by the carriages next to the Saratoga Excelsior? Take a walk on the BoardwalkHave you ever seen so many Monopoly men in one place? "I'd like to build a hotel, please." And on the rightis Haddon Hall, where my family used to vacation back about 60 years ago. Reverse ViewReverse view from Haddon Hall: Steeplechase Pier: 1905. Grand Hotel Isn't that a beautiful place? Just grand! (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
The Corridor: 1898
Put-In Bay, Ohio, circa 1898. "Hotel Victory corridor." A door slammed. The maid screamed. 8x10 inch glass ... full size. The Shining Welcome to the Overlook Hotel. A beautiful resort hotel in its day. Too bad there are not more of these types of hotels left. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:42pm -

Put-In Bay, Ohio, circa 1898. "Hotel Victory corridor." A door slammed. The maid screamed. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The ShiningWelcome to the Overlook Hotel. A beautiful resort hotelin its day. Too bad there are not more of these types of hotels left. TimelessAre you sure this wasn't taken in 1998? It sure looks like it could have been, such fine quality. CharacterThese old hotels had character, which can be summed up in one word: combustible. I imagine feet clunking up the wooden stairs, and creaking across the wooden subfloor which undoubtedly underlies the carpet. The stairway doubles as a chimney, of course, and every room has a transom, which will all be opened during the summer months. The walls are probably wood lath and plaster. Although many hotels boasted of "fireproof construction," the more useful term "fire rating" had not yet been invented. The knob-and-tube wiring would be the least of your worries. As much fun as murder mysteries are, most deaths in these places were far more prosaic. AmenitiesI wonder if the folks checking in at the front desk asked about the availability of Wi-Fi? Maintenance Nightmare Acres of carpet and the electric vacuum cleaner will not be invented for a few more years yet. Plus the huge amount of laundry that had to be done everyday without electric washing machines. It must have taken an army of employees to keep a hotel operating back in the day. Your next step, the Twilight ZoneThe things along the corridor on the right are doors. The things that look just like them on the left are presumably doors too. But if you step into a left door you fall straight into that brightly lit atrium, or whatever it is, that you get to, down that flight of stairs. Uhm, no thanks. I don't want to go there. Erie TinderboxPut-in-Bay was Ohio's Mackinac Island, and the Victory was its Grand Hotel. Advertised as the world's largest summer hotel, it hosted many national conventions (including one in 1901 for fire insurance agents). By August 1919 it was a pile of ashes, burned to the ground in a spectacular fire. DanglersWatch out for low hanging lighting. RealityThanks Lectrogeek68 for reminding all of us of the downside of vintage construction, etc. Makes you appreciate modern building codes for their safety! Now when you can combine classic architecture, high quality craftsmanship, and modern day conveniences and safety, then you really have something! CombustibleOne of the world's largest hotels, the Hotel Victory, opened its 625 rooms to the public in 1892. The four-story hotel featured a thousand-seat dining room. However on August 14, 1919, the giant hotel burned to the ground. Today only parts of the foundations can be seen at the state campground. -- Wikipedia Suddenly a pirate ship ... appeared on the horizon! Dave, is there no corner of pop culture with which you are not familiar? Electric LightsLectrogeek might get a kick out of this old New York hotel sign for guests encountering electric lights for the first time. My mother stole it during a stay at an ancient hotel in the '50s. I never thought to ask her which one. [Wow. Amazing! Props to your mom. - Dave] I wonder who was playing in the piano barI'm betting it was Pat Dailey. He's always playing somewhere near Put in Bay. Hotel CaliforniaYou can check in but you can never leave. But First, A SongWell, since my baby left me, I found a new place to dwell. It's down at the end of lonely street at Heartbreak Hotel. The FireThe Mansfield News Ohio -- August 15, 1919 Sandusky, Aug. 15. -- Fifty guests were driven from their rooms, losing all of their belongings and damage estimated from $500,000 to $1,000,000 was caused last night when the Hotel Victory at Put In Bay burned to the ground. The structure, one of the most famous hostelries on the lakes, contained 625 rooms in addition to a large dining room, parlors and ball room. The origin of the flames is unknown, the blaze starting in a cupola and enveloping the entire third floor before persons in the hotel were aware that it was on fire. Word was telephoned to the hotel from outside of the fire. The huge structure burned like tinder and the blaze was visible for miles around the lakes. Crowds gathered at many points to watch the flames shoot high in the sky. The hotel was built in 1891 at a cost of over a million dollars, but has never been a paying proposition. A Chicago company headed by Charles J. Stoops bought the hotel this spring and had refurnished it. They carried some insurance but Ben Mowrey, manager, was not aware of the amount of the insurance. The "Key"The "key" that one was to turn was a surface-mount rotary switch, seen to the left of the stairway. They come up on eBay from time to time, and I own a few. Here is one that I found a couple of years ago, in the basement of a 1917 house in San Antonio. Presumably, it's still there. I didn't remove it. Electric LightsBryharms picture of that notice about electric lights reminded me of a story about Will Rogers that I heard quite some time ago. It seems that he and a friend checked into a hotel that had gaslights. They had never seen gaslights and, when they retired for the night, they blew out the flames as they would for a coal oil lamp. Luckily, they did not gas themselves but were very sick the next morning. We may laugh about the two incidents today but what new technology is just around the corner that we may not understand to begin with? The West WingNot Aaron Sorkin's "West Wing", Edward Gorey's. I fully expect to see a card or three tennis shoes lying on the floor, or a darkly dressed lady in an Edwardian hat on the stairs, or *something* disappearing around the edge of a doorway. That window at the end of the hallreally bothers me! It almost looks as if it's a portal to another dimension, or an alternate universe, or something. Might be a time-travel hole of some sort, who knows -- it could be 2011 on the other side! (The Gallery, DPC)
Murphy's Hotel: 1905
Richmond, Virginia, circa 1905. "Murphy's Hotel." Also seen here . 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... also seen in this post . - Dave] Murphy's Hotel What can go wrong here does go wrong here. "Sample Room" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2018 - 5:00pm -

Richmond, Virginia, circa 1905. "Murphy's Hotel." Also seen here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Early high-rise firefightingAre those fire hose connections running alongside the right-hand building's fire escape? I wonder if they would've connected the bottom of that pipe to a pumper or to the hydrant across the road. [They're standpipes of the type also seen in this post. - Dave] Murphy's HotelWhat can go wrong here does go wrong here. "Sample Room"Does anyone know what a sample room is? Obviously it's associated with a billiard parlor. [It's a bar. - Dave] From the Encyclopedia of Chicago: A second type of drinking place evolved from grocers and provisioners who began to sell hard liquor in wholesale quantities. At first, their sample rooms were places where customers could taste test the stock; long afterward, "sample room" became simply another name for saloon. Murphy's Lawalso applied to the hotel. Demolished in 2007. Some photos of the demolition on Flickr. [This is not the same building. - Dave] O'Toole's LawMurphy was an optimist. Pedestrian SkywayAn early example is seen here. When they proliferated in urban architecture in the 1960s and '70s, a witty substitute name was "honky tube." Ponte dei SospiriThe infamous Bridge of Sighs from the interrogation rooms of the Doge's Palace to its prison cells comes to mind. (The Gallery, DPC, Richmond)
Hoy's Hotel: 1901
... N.W., east side, looking north from D Street with Hoy's Hotel on the corner and the U.S. Patent Office building at the end of the ... is complete The sign painter put a period after: Hoy's Hotel, Pool Room, and Hoy's Hotel Bar. Either he was a stickler for grammar, or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2024 - 1:38pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "View of Eighth Street N.W., east side, looking north from D Street with Hoy's Hotel on the corner and the U.S. Patent Office building at the end of the street." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size. Every part a sentence.Signpainting instruction books up to about 1900 considered every thought in a sign to be a complete sentence, and thus required a capital to start and a period to finish. I have seen signs like "The Jones Co.." where the Co. is an abbreviation of Company and the second period is because the name is a complete sentence. I'm not sure if print shops or penmen followed the same logic. It's a quick rule of thumb for dating old signs. I'd love to know that storyWho was the Foxy Grandpa? Use when a thought or sentence is completeThe sign painter put a period after: Hoy's Hotel, Pool Room, and Hoy's Hotel Bar. Either he was a stickler for grammar, or he got paid by the character. I'm with Sgt McG -- what did they mean by Foxy in 1901, and why did it require one to go through a door at the back of the hotel? ["Foxy Grandpa" was a stage play. - Dave] Thanks for the explanation, Dave. I found two short reels of Foxy Grandpa, here and here, both dated 1902. Grandpa could bust some moves. Shenanigans at the HoyFrom the June 19, 1901, Washington Times, p2. That is me!I am sooooooo going to get a Foxy Grandpa t-shirt! +115Below is the same view from June of 2016. I've heard of Foxy Grandpa!That banner really caught my eye. My Grandpa Reilly, born in NJ in 1898, used to tell me stories in the 1960s, of his "historic" childhood. According to him, "Foxy Grandpa" was a popular newspaper cartoon character, who also had a spin-off chocolate penny candy brand, which the Sisters at his Catholic elementary school used to give to the classroom winners of spelling bees, arithmetic tests, and such. "Foxy", at the turn of the last century, meant clever, tricky, and hard to fool. "Foxy Grandpa"A review of the play as it appeared in the Washington Post (the day after President McKinley's casket arrived by train from New York after his assassination there two days earlier). Click for full text. (The Gallery, D.C., D.C. Street Survey)
The Hotel Essex: 1906
Boston circa 1906. "Atlantic Avenue elevated at Hotel Essex (Terminal Hotel)." Completed in 1900, now the Plymouth Rock Building. 8x10 glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/09/2024 - 4:53pm -

Boston circa 1906. "Atlantic Avenue elevated at Hotel Essex (Terminal Hotel)." Completed in 1900, now the Plymouth Rock Building. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. How could they resist?I can attest that certain letters -- always the same letters -- were often out in the neon sign on the roof, resulting in HOT SEX. Clearly, this was not due to chance, but creative vandalism. Gone? Then what is this?https://maps.app.goo.gl/HeJRkk4dkxWC9dP79 Really echoes the architecture of the Hotel Essex. Is this just a similar building in a close location (next to South Station. I guess if it was industrial, then look alike buildings could be all over I guess?) [Oh right. Not gone! - Dave] Despite certain neon letters not working properly... this is the cleanest 1906 photograph I've ever seen. Fireproof, as featured inFireproof Magazine, July 1906. No interior photographs or floorplans, but the architect is identified, Arthur Hunnewell Bowditch. His Wikipedia page doesn't include the Hotel Essex among his notable projects. But, in 1931/32 he designed the Art Deco Paramount Theater, the last of the great movie palaces built in downtown Boston. Looking at the two 1906 photographs and Street View, I'm certain there was a second-floor entrance to the Hotel Essex, directly from the elevated train platform. A nice perk for guests. If only --So 120 years ago, I could walk to my local train station and arrive at South Station, walk out and up the stairs to wait for the next elevated train to my office at North Station. But today, I have to go below ground and take two overcrowded subway rides to get to the same location. MBTA, please bring back the Atlantic Avenue line! Platform AdsOne of the advertisements I can see on the platform is for Mennen's Toilet Powder. The rest are inscrutable to me. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC, Railroads)
Hotel Occidental: 1920
... Washington, D.C., circa 1920. Gustav Buchholz's Occidental hotel and restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. Just out of frame to the left ... seen a few posts back. Rising on the right is the Willard Hotel. View full size. The Occidental. My parents went there all the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 5:40pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. Gustav Buchholz's Occidental hotel and restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue. Just out of frame to the left would be Childs' Restaurant, seen a few posts back. Rising on the right is the Willard Hotel. View full size. The Occidental.My parents went there all the time. (They met there!) I can remember them pointing it out when we would be downtown, though I don't think it was open any more at that point. One night my mother saw Martin Luther King Jr. having dinner there. The building immediately to the right and wrapping around to where you see it behind these two buildings is the Willard Hotel--a really great hotel for history buffs! The Occidental Restaurant has been resurrected in a complex of new buildings that were designed to complement the architecture of the Willard much the way the top of the restaurant building on the right did. The entrance to the New Occidental is hidden behind the pillar on the left. This one is going to end up on my wall! View Larger Map Gorgeous ironwork!I love the ironwork on the building. Also, I would have hated to paint that sign and I am NOT afraid of heights. That angle just gives me the shudders. Special Attention to Ladies Also seen in this 1925 Photo: Special Attention to Ladies Occidental Restaurant The Famous Place to Dine Before or After Theater. Brown's Cadillac Auto Service Competent Chauffers AAA logoDoes anybody know if the "AAA" on the medallion over the doorway is some sort of rating for the hotel or from the Automobile Assoc. of America? [American Automobile Association. - Dave] The W BuildingThe ornate sculptural pendant under the Occidental's balcony bears a shield with the initial W, not O. Was the hotel originally built as some kind of annex to the Willard? [The Occidental opened in 1905 next to the Willard Hotel, which was known at the time as the New Willard to distinguish it from the original building. The Occidental's owner was Henry A. Willard, who with his brother started the "old" Willard Hotel in the 1880s. - Dave] 1920 UV ProtectionThose ubiquitous awnings. Occidental signI remembered the Occidental sign from the creepy 1925 KKK march photo you posted last month. The sign had changed somewhat in five years. https://www.shorpy.com/node/5572?size=_original +95Below is the same view from May of 2015. It is interesting to note that on October 26, 1962, John Scali of ABC News met with Aleksandr Fomin, the counselor of the Soviet Embassy, in the Occidental Restaurant shown in the picture above. During dinner, they engaged in back-channel diplomacy that was key in diffusing the Cuban Missile Crisis. The booth in which they had dinner was moved to the new Occidental Grill (noted by C Kim below) a few doors down. A plaque notes the historic event over the table in that booth. It's where I usually sit when having lunch there and the booth is a real tight fit. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Ponce de Leon Hotel: 1897
St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1897. "Ponce de Leon Hotel -- Front view and entrance." Railroad magnate Henry Flagler's coquina ... View full size. Still lovely What a beauty this hotel is and how nice to see that it is still there; it's enough to make me ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/10/2013 - 4:42pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1897. "Ponce de Leon Hotel -- Front view and entrance." Railroad magnate Henry Flagler's coquina confection is known today as Flagler College. 5x8 glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. Still lovelyWhat a beauty this hotel is and how nice to see that it is still there; it's enough to make me want to head over to St. Augustine ASAP! Murals at the Ponce"The murals at the Ponce were well known at the time. Writing of a visit to St Augustine, Ring Lardner has one of his characters say: "In the evenin' we strolled acrost the street to the Ponce—that's supposed to be even sweller yet than where we were stoppin' at. We walked all over the place without recognizin' nobody from our set. I finally warned the Missus that if we didn't duck back to our room I'd probably have a heart attack from excitement; but she'd read in her Florida guide that the decorations and pitchers was worth goin' miles to see, so we had to stand in front o' them for a couple hours and try to keep awake. Four or five o' them was thrillers, at that. Their names was Adventure, Discovery, Contest, and so on, but what they all should of [sic] been called was Lady Who Had Mislaid Her Clo'es. The hotel's named after the fella that built it. He come from Spain and they say he was huntin' for some water that if he'd drunk it he'd feel young. I don't see myself how you could expect to feel young on water. But, anyway, he'd heard that this here kind o' water could be found in St. Augustine, and when he couldn't find it he went into the hotel business and got even with the United States by chargin' five dollars a day and up for a room"." (Gullible's Travels - 1917) Beautiful St. AugustineMy late midwestern-reared mother raved about this fair city the rest of her life, after having lived there from 1925-27 while my architect grandfather worked in the area creating hotels and civic building during Florida's pre-Depression land boom. His construction crew arrived one morning to find that all their tools had totally vanished at the bottom of a work site sinkhole, not there the previous afternoon, and inquisitive alligators were a recurring problem. Flagler College/Ponce de Leon HotelI had the privilege of living in this beautiful building for four years, from 1976-1980, some of the best years of my life. I can see the windows of my freshman year and junior year rooms - the most unique college dorm you could ever find. I collect lots of memorabilia from the hotel days, and was just back in St. Augustine this past January (2013) to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Ponce de Leon Hotel. During this anniversary year the college has some great displays showing it's history over the years. St. Augustine is a great place to visit, and this building and the campus should be a highlight of any visit. 125th AnniversaryHere is a picture showing the crowd of almost 4,000 people on January 12, 2013 attending the 125th anniversary event. The original opening ceremonies were re-enacted, complete with a trumpet fanfare from the towers, and a band on the loggia. Local dignitaries gave speeches, and a Henry Flagler re-enactor also spoke. The gates were then opened for a day long open house of the restored Hotel Ponce de Leon building. I was there for the 100th anniversary in 1988 and was lucky to also be there for this year's 125th. St AugustineI loved going to St Augustine every weekend while I was working in Jacksonville FL and the hotel is truely a gorgeous place to see, along with all the other wonderful sights in St Augustine. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Hotel Cadillac: 1914
Detroit, Michigan, circa 1914. "Hotel Cadillac." Plus a variation on the 8:17 jeweler's clock sign. 8x10 glass ... That rectangular structure rising above the Hotel Cadillac almost looks like the UN Building. [I can understand why ... heat control. - Dave] A bit of updating to the old Hotel Cadillac - View Larger Map LOL The guy walking ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:06pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1914. "Hotel Cadillac." Plus a variation on the 8:17 jeweler's clock sign. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Look-A-LikesThat rectangular structure rising above the Hotel Cadillac almost looks like the UN Building. [I can understand why people might put one hyphen in "lookalike," and end up with "look-alike." But that second hyphen, so often added -- because two things look "a-like"? - Dave] Window awningsI guess air conditioners killed window awnings. No need for open windows means there's no need to keep water out on a hot and rainy day, which was probably the main purpose of awnings. They really did change the character of a building; those stripes are awful. [Then as now, awnings were for shade and heat control. - Dave] A bit of updating to the old Hotel Cadillac - View Larger Map LOLThe guy walking towards the camera holding the white package on the right side of the photo has his finger buried deep in his nose. Talk about a moment in time! AwningsI absolutely love seeing the striped awnings on these buildings! So cosmopolitan. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Throck and the Kats: 1921
... a designer and painter of party backdrops for a beachfront hotel. Unlike the conventional artist, "Throck" uses gallon jugs of paint and ... signed his name. Unless he dashed it off as Throck on the hotel register. The article explains how he took a $50 bet and turned it into ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2024 - 4:19pm -

July 15, 1921. Cleon Throckmorton at the easel on the terrace of the Krazy Kat, an establishment described by the Washington Post two years earlier as "something like a Greenwich Village coffeehouse." Scroll down to the comments for more on "Throck," an engineering graduate who made his name designing sets for Eugene O'Neill's plays, and was the first art director for CBS in the early days of television. National Photo Company Collection. View full size. Krazy Kat Raided! Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous. Fourteen would-be Bohemians yesterday appeared in police court and demanded a jury trial on various charges preferred against them by Policeman Roberts, who, with the assistance of two night watchmen, raided the Krazy Kat, which is something like a Greenwich Village coffee house, in an alley near Thomas Circle. Roberts, under orders to watch the rendezvous of the Bohemians, heard a shot fired in the Krazy Kat shortly after 1 o'clock yesterday morning. The watchmen were quickly pressed into service and a raiding party was organized. When Roberts climbed the narrow stairway leading from a garage to the scene of trouble, he found himself in the dining room of the Krazy Kat, confronted with gaudy pictures evolved by futurists and impressionists and what appeared to the policeman to be a free-for-all fight. At the Second Precinct police station 25 prisoners, including three women — self-styled artists, poets and actors, and some who worked for the government by day and masqueraded as Bohemians by night — were examined. Those against whom charges were placed gave the following names: John Don Allen, Cleon Throckmorton and John Stiffen, charged with keeping a disorderly house; Charles Flynn, drinking in public; J. Albion Blake, disorderly conduct; Walter Thomas, assault and disorderly conduct; Harry Rockelly, drinking in public; George Miltry, disorderly conduct; Mitchell McMahon, drinking in public; Joseph Ryon, disorderly; Anthony Hanley, drinking in public; Frank Moran, disorderly conduct, Leo Cohen, drinking in public and disorderly conduct, and Raymond Coombs, disorderly conduct. ---------------------------- February 17, 1957 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A $50 bet, an engineering diploma and a hobby turned Cleon Throckmorton from the world of structural design to a lucrative career in art. A native of nearby Absecon, Throckmorton, now in semi-retirement, has designed settings for over 300 plays all because a friend bet him $50 he couldn't earn a living from art. "A few of my artist friends and myself were kidding around years ago in a restaurant in Pittsburgh and I said anyone with an common sense could paint," he explained. Art was his hobby and the bet was collected after two of his works were accepted by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., for its semi-annual exhibit. "That made me really serious about art," he says. Although he had just earned an engineering degree from Carnegie Tech, "Throck" started on a career in theatrical setting design and is still going strong here as a designer and painter of party backdrops for a beachfront hotel. Unlike the conventional artist, "Throck" uses gallon jugs of paint and does his work on the floor with a brush attached to a long bamboo pole. Throckmorton, now 59, spends about six months each year at his Atlantic City work with the raimainder of his time scattered at spot jobs in Hollywood and New York. ------------------------- October 25, 1965 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Cleon Throckmorton, 68, who gained prominence as a set designer for playwright Eugene O'Neill, died Saturday in hospital after a brief illness. Throckmorton joined O'Neill at the Provincetown Playhouse in Massachusetts and prepared the sets for O'Neill's Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape, and Beyond the Fringe, which were later produced at the Theatre Guild in New York. During the pioneering days of television, Throckmorton became the Columbia Broadcasting System's first art director. He is survived by his wife. Krazy ManThis is becoming quite the detective story! I cannot wait for the continuing adventures of Throckmorton & his crew. Given that the bust happened two years before these pictures, it seems that Cleon kept his establishment running for a while. Thomas Circle looks, unfortunately, fairly well re-developed as of the last time Google snapped a picture. I will be in DC in May (I grew up not far from Glen Echo Park, actually). I may take a little visit down to Thomas Circle to see if there are echoes of the Krazy Kat in some alley there... [Throck was enrolled at GWU. Still to come: Photos of the alley. Which, coincidentally, is just a couple blocks from my day job of the past 13 years. - Dave] Mrs. ThrockmortonJust a quick search of the 'Cleon Throckmorton' name dug up something kind of fun -- an archived letter to Time magazine from 1947. Pages two and three have Mrs. Throckmorton's sister disputing TIME's claim that it was Mrs. Throckmorton photographed puffing a cigar at opera. If I'm chasing the right trail, Throckmorton married Juliet St. John Brenon. Her father was a (highly respected it would seem) NYC music critic, Algernon St. John Brenon. It would be cool to know if one of those girls was Juliet, wouldn't it? ThrockI wonder if there is any chance the young lady he is painting became Mrs. Throckmorton. ThrockGoogle this guy. He was a major player in the theatre world. Very interesting. Gaudy pictures evolved by futuristsWhat a great line, in a fascinating story. These women look dangerous to me; not just flappers, but vamps! Alley KatsIs the alley in question Green Court, off 14th near Thomas Circle? I worked in one of the buildings on 14th and could look out on the alley which then, the '90s, housed the Green Lantern, a gay club. I think it became the Tool Shed. Ahh, yes, looks like my hunch was correct... From "Gay Life Remembered" by Bob Roehr in Independent Gay Forum... Krazy Kat in 1920 was a "Bohemian joint in an old stable up near Thomas Circle ... (where) artists, musicians, atheists, professors" gathered. Miraculously the structure still stands, five blocks from the White House, as a gay bar called the Green Lantern. I really do empathize...with "Throck." My wife is always charging me with "keeping a disorderly house." I keep trying to tell her she just doesn't understand my absurdist aesthetic. It's not easy being a visionary, I guess. No Connection!(Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous.) ........................................... There is no connection ..... but the date of this Post article was the same day my father (bless his soul) was born. This is good stuff Dave. Thank You. My new hero(ine)... is the woman who is having her portrait done. Not only is she beautiful, but as evidenced in the other photos, she seemed to have a bit of a rebellious streak for daring to show so much skin (someone earlier referenced that she seemed to be wearing - *gasp!* - a miniskirt, in 1921.) That rules, in my book! Plus, she has such a coy look about her. It's fun to think that maybe she's a gypsy who has found the fountain of youth, and she's still roaming around and haunting places like Soho artists' lofts and tiny Parisian cafes, looking exactly the same now as she did then, smoking cigarettes and taking everything in through those dark eyes.... A sword? Looks like the lady on the table might have some future swashbuckling planned. Heart Stopping , Sucking In Air GreatThis photo is so good on so many levels it hard to take it all in. Whew About that Cigar & Mrs ThrockmortonThe 1920 Washington Census shows Cleon's father, Ernest U. Throckmorton, as proprietor of a cigar shop. Could be it's true she was smoking a stogie? Other info on this sheet has the parents at 55 yrs old. Mother's name is Roberta, born in Indiana. Cleon was 22. Home address is 1536 Kingman Place (something) NW. [According to his N.Y. Times obituary in 1965, Mom & Dad's full names were Ernest Upton and Roberta Cowing Throckmorton; Cleon was born October 18, 1897; his wife was the former Juliet St. John Brenon. - Dave] Green LanternBy coincidence, after reading about the Green Lantern here yesterday, I was watching a 1918 Charlie Chaplin comedy called "A Dog's Life", and noticed that the saloon in that film is called "Green Lantern". It made me wonder if that phrase has some particular "folk meaning" or significance, or relevance to saloons or drinking, but I can't find anything on google but the comic book hero by that name. Throckmorton Place $895K in '04!Shucks...you missed your chance to buy the Throckmorton home. From some 2004 Washington Blade (another gay connection!) classifieds... LOGAN CIRCLE New listing! Fabulous renovated TH. 1.5 blks from Logan Circle, Whole Foods & more! 3 story TH w/ separate bsmt apt and 2 story owner’s unit w/ beautiful gar- dens and deck. Live in 2 BR, 2.5 BA unit w/ hdwd flrs, lots of light,& lrg bathrooms. Rental 1 BR w/ private entrance. Great condo alternative. Must see! $895,000 OPEN SAT 5/15 & SUN 5/16 (1 - 4 pm) 1536 Kingman Place. (202) 332-3228 Jeff Shewey, COLDWELL BANKER / PARDOE. CleonWhile looking online for his paintings I found this: Throckmorton, Cleon (1897–1965), designer. Born in Atlantic City, he studied at Carnegie Tech and at George Washington University before embarking on a career as a landscape and figure painter. After a few years he turned to the theatre, assisted on the designs for The Emperor Jones (1920), and later created the sets for All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924), S.S. Glencairn (1924), In Abraham's Bosom (1926), Burlesque (1927), Porgy (1927), Another Language (1932), Alien Corn (1933), and others. By his retirement in the early 1950s he had designed sets for over 150 plays. Throckmorton also drew up architectural plans for such summer theatres as the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts, and the Westport (Connecticut) Country Playhouse. Cleon & JulietCleon's wife, Juliet St. John Brenon, according to her IMDB bio, was born in 1885, making her 37-ish during the time these photos were taken. Her uncle Herbert Brenon was a well-known silent film director who worked frequently with Cleon. Apparently they had some connections to Society: Baron Franz von Papen, three postcard autograph messages signed in the mid-1930s to American friend Mrs. Juliet Throckmorton in New York. [Her November 1979 obituary in the New York Times gives her age at death as 82, which would mean she was born around 1897. Of course actresses (and actors) have been known to fudge their age. - Dave] Throck of AgesFor what it's worth...the SSDI lists her as follows: JULIET THROCKMORTON 01 Sep 1895 Nov 1979 It would appear that IMDB is quite mistaken, Hollywood fudging notwithstanding. Juliet's ObitNovember 22, 1979 (NYT) JULIET B. THROCKMORTON Juliet Brenon Throckmorton, a stage and screen actress in the 1920s, and widow of Cleon Throckmorton, a noted stage designer who worked closely with Eugene O'Neill, died Sunday at Cabrini Medical Center. She was 82 years old and lived in Manhattan. Mrs. Throckmorton had in recent years been a contributor to Yankeee magazine, writing, among other subjects, about Eugene O'Neill, E.E. Cummings and other well-known people who had frequented her husband's Greenwich Village studio. Krazy"Keeping a disorderly house," indeed. The place was probably *shocking* by contemporary standards. I'm with Laura where the model is concerned, the lady is stunningly attractive. Jeet HeerThe writer Jeet Heer has mentioned Shorpy's posts of the Krazy Kat, and noted that the place was also a haunt of gay people; it's mentioned in "Jeb & Dash", a rather amazing diary by a gay man living in 1920's DC. http://sanseverything.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/a-gay-old-kat/ (Jeet Heer writes the introductions for Chris Ware's gorgeously produced volumes of the "Gasoline Alley" comic strip- they're called "Walt & Skeezix", and they're up to Vol. 3, 1923-4. And they're delightful to a nostalgist like me.) [Very interesting! Jeb Alexander, in his diary, writes that the Krazy Kat was a "Bohemian joint in an old stable up near Thomas Circle ... (where) artists, musicians, atheists, professors" gathered. But calling it a "haunt of gay people" just because someone who happened to be gay mentions in his diary that the Krazy Kat is a "Bohemian joint" seems like kind of a stretch. - Dave] Cleon Throckmorton art in Greenwich VillageOh, boy, was I excited to see your Cleon Throckmorton pix. You see, Mr. Throckmorton's lusty dancing girl sketches are displayed at one of my favorite Greenwich Village eateries, Volare (147 West 4th Street). The proprietor, Sal, hipped us to the origin of these Reginald Marsh-style pictures that came with the joint when Volare took it over. (You can kinda see some on the NY Magazine slideshow -- third pic -- at http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/volare/ ) Location background from the Songlines site sez "Ristorante Volare was Polly Holliday's, a noted Bohemian restaurant that moved to this building from around the corner on Macdougal Street. John Reed wrote 10 Days That Shook the World in a room upstairs. By 1939 it was known as Mother Bertolotti's. For the past 25 years it's been Volare. This building also housed the Whitney Studio Club, an art school and gallery." Throck's Genealogy Cleon Francis "Throck" Throckmorton's maternal great-grandfather was U.S. Representative (R-VA) Charles Horace Upton (1820-1877), of Upton's Hill, Arlington, VA. Upton served only nine months in the House (1861-'62) and was ultimately denied a seat in Congress because an investigation revealed he was NOT a resident of Virginia. He was a resident of Zanesville, OH where he voted in the 1860 Presidential election. President Lincoln then appointed him Consul to Switzerland in 1863, where he served until his death in 1877. Juliet BrenonPlaying a hunch, I Googled the name "Juliet Brenon" and came up with this portrait photograph. It isn't definitive, but she looks an awful lot like the young model that Throckmorton is painting, i.e., the future Mrs. Throckmorton. Throckmorton's first wife?It appears that Cleon Throckmorton was married twice. He married Katherine Mullen, his first wife, in New York "just the other day", according to a Washington Times article dated Feb. 5, 1922. She is described as a "young model and pupil". So, it seems much more likely to be her. I haven't found out how their marriage ended, but clearly she was out of the way by his 1927 marriage to Brenon. BTW: I have written a Wikipedia article on Throckmorton, so now he has one. Katherine was Throck's first wifeA blog post, written earlier this year on Krazy Kat the cartoon by an Australian, has a reproduction of a Washington Times almost full page article from the July 5, 1922 edition on Cleon Throckmorton, again written by Victor Flambeau. There are two sketches of Mrs Katherine Throckmorton, one showing her in a short dress. Since the rather vampish woman who appears in all these Shorpy photographs shows a lot of leg compared to the other women, my guess is that Katherine is the woman that has intrigued male Shorpyites over the years. However, I am even more intrigued by the wonderful handle, Cleon Throckmorton. I can well imagine the flourish with which he signed his name. Unless he dashed it off as Throck on the hotel register. The article explains how he took a $50 bet and turned it into an art career. Quite the Kat. And his educational background gives an idea how he erected a spindly treehouse that didn't fall down. https://timalderman.com/2020/05/02/gay-history-a-gay-old-kat/ The relevant repro is a long way down the webpage. Here's a snippet: "And only the other day he gave his friends, many of them, the biggest surprise of all, when he married, in New York, at the Little Church Around the Corner, the charming Miss Katherine Mullen, his beautiful model and pupil. Mrs Throckmorton who has already shown marked talent for drawing, will continue her studies, and will also collaborate with her husband in his work. The Krazy Kat Klub, which had been recently changed to "Throck's Studio" has now re-opened, and the elect of Washington's Bohemia regularly gather there." Kleon & KatHas anyone tried to research the other people besides Cleon? I know the cool looking flapper with the bandana, if that's what she would have called it, is Katherine 'Kat' Mullen, but nothing more about her besides, according to Wikipedia, her being a singer and ukulele player who was on radio programmes. And the others, not even a name. There must be some audio somewhere of Katherine on the radio? Dare I say it?The Kat in the hat (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Krazy Kat Club, Natl Photo)
Hotel Fontenelle: 1938
November 1938. "Hotel Fontenelle, social center of Omaha, Nebraska." Medium format acetate ... a parking lot next to the Hruska Federal Courthouse. Hotel Fontenelle I've always had a soft spot for that place. Too Upscale? I wonder if the Hotel Fontenelle was too pricey for John Vachon's budget? We might not get a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2020 - 1:18pm -

November 1938. "Hotel Fontenelle, social center of Omaha, Nebraska." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Gone by 1983It is now a parking lot next to the Hruska Federal Courthouse. Hotel FontenelleI've always had a soft spot for that place. Too Upscale?I wonder if the Hotel Fontenelle was too pricey for John Vachon's budget? We might not get a view from a window in this hotel looking out over the city. The seven storey vertical neon sign would have been quite a sight at night. Neon tube maintenance would not be a job for someone with vertigo. The ladder on the right side of the sign provided access to the full height of the sign. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Omaha)
The Plazas: 1907
Manhattan circa 1907. "New York, N.Y. -- Plaza Hotel, Grand Army Plaza and W. 58th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... extending to 58th Street, directly across from the Plaza Hotel. This property is recognized as the largest private residence ever ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2024 - 6:11pm -

Manhattan circa 1907. "New York, N.Y. -- Plaza Hotel, Grand Army Plaza and W. 58th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. You can still see that gategb, that wrought iron gate was one of two at the carriage entrance to the Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion, formerly occupying the west side of Fifth Avenue between West 57th Street and West 58th Street, at Grand Army Plaza (seen in the 1907 photo). The mansion was demolished in 1926. One gate is now at the 105th Street entrance to Central Park. Top HeavyIt always amazes me that so much of the architectural ornamentation on buildings is at the top. Even to this day, walking around New York, or any major city, there's nothing to see at street level. It's all at the top, which you can only appreciate if you can manage to get a perspective like this photo. Would love to know what the elaborate gate in the lower left led to. So Jim,Hansom cab line, center right: "So Jim, ya got those fancy new oversize wheels. How do you like 'em?" Withering heights for meThey couldn't pay me enough money to be the flag raiser on that building. Vanderbilt MansionThe elaborate gate on the left led to the front door of Cornelius Vanderbilt II's very large mansion. Cornelius II, oldest grandson of Commodore Vanderbilt (the first Cornelius), hired the architect George B. Post to design his house at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. The house was completed in 1882. In 1893, Cornelius II hired Post to expand the mansion to the north, covering the entire Fifth Avenue blockfront between 57th and 58th Streets. It was said to be the largest private house ever built in New York. The house was demolished in 1926 to make way for the Bergdorf-Goodman department store. CV II's other house was the gigantic "summer cottage" called The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. Vanderbilt GatesThe Cornelius Vanderbilt II mansion at the corner of Fifth Avenue, 57th Street and Grand Army Plaza in 1908. The Little House Across Way ...was a small home that belonged to the Cornelius Vanderbilt II family. It was situated at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and West 57th Street, extending to 58th Street, directly across from the Plaza Hotel. This property is recognized as the largest private residence ever constructed in New York City. Maintaining the estate necessitated a staff of 37 servants. The house was completed in 1893 and subsequently demolished in 1926; the land was later sold for $7 million, and the original structure was replaced by a 12-story luxury cooperative building. Notable features of the estate, including the 10-foot tall iron gates, a baronial fireplace designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a Moorish ceiling piece from the smoking room, and various other opulent elements, were donated to charitable organizations. The former front gates of the mansion now reside at the 105th Street entrance to Central Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt_II_House https://www.untappedcities.com/then-now-the-cornelius-vanderbilt-ii-mans... Early EV?Would love to be able to identify the horseless carriage at lower left. [It's an electric taxi -- a sort of horseless hansom cab. - Dave] Electric Hansom CabThanks Shorpy, you sent me down a rabbit hole with this little blurry thing. I see others are interested, here is the the best non watermarked photo I could find. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Hotel Manhattan: 1904
New York circa 1904. "Hotel Manhattan, 42nd Street." Another architectural view with many ... two in one day: here the "KODAKS" awning next door to the hotel, and earlier the "Camera Supplies" etc. sign on a building by the Dudley ... Forty-Second Street According to Emporis the Hotel Manhattan was at East 42nd and Madison. It was converted into an ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:34pm -

New York circa 1904. "Hotel Manhattan, 42nd Street." Another architectural view with many interesting details being peripheral to the subject at hand. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. A Gold Mine of Peripheral DetailsDave, you have a gift for understatement. Many interesting details, indeed. Another fascinating pic 'o the past. Pictures in a pictureIt's always strangely gratifying whenever photography-related business or references to same pop up, and we've had two in one day: here the "KODAKS" awning next door to the hotel, and earlier the "Camera Supplies" etc. sign on a building by the Dudley Street Station. Also, thanks to Dave for remembering that I'd already waxed rhapsodic with my sidewalk skylight memories, which I was on the verge of doing again. Track curvesIn the immediate foreground, one of the rails of the streetcar tracks at the intersection makes a sharp "s" curve. No other visible rail matches that curve, and I doubt the rail obscured by the passing streetcar follows that curve because it would require an axle far wider than anything I've ever seen. Furthermore, I can't think of anything longer than a handtruck that could navigate that curve. Does anyone have any idea what purpose that curve serves? [That's not a rail -- it's the slot between the tracks giving access to the electrical supply under the street. - Dave] Career ladderHas anybody found the painter? Forty-Second StreetAccording to Emporis the Hotel Manhattan was at East 42nd and Madison. It was converted into an office building in 1922 and unfortunately demolished in 1963. A Precursor of the Plaza ...The Hotel Manhattan was designed by Henry Hardenbergh, architect of the Dakota Apartments and the Plaza Hotel, and built in 1896-1897. It was demolished in 1961. It stood at the northwest corner of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, just west of Grand Central. To me it resembles Washington's Willard Hotel, which Hardenbergh designed in 1901. Check out the cool entrance kiosks for the brand new (opened 1904) IRT Subway! Let there be lightNotice the glass sidewalks in the right foreground. Thick glass set into grids to let light into cellar spaces (or the subway) under the sidewalk. More space to lease! It very rarely survives today but it was common at one time in many American cities. F.R. Tripler & CoThe F.R. Tripler & Company had a store at 366 Madison Avenue, at 46th Street. They were a high end clothier, custom shirt maker and haberdasher. Their competion was Brooks Brothers at 346 Madison Avenue at 44 Street (their Flagship Store) and Paul Stuart Clothing at 10 East 45th Street at Madison Avenue. All three stores occupy the corner of Madison Avenue at their Street locations. All are/were well respected quality shops. My own business was on 45th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. I shopped at all three at one time or another. The Tripler store closed about 20 years ago and the location now houses a Jos. A. Bank clothing store, the quality is good but not in the same league as Tripler. Tall PolesI'm impressed by the very tall flagpoles we see in these old photos. Glass Sidewalk InsertsI love the "Coke bottle" glass inserts in the sidewalk (foreground, right side) that would provide light to the subway below. There aren't many sidewalks that exist like that in uptown. Quite a few still exist in Soho. [You'll note that many such inserts are amethyst colored, due to the action of the sun's UV rays over the decades -- the effect that turns old bottles purple. I think tterrace pointed that out awhile back. - Dave] Death Defying FeatMy favorite picture might be these incredibly detailed cityscapes. Up near the roof of the third building up the street from from the hotel, is that a man on a ladder working on the facade? How fearless is that? Look at the poor schmuckswho are replacing the paving stones in the lower left of the frame. Contrast with the guy on the corner who is probably looking at his gold pocket watch, for effect. This photo spans income and class spectrum entirely. Banks a lot!I remember the Tripler and Paul Stuart stores very well, as competitors to Brooks Brothers. Tripler and Stuart were known as clothiers to Ivy Leaguers, and just a tick or two above Brooks in quality and price. My tastes ran to Brooks in the 60s and 70s, but my pocketbook usually led me to Weber & Heilbroner, a block west on a NE corner of Fifth in the 40's. My first bank in New York in 1959 was in the old Hotel Manhattan structure (a Manufacturers Trust branch). I was working at that time for Union Carbide at 30 East 42nd across the street. Carbide paychecks were issued from the Hanover Trust Company in the Carbide building, but Hanover did not handle personal checking accounts. At about the same time that Union Carbide moved to a new skyscraper at 270 Park Avenue, at the head of Vanderbilt Avenue. Manufacturers merged with Hanover to become "Manny Hanny," and opened a branch on the ground floor of the new skyscraper. Those glass sidewalksIt's always a thrill to see these. My first encounter of these was here in Saskatoon where there's a few buildings still sporting this unique method of bringing light into the basement. All the glass blocks are a lovely violet now and I even have a half block piece that was dislodged once upon a time from one of them. I love how they glow at night when the building has the lights on below, and better still, they melt snow even at extreme cold temperatures, so that the building tenants don't have to clear their sidewalks! Mystery of the amethyst sidewalk inserts solved!One reason I love Shorpy is how much I learn. Seattle has many of those glass inserts still in the sidewalks, from when the underground city was up and running. I always wondered why they were purple and now I know! Streetcar SlotsThat sharp bend in the electrical conductor slot, which was pointed out in the "Track curves" comment, is interesting. If you follow the track to the right of that point in both directions, you can see that there are what appear to be four rails for the streetcars - two running rails and two power supply slots. The power supply shoe on the cars must have been capable of side-to-side movement to stay in the slot as it veered to one side. There's a map of the Metropolitan Street Railway system here. As you can see from this detail, the Metropolitan cars coming down Madison had to turn onto Forty-Second to go one block east on the rails of the Forty-Second Street cross-town streetcar line, before turning back to continue down Fourth Avenue (you can see one of the large open cars just turning in from the right). I suspect that this four-rail system must have been necessary to keep the electrical supply from the Madison/Fourth Avenue line separate from the supply for the smaller cross-town cars on Forty-Second. Cable Car FlingSeveral of the New York City street railway companies had a very brief fling with San Francisco style cable cars in the 1890's, transitioning from horse cars to cable cars to Washington DC style underground electric distribution in a span of 2-3 years. To reduce the expense of the second conversion to electric power, some of the lines, including the Third Avenue Railway, found ways to retrofit the electric 3rd rail (sometimes 2 "third rails") into the existing cable trough. It appears that this is the case here, where the troughs for the 2 diverging lines swerve to run parallel with each other, as was done with cable cars, rather than joining, as done when a line was designed for electric power from the beginning. The underground power distribution, rather than overhead wires, was per a NYC ordinance that forced all wires to be placed underground. Unlike relatively warm Foggy Bottom, it must have been a challenge to keep the New York lines operating despite snow and ice falling into the troughs, in either the cable or electric eras. I always want to visitthose beautiful little dormer rooms right up at the top and see what they are like inside! (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Hotel Mary-Etta: c. 1964
This is the Fairbury, Nebraska hotel where I grew up. Our apartment was on the top floor in the corner. This ... 
 
Posted by DanV - 04/19/2010 - 7:05am -

This is the Fairbury, Nebraska hotel where I grew up. Our apartment was on the top floor in the corner. This picture is from around 1964, about the time my dad started running the place. We ran the cafe, too. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
One-Star Hotel: 1939
... by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Well, the Hotel survived The gas station, not so much. Carson & Thornton ... the image, despite no directions previously shown), the "Hotel" looks to have had 3-4 rooms, tops. About 30-35 feet wide, about 60-70 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/23/2018 - 5:22pm -

November 1939. "Hughesville, Missouri, where the headquarters of the Osage Farms project is located, was once one of the largest livestock and grain shipping points in the state." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Well, the Hotel survivedThe gas station, not so much. Carson & ThorntonFrom History of Pettis County Mo 1919 by Mark McGruder George W. Thornton, a successful farmer, Hughesville township, is a native son of Pettis County, and is a son and 16th (!) and last child of Hiram Thornton, one of the best known of the early settlers of Pettis County, and Sophia (Turley) Thornton. George W. Thornton was left an orphan at the age of 13 years in 1876 and began doing for himself at that age. On December 28 1892, Mr. Thornton was married to Miss Bettie Carson, a daughter (5th of 10 children) of James and Narcissus (Garner) Carson, natives of Ireland, who settled in Franklin County Missouri, coming to the State from Illinois in 1879. Seemed very modern, James & Narcissus having children, but the truth is, otherwise: Emery was the brother of Sarah J.(Garner) ... and Narcissa/Narcissus G. Garner who later married James Carson and died in Pettis County,MO. Tiny settlementAt the current population of 184, it rivals my late Uncle's last home of Upland, Nebraska (pop. 175). From the looks of the place (seen on Google Earth, of which I'm not about to incur the wrath of not knowing how to embed the image, despite no directions previously shown), the "Hotel" looks to have had 3-4 rooms, tops. About 30-35 feet wide, about 60-70 feet deep on 2 stories. The "Town Hall" is a couple doors out of frame to the right of JD's picture above - a tiny, one-story former bank. The town's post office is what's seen at the center of the same picture, while a red-roofed former "Farm and Auto" repair shop stands behind the two-bay beside the post office. In "exploring" the town via Google Earth, I believe what you're seeing in both pictures is the liveliest part of town - indeed, that's Hughesville's Main Street in front of the hotel. [You're confusing Google Maps with Google Earth. - Dave] Royal gasI love that crown on top of the pump! (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Gas Stations, Small Towns)
Atlantic Hotel: 1906
Norfolk, Virginia, circa 1906. "Atlantic Hotel, Granby Street." Demolished 1970s. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... Granby and Main View Larger Map The hotel was located here where the refuse truck is parked. The Atlantic was built ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2013 - 3:05pm -

Norfolk, Virginia, circa 1906. "Atlantic Hotel, Granby Street." Demolished 1970s. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. At Granby and MainView Larger Map The hotel was located here where the refuse truck is parked. The Atlantic was built in 1859, and was used briefly as a Confederate command headquarters in 1861. It burned in 1867 and was rebuilt. It burned again in 1902 and again was rebuilt. It finally closed in 1976, was torn down and replaced by a rather ugly building. However, down the street and next door, the building with the awning still stands, but greatly altered. But it does have a rather nice Irish pub. Atlantic HotelWhen they sold off the furnishings before demolition I obtained one of the octagonal pieces of marble from the lobby floor. I use it for the base of a statue. The Modern Puritans F.H.P. ?I was wondering what kind of organization the Modern Puritans were and managed to dig up some information that they were essentially a life insurance company. (The Gallery, DPC)
Hôtel de Ville: 1900
... negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Hotel De Ville de Montreal Interestingly enough, 119 years later Montreal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2019 - 11:43am -

Circa 1900. "City Hall, Montreal, Quebec." Whose Second Empire facade received a Beaux-Arts makeover after a fire in 1922. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Hotel De Ville de Montreal Interestingly enough, 119 years later Montreal City Hall is undergoing major renovations and all the offices inside (including the mayor's) have been temporarily relocated in other city buildings. My street!I live on an avenue in Montreal called Hôtel de Ville which would run straight down to City Hall (Hôtel de Ville, en français) were it not for the various breaks caused by a housing development and a sunken expressway. But it’s a straight line as the crow flies, almost 2 km (1.2 miles). The building is still there, by the way, and still functions as City Hall. Of all DeGaulleFrom that balcony, in 1967, Charles DeGaulle gave his "Vive le Québec Libre" speech, which unleashed all sorts of mischief. (The Gallery, Dogs, DPC)
Hotel Wendell: 1910
... Pittsfield, Massachusetts, circa 1910. "North Street and Hotel Wendell from the park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... View full size. Two remain at least Hotel Wendell is gone ...replaced by the parking ramp at left, but the two ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2021 - 12:09pm -

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, circa 1910. "North Street and Hotel Wendell from the park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Two remain at least Hotel Wendell is gone...replaced by the parking ramp at left, but the two larger buildings on opposite corners in the near distance are extant. The building on the far right still has its flagpole on the roof, while the one to the left in the center of the photo has had its mansard-roofed 4th floor tastefully revamped into what appears to be new 4th & 5th floors. Always fun to see what has (or hasn't) been successfully preserved. (!) +110 not nearly so interestingThe Wendell closed in 1965 and met the wrecking ball in 1966, a victim of the Mass Turnpike completely bypassing Pittsfield. Today, a three-story commercial building occupies the whole block, with the Crowne Plaza Pittsfield, successor to the Wendell, visible behind at left. Another SurvivorA fun thing about an old high resolution street view is seeing how deep you can go. Another visible surviving building is 75 North Street, with its blind arcade decoration. Well, Doggone ItI guess I must have just missed the parade. Sure been a lot of horses out in that street. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Small Towns)
Pe-ru-na Cures Catarrh: 1903
... and a little burned sugar for color. The Newer Hotel Brunswick The Hotel Brunswick that was built on the site is now known as the Grand Madison ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:25pm -

New York circa 1903. "Detroit Photographic Company, 229 Fifth Avenue." On this block destined for demolition, Everything Must Go. And Everywhere a Sign. And, for connoisseurs of ghost pedestrians, two sets of spectral footfalls. Plus a Dept. of Sanitation sweeper! Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. A little background on Pe-Ru-Na"Peruna and the Bracers" Any one wishing to make Peruna for home consumption may do so by mixing half a pint of cologne spirits, 190 proof, with a pint and a half of water, adding thereto a little cubebs for flavor and a little burned sugar for color. The Newer Hotel BrunswickThe Hotel Brunswick that was built on the site is now known as the Grand Madison with luxury condos. http://www.thegrandmadisonny.com/ The GardenThat cupola on the left is part of Stanford White's Madison Square Garden - when it was on Madison Square. Long ExposureIt seems like a man had enough time to walk all the way across the picture, leaving ghostly rows of hats and shoes. Hotel BrunswickAlthough it doesn't look like much in these photos, at the end of the 19th century the Hotel Brunswick's restaurant was second only to Delmonico for the quality of its cuisine. Delmonico's flagship restaurant was just around the corner on 26th off Fifth and a young Louis Sherry was a wait captain at the Brunswick. Cure-iouslyNamed after the patent medicine which contained 18 percent alcohol, "Peruna" is the Shetland pony mascot of the SMU Mustangs. A shady enterpriseAlmost looks like Santa is stuck headfirst in the second chimney from the left edge. I think that lamp store is still "Going Out of Business." TMII am not sure I want to know what the "special toilet uses" are. Cleaning UpBrendan has it right, those sanitation workers were called "White Wings" and they supposedly were the first organized street cleaners in the US. In the 1950s Elgin Sweeper Co produced a street sweeper called the "White Wing" as a tribute to these pioneers. Poor Murray & DepierrisThe southermost storefront here, with a sign saying "Murray - Depierris," appears vacant. That may place this photo in 1904, as it appears that this millinery business, only in business since January 1903, declared bankruptcy in June 1904. http://www.slavens.net/news/bankruptcy.htm And -- was that 20 story hotel ever built on the site of the Hotel Brunswick? Short and to the pointWilson High Ball -- that's all! Wasn't 27th and Park a classy address even then?Too bad none of the residents of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors got any views of the street - or light or ventilation, either. Nowadays you will find multi-floor advertising billboards on the fronts of building in midtown, but they are on perforated vinyl. PrefaceThe most shocking sign of the whole bunch is the small street-level sign for Doubleday, Page & Company at 219 Fifth Avenue. That is the ancestor to the great Doubleday publishing conglomerate of today! Safest summer drinkRoss's Royal Ginger Ale is described as "the safest summer drink." What on earth does that mean? Was root beer deadly back in '03? White Wing in actionMy great-great-grandfather was a New York City Department of Sanitation worker. I believe they called them the "White Wings" because of their white, military-like uniforms. Pe-ru-na HistoryI never heard of Pe-ru-na or the ailment called Catarrh. I did some research and found that Pe-ru-na has an interesting history. http://www.fohbc.com/PDF_Files/Peruna_JSullivan.pdf Potato tonicPeruna means potato in Finnish. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
A Small Hotel: 1925
... avenue and C Street Southeast A brochure from the hotel, click for slightly bigger: Apartment Hotel Washington Post, August 1924. George Washington Inn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/29/2015 - 10:31am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "George Washington Inn, C Street S.E." Last glimpsed here and here. National Photo glass negative. View full size. An Array of SolutionsThe cars parked facing the camera display a variety of solutions to operating in cold weather, ranging from a piece of cardboard across the radiator grille (on the right) to a rather elaborate, whole-hood shroud with a roll-up section encompassing the radiator (at left). More expensive machines, such as the next-to-last on the left had adjustable radiator louvers that could be opened or shut from the driver's seat. For a variety of reasons, early internal combustion engines started hard and idled roughly when the temperature dipped below freezing. Temporarily blocking air flow through the radiator helped the engine reach optimal operating temperature faster, and in the days when the driver had to cope with setting a hand throttle, advancing or retarding the spark manually, and shifting an unsynchronized transmission via a primitive clutch, any aid to smoothing things out was appreciated. You gotta have HartDo we get a picture of the wishing well? New Jersey avenue and C Street SoutheastA brochure from the hotel, click for slightly bigger: Apartment Hotel Washington Post, August 1924. George Washington Inn Apartment Hotel Housekeeping and nonhousekeeping apartments for rent by week or month. Summer rates. Phone Lincoln 3101. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Hotel Rueger: 1913
1913. Richmond, Virginia. "Hotel Rueger -- Bank and Ninth Streets." Now the Commonwealth Hotel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... be around a while: it's currently the Commonwealth Suites Hotel. Twists of history It started in 1846 as Louis Rueger’s saloon. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2023 - 12:20pm -

1913. Richmond, Virginia. "Hotel Rueger -- Bank and Ninth Streets." Now the Commonwealth Hotel. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Deja VuI’m pretty sure my father took me and my brothers there on a business trip in the late '60s. Wow! Just the sight of this brought that back to me. He worked for the C&O Railroad. We went to a record store and were able to listen to records via headphones. That was a first. We bought a Ten Years After record. Thank you for all the pictures that you post! Movin' on upRichmonders of 1913 were already playing a game of "Remember when?" as what is pictured here had just opened, replacing an earlier version Not sure how many buildings over the centuries have occupied what must have been a choice corner - it's right across from the Capitol - but the present occupant looks like it will be around a while: it's currently the Commonwealth Suites Hotel. Twists of historyIt started in 1846 as Louis Rueger’s saloon. Across from the Virginia (and Confederate) Capitol, his place was requisitioned during the Civil War by the Confederate Navy, and Rueger returned to his native Germany. He came back to find ashes, rebuilt, and his place became known as the Lafayette Saloon because it was near the Lafayette Artillery Armory. The Ruegers (now three generations) added boarding to their saloon, and in 1901 opened a three-story hotel bearing the family name. In 1912, grandson William Rueger built the ten-story building in the photo. In the 1950s new owners changed the name to Hotel Raleigh. In the 1980s a developer remodeled and called it Commonwealth Park Suites. Since 2004 it has been just The Commonwealth. But the Rueger name has been revived for Rueger’s at the Commonwealth, offering what sounds impossible: “Southern comfort food with a healthy and modern twist.” (Apostrophilic Shorpyites will note that the 1912 hotel sign lost its apostrophe; it’s not clear why.) [Apostrophes on vertical signage are problematic for what I would think are obvious reasons. - Dave] Well, I intended a joke, getting both its and it's next to 'apostrophe'. Nevertheless, problematic situations can be overcome: see below. Evita's?Are the architectural balcony-like features in the center of the even floors just decorative or are they actually used for something? Perhaps for bunting to go along with the flagpoles on alternate floors? They appear too narrow to use as balconies (unless one is singing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina.") They are nice touches to the building -- does anyone do that sort of thing anymore? [Ask Juliet. - Dave] As it looks nowAs “the Commonwealth” 3-star then and nowThe Commonwealth is a 3-star hotel. It has aged well. Judging by writeups in a 1914 edition of The Bankers Magazine and the 1920 Official Hotel Red Book and Directory, it began as a 3-star hotel. And, as advertised, it has proven to be fireproof. GlenJay is correct -- Southern comfort food is not healthy; but mmmmmm ... it is some kind of good. Tofu fried chicken is never gonna give me comfort. My guess isIt's a 1908 or 1909 Pope-Hartford Touring (The Gallery, DPC, Richmond)
Park Hotel: 1905
Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, circa 1905. "Park Hotel." An interesting cast of characters in less than parklike surroundings. ... a train? Looks like there are short stairs midway down the hotel's hallways where the building addition starts, as the windows don't match ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 4:21pm -

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, circa 1905. "Park Hotel." An interesting cast of characters in less than parklike surroundings. Detroit Publishing. View full size. VacancyThe Soo still has a lot of old buildings, but this one was torn down in 1972. In the early 1900s, most people came to the Soo via ship and occasionally rail, and most if not all hotels were down by the river. Today there are only a few still hanging on for the tourists, and most motels are franchises up on the business spur near the highway and fast food. Grain Belt export?Seems a long way from home in Minneapolis for 1905. [Minneapolis Brewing Company operated a regional network of brewhouses, bottling plants and storage depots. By the turn of the century, Grain Belt could be had from Michigan to Montana. - Dave] That hot, stuffy gable roomIf it's not a "box room" (the name is self-explanatory), it might well be a room for servants, cooks, and/or staff. The rooms closest to the roof are always the least desirable, and thus relegated (even today) to the help. After all, the workers aren't supposed to be in their rooms very much anyway! What I'm wondering about is the collection of courtly, retired, mustachioed gentlemen on the porch. In the winter, would they gather in a public parlor with a coal stove? They all look as if they could easily reminisce about the cold and muddy bivouacs they endured "tenting tonight on the old camp grounds" during the Civil War. Gable RoomThese old buildings (of course it wasn't old then) always have what I call "fun" or "mysterious" rooms jutting up out of them that make me wish I knew what they were like inside. In this one it's is the gable room -- that's where I would want to stay if in fact it's a used room and not just a decorative add-on. There can't be much of an attic because the rest of the roof is flat. Transfer? From what? To where?Now here's a picture full of questions. I see two very proper ladies in waiting standing next to one or two gentlemen who "moved." One shoe shine man. Three newsies and one non-newsie. Five gents on the porch. Three drivers and four and a half horses. What I'd like to know is what kind of "transfer" is indicated by the sign over the ladies and the printing on the sides of the coaches. I see rails in the street but no overhead wires. Maybe for horse drawn rail cars? (There is definitely horse evidence between the rails.) Or maybe it's a steam railroad? Have the ladies been brought to this point by one of the transfer coaches and now await a train? Looks like there are short stairs midway down the hotel's hallways where the building addition starts, as the windows don't match up. Add a "grain belt" sign, a mailbox, a fireplug, a decrepit bill on the "telly-pole," the electrified transfer sign, and you have a fascinating scenario. The only thing we don't see is the photographer. Who was he and why was he taking the picture? [There is a big thick streetcar wire overhead. The sign says FREE EAGLE LIVERY TRANSFER (scroll up). The photo is one of many thousands made by Detroit Publishing Company for use as postcards and prints. - Dave] Here It IsI like the sign across the middle of the street that helps you locate the Park Hotel. From the position of the sign, I'd presume that the majority of folks are heading there from the left side of the picture. Interesting. Soo Memories, NOTFunny - I lived in the Soo from '67 to '70 and drank in a hole-in-the-wall bar right next to where Google says the Park Hotel was, but I have no recollection of it. Maybe I should have drunk less. Then again, the Soo was pretty down at the heels back then and the hotel may have been just another derelict building. The Eagle Suffers Little Birds to SingThe sign says EAGLE LIVERY TRANSFER. The wagons belong to the Eagle Transfer Company, who held a concession with Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway. It might not look parklike to us, but the camera was on the edge of a nicely landscaped park overlooking the locks. Plenty of shots exist on Library of Congress site. Acme Inc.That phone pole looks like one of Wile E. Coyote's props, cocked to flatten the Road Runner. Of course that's not how things will turn out. The hotelIt's down at the end of Lonely Street, or was that the Heartbreak? Much in need of a First Class shoe shineEspecially with all the mud, etc., on that street. I shudder to think how shoes shined in a Second Class Manner would turn out! Ghosts of years pastI like the ghostly shoe by the shoe shine sign, very apropos and there are two apparations beside the ladies. I think this should give us pause to slow down in life and watch for photographers so that we don't end up as a blur in the background in the future. Back in '71I was stationed at nearby Kincheloe A.F.B. My buddies and I spent many an evening "painting the town", mosquitoes and snow permitting. I'd sure like to know exactly where this building was so I could search my memories. If it was near the locks and was indeed still standing in 1971 I might remember having seen it. [The Park Hotel was at the southeast corner of Douglass Street (later Osborn Boulevard) and West Portage Avenue, according to this book. - Dave] Transfer LineI'm not familiar with the situation in Sault Sainte Marie, but "transfer" lines almost always referred to omnibus services that ran between the railroad depot and local hotels. The far was usually 25 cents round trip, and typically a traveler was given a token or ticket to use for the return trip back to the railroad depot after his business was done in town. (The Gallery, DPC)
Two-Bit Hotel (Colorized): 1921
... Colorized from a Shorpy original . The Lanier Hotel & Fuerst Bros. Restaurant, 15 Bowery NYC Colourisation from a ... Proprietors Alex and Sigmund Fuerst stand outside their hotel and associated restaurant in what is now modern day Chinatown in New York ... 
 
Posted by photojacker - 01/04/2013 - 7:41pm -

Colorized from a Shorpy original. The Lanier Hotel & Fuerst Bros. Restaurant, 15 Bowery NYC Colourisation from a black and white photo Tuesday, July 5th, 1921, New York, United States of America, by George Grantham Bain's Bain News Service Proprietors Alex and Sigmund Fuerst stand outside their hotel and associated restaurant in what is now modern day Chinatown in New York City, opposite the old Bowery Theatre. The Fuerst family, consisting of five brothers, owned several restaurants along the popular theatrical strip along the Bowery, including the now demolished address at 15 Bowery, 109 Bowery and 221 Bowery, which has very similar architectural detailing to the buildings on 15 Bowery. The surrounding area in what is now Chinatown attracted residents and transient visitors at the lower end of the economic ladder, staying in numerous lodging houses, or the more pejorative 'Flop House', where for 5 cents, one could literally 'flop over' in quarters about the size of a standard office cubicle. The Lanier Hotel as pictured was more expensive (although very cheap by modern pricing), offering a small private room with clean sheets, somewhere between a capsule hotel and a bed and breakfast. The Lanier Hotel eventually closed down, although the Fuerst brothers remained in the substantially more profitable restaurant business. With thanks to the Fuerst family for detailed information regarding this image. View full size. (Colorized Photos)
Hotel Poinsettia: 1915
... spread across the hot sands? Where's my time machine? Hotel Dunlop I've found nothing on Hotel Poinsettia, but I have researched a bit about Hotel Dunlop, which stood ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:35pm -

Circa 1915. "The beach and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." Back to the beach with another high-resolution panorama, this one made from two 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Beach AttireSkimmers for the gents and parasols for the ladies was all the fashion. But I think of that iconic photo of Richard Nixon walking on the SoCal beach in his suit when I see photos like this one. Nowadays I doubt you'd see long pants at the beach let alone a full suit or fancy dress. TraditionYa gotta build a sand castle! It's almost a rule! Interesting to note the evolution of swimwear when this shot is compared to earlier photos of beaches, either here or at Coney Island. These panorama are such a treat, especially when the radio just happens to be playing the Nat King Cole song, "Those Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer!" Perfect Timing. ContrastsThis photograph is a wonderful example of the difference between the crowds in their finery promenading on the Boardwalk, and the laid back people cavorting on the beach. So many candid views - the newspaper boy seems out of place on the beach. I'll stick to the old daysThis current shot of the AC Boardwalk so totally lacks the fun and energy of the 1915 picture. So much for "progress." Now to find a way to walk into that old picture. How did they do it in "Somewhere in Time"? Teddy Roosevelt goes to the beachThat's got to be him sitting on the sand facing the camera. Maybe he was planning to see Eddie Foy at the Criterion. All kidding aside, another fantastic beach montage. I still don't understand how all those ladies & gents promenading down the boardwalk clothed in layers from hat to spats aren't keeling over from heat prostration in 90-degree heat and sun. How did they do it? [It might not be 90, or anything close. - Dave] Looking For SomeoneThere is ia young woman standing toward the left of the photo. She is shielding her eyes from the sun and is looking out toward the beach...or the water. Even though I can't get a closer look at her, I can tell she is pretty. This is what drives me nuts about Shorpy, Dave. You don't have a Time Machine so I can go and meet her. Maybe she was looking for me. Sand in your clothes?I find it interesting that in all the theses beach scenes, unless they rented a chair or cabana, people just plopped down right on the sand in either their bathing suits or street clothes. No towels or blankets. Guess they didn't mind taking a little of the beach home with them. Clysmic Table waterBottled water has been around for at least 100 years. The illuminated sign on the far right must have been impressive after dark. AlasSuch a simple concept: the beach towel. What entrepreneur will step forward and offer a 6 by 3 piece of terrycloth to spread across the hot sands? Where's my time machine? Hotel Dunlop I've found nothing on Hotel Poinsettia, but I have researched a bit about Hotel Dunlop, which stood at Mount Vernon and Pacific Avenues. Sometime between when this picture was taken and 1916 the name of the hotel was changed to Hotel Overbrook and burned on February 4, 1916, killing six. [That's not the same building as the one in our photo. - Dave] People Being People In Their TimeI look at those people having fun in their time. When they look into the camera they're looking into the future. We're looking into the past. (Panoramas, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
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