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Hotel Vermont: 1911
Burlington, Vermont, circa 1911. "Hotel Vermont." Now the Vermont House condominiums. 8x10 glass negative, ... store building that had ones like those in front of Hotel Vermont and remember the distinctive sound and shadows of pedestrians ... Look closely on the long side of the building for the Hotel Vermont sign( paint or brick?) one floor below the iron balcony, it is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/20/2014 - 1:40pm -

Burlington, Vermont, circa 1911. "Hotel Vermont." Now the Vermont House condominiums. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Still there at Main & St PaulView Larger Map RoofI wonder what those two ladies are doing up on the roof. Sidewalk skylights?I used to work in a department store building that had ones like those in front of Hotel Vermont and remember the distinctive sound and shadows of pedestrians passing by above. I always wondered if they had a specific name, or if they were just known as sidewalk skylights. Though there were many old examples in downtown San Diego at that time (early 1960s) I don't think there are any now. [Sidewalk skylights are among Shorpy's most popular street scene sightings, joining arc lamps, precarious building-ledge people and drug store rubber goods signs. -tterrace] A pair of fine-feathered friends....... are roosting on the roof. Look closelyon the long side of the building for the Hotel Vermont sign( paint or brick?) one floor below the iron balcony, it is visble on both google and the original photo. Ghostly Maidens on the RoofVisitors from the Overlook Hotel maybe? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)
Hotel Marion: 1908
Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1908. "Hotel Marion." Demolished in 1980. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... Double Implosion I watched the implosion of the Marion Hotel and also the 14 story Grady Manning Hotel as they went off simultaneously. The hotels were on the same block and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 7:25pm -

Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1908. "Hotel Marion." Demolished in 1980. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. This One Didn't Catch On Fire EitherIt was imploded in 1980. Three observations1. The life of this building was about the same as that expected of a human being, approximately three score and ten. 2. "Miss Jones, next time you contact our supplier, please order another 144 pairs of identical curtains." 3. Be our transitory window display simply by occupying a chair in the window and be looked at for as long or short a time as you wish. Double ImplosionI watched the implosion of the Marion Hotel and also the 14 story Grady Manning Hotel as they went off simultaneously. The hotels were on the same block and now the Peabody Hotel and Statehouse Convention Center occupy that space. And what a pity it's gone now.That mezzanine open patio looks very inviting. (The Gallery, DPC, Little Rock)
Hotel Mikado: 1942
... represented here on East First Street include the Hotel Mikado, Sho-Fu-Do confectionery, Ten-Gen restaurant, Sato Book Store, Hotel Empire, Sumida & Son hardware, Angel Cake Shop, Moon Fish Co., Eagle ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/23/2022 - 4:43pm -

April 1942. "Los Angeles, California. Street scene in Little Tokyo." Businesses represented here on East First Street include the Hotel Mikado, Sho-Fu-Do confectionery, Ten-Gen restaurant, Sato Book Store, Hotel Empire, Sumida & Son hardware, Angel Cake Shop, Moon Fish Co., Eagle Employment Agency, Kawahara Co. and Dr. C.K. Nagao, dentist. Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Office of War Information. View full size. +74Below is the same view from November of 2016. Mikado pencilsI've always heard that the Mirado pencils we used in grade school in the '50s had previously been called Mikado pencils, but they changed their name after Pearl Harbor. Both trunks are emptyAnd his feet are a blur because he doesn't want to get a parking ticket. Kawahara Co.In the business of "agricultural minerals" since at least 1931. ChangesLooking at the street view picture from 2016, all three of these buildings still exist but with some changes. The two buildings that are center and to the right have lost the upper few feet of their facade (although still contain the same fire escapes in the 1942 picture) and the building on the left is missing it's its third floor. Why the third floor is missing is odd, fire or storm damage in the past maybe, we’re left to wonder. Re: street view pictureThis is not from Google streetview, Jeremybd, but one of a very unique series of photos taken by TimeAndAgainPhoto, who photographs the same scene many years after the original, using the same source photos as Shorpy, and sent in by TAAP to Shorpy when Dave posts the original for us. It is a cool project that spans America and many years. 1942 Dodge CoupeWhat I think is a 1942 Dodge coupe on the left is the shiniest car I've seen on Shorpy. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Los Angeles, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets, WW2)
Non-Smoking Rooms: 1909
Toledo circa 1909. "Hotel Secor, Jefferson Avenue and Superior Street." At exactly 2:37. Seen here ... was Milner's Dept Store in 1909, later Sears - saw the Hotel SeaGate disappear (if the SeaGate helped put older Toledan hotels out ... surrounded!) Menu prices are in cents The new Hotel Secor was featured in the May 1909 issue of The Brickbuilder. Below is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2022 - 4:56pm -

Toledo circa 1909. "Hotel Secor, Jefferson Avenue and Superior Street." At exactly 2:37. Seen here earlier a minute later, at 2:38. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Secor to none... until it got a new neighbor; and then of a sudden it became second to that. Other items of note in the past 11 years: -- It's still there. -- as is the building two blocks down -- In the blocks between them, the spot occupied by the towered building - it was Milner's Dept Store in 1909, later Sears - saw the Hotel SeaGate disappear (if the SeaGate helped put older Toledan hotels out of business, it looks like they had the last laugh) -- The Toledo Blade is not only still around, it now controls the Pittsburgh Post Gazette as well (Watch out Cleveland: you're surrounded!) Menu prices are in centsThe new Hotel Secor was featured in the May 1909 issue of The Brickbuilder. Below is the original floorplan and four photographs of main areas on the first floor. By 1919 the Secor was managed by brothers L. C. and A. L Wallick, who had managed the Hotel Wallick in New York City since 1910, formerly the Cadillac Hotel. Apparently, they used the same menu for both hotels. The 1919 prices are in cents. I also found documentation several wealthy Toledo families, like the Libbey glass family, maintained suites at the Secor after they sold their homes for one reason or another. Click to embiggen. Answering my own questionI wondered if the photos of the Hotel Secor in The Brickbuilder were taken on the same day as the photos Dave posted. The answer is no. There are no canvas awnings on the ground and third-floor windows in The Brickbuilder. Floor PlansThank you Doug Floor Plan for the building plans from The Brickbuilder! I love looking at these things, and I see that the basement extended out under the sidewalk quite a way (right side and bottom), and the the entire bakery was out there. I also see an "Oyster Pantry" and wonder what that was, if it was for shucking oysters, or does "oyster" refer to something else? I also see the the room plans are unusual in that every room has at least a toilet and sink, but only every other room received a bathtub! Nobody left dirty, however, there is a lonely bathtub at the end of the right corridor for everybody else! Three enginesIn the basement plan, I see three engines in the engine room. What would they need three engines for? I imagine this hotel generated its own electricity. [You imagine correctly -- details of the Secor's power plant are here. - Dave] Buckeye BrewingThe second oldest business in Toledo, The Buckeye Brewing Company began operations in 1838 near Front and Consaul Streets on the city's east side. Buckeye was founded just one year after the city of Toledo itself, and was one of the oldest breweries in American history. During Prohibition, Buckeye switched its production to bottling soft drinks like ginger ale, root beer and cider, as well as utilising its cold storage facilities. Brave ClaimsThis must have been the era of brave claims, of dubious provability. Fire Proof is boldly stated on the rooftop. At around the same time a large ship was being planned that would make a claim to be 'Unsinkable'. The building wouldn't burnBut the insides of buildings could and did burn. Sometimes with horrific loss of life, because "fireproof" was an excuse to skimp on exit stairs, fire escapes and sprinkler systems. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Streetcars, Toledo)
One Star Hotel: 1906
Columbus, Ohio, circa 1906. "Hotel Star." Free telegraph in every room! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... Colourised for postcard! "A view of the Star Hotel located at 227-229 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Also shows the ... 231 North High street, so this whole block is gone. The Hotel Star address is 227 N. High. The City of Arches Replicas of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 11:16pm -

Columbus, Ohio, circa 1906. "Hotel Star." Free telegraph in every room! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Columbus, Arch Cityhttps://www.shorpy.com/node/8652 https://www.shorpy.com/node/8661 (fwiw, where I was born.) Shock of the NewAmidst all the period capital serifs, a surprising lowercase Gill Sans-ish precursor in "Bicycles and Sporting Goods." Colourised for postcard!"A view of the Star Hotel located at 227-229 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Also shows the metal arches over High Street." From the Columbus Metropolitan Library. At last, a dentist !For some time now, the Shorpy cityscape has not revealed the upstairs dental treatment that we were seeing much of a few months ago. "May" the force be with youIn noticing the May & Co store on the right I remembered hearing the name over many years and decided to look them up. May & Company was founded 1877 by David May in Leadville, CO during the silver rush. Eventually becoming a nationwide chain, there is no connection to the NYC Mays Department Stores. In 2005 May & Company was merged into Federated Department Stores (Macy's Inc.) for $11 billion in stock. [This May & Co. was a local Columbus furniture dealer and was not connected with the May Company department store chain. - tterrace] North HighThe Puntenny & Eutsler music store was located at 231 North High street, so this whole block is gone. The Hotel Star address is 227 N. High. The City of ArchesReplicas of the lighted arches still exist in Columbus Ohio on North High Street near The Ohio State University. See "A Short Walking Tour" here. Head to Toe ServiceBusiness must be good for the barber/shoeshine shop to have two fancy carved poles. While barber poles have been common and readily recognized for ages, this is my very first introduction to a shoeshine pole. I have to say it's attractive. Come on down! Woosh!I like the motion blur on the carriage moving out of frame. Zoom zoom! (The Gallery, DPC)
Gotham Hotel: 1905
New York circa 1905. "Gotham and St. Regis hotels." Looking south along Fifth Avenue at East 56th Street. On the right, the Gotham rising behind Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. F ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:35pm -

New York circa 1905. "Gotham and St. Regis hotels." Looking south along Fifth Avenue at East 56th Street. On the right, the Gotham rising behind Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Fifth AvenueDoesn't look much different today. View Larger Map Grandes DamesThe St Regis and Gotham Hotels still stand at their exact locations 105 years later. The only change, the name of the Gotham, it is now the Peninsula. Both are high end digs. Horseless carriageWow! This must be one of the earliest autos. Could it be a Duryea? In 1905 even in a downtown NYC, only one auto on a busy city street, within a few years most of the horses would be gone. Great snapshot of the beginning of the automobile in America. Soul StreetNo restaurants nearby, but plenty of churches for your spiritual needs. +101Below is the identical perspective from April of 2006. Absolutely Stunning!Now THIS is what I call a picture, the detail is incredible. As I stare into the scene I just imagine myself walking these streets everyday. I think my neck would hurt most of the time from looking up at the gorgeous building details. I experience this same problem a couple of summers ago when my wife and I spent a few days in NY. I kept nearly running into things and people because I was always looking up! WowI've worked in this area for more than a decade. It's hard to imagine sometimes that it was once primarily a residential neighborhood. Gorgeous!What a vista! Fifth Avenue was the creme-de-la-creme of NYC at the turn of the 20th century (and still is in many respects). You can see St. Thomas on the right at 53rd street, and the spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral on the left at 50th street. The spire directly above the parked auto doesn't exist anymore -- not sure what church it belonged to. That CarWho can identify it? At first I thought Renault (seen here on Shorpy), maybe a Type AG taxi, but the radiator in this photo is up front instead of behind the motor, as on a Renault. [Maybe someone at the New Jersey DMV can look up 11045? - Dave] Dancing buildingsI like how the Gotham has a setback at the top, while the St. Regis has a corresponding overhang. The car seems to beA De Dion Bouton. Although does not have the characteristic shroud louvers. C.G.V.The car in the photo is not a De Dion Bouton. The hood shape, the lack of a curved front axle, the missing hood louvers, the absence of the horizontal chassis piece in front of the radiator, and other details point to another marque. The automobile appears to be a Charron, Girardot et Voigt which was known by the initials C.G.V. The C.G.V. in the photo below has all of the attributes that are nonextant in the De Dion Bouton photo. Additionally, although faint, details in the Gotham car, such as the hinges for the door on top of the hood, the hinges for the entire hood, the handle for the door on the front of the hood, the makers plate on the dashboard, and the shape of the dashboard, all match the C.G.V. photo. Also shown below is a another view of the same Gotham car from another angle taken the same day which was found in the Library of Congress photo collection. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, NYC)
Schlitz Hotel: 1910
Circa 1910. "Schlitz Hotel, Atlantic City." On the Boardwalk at Ocean Avenue. 8x10 inch dry plate ... full size. Beer Hotels? I see that the Schlitz Hotel has the same logo as the brewery and next door (to our left) is the Blatz Hotel. That was (is?) another brewery from back in the day. Did these breweries ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2016 - 9:47pm -

Circa 1910. "Schlitz Hotel, Atlantic City." On the Boardwalk at Ocean Avenue. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Beer Hotels?I see that the Schlitz Hotel has the same logo as the brewery and next door (to our left) is the Blatz Hotel. That was (is?) another brewery from back in the day. Did these breweries own lodgings? I know that they did run restaurants that showcased their products. Also, these hotels were in Atlantic City, a long way from Milwaukee, and that beer didn't travel that well in those days, was there a locally-owned brewery? [The sign next door is for Blatt Royal, a haberdashery. - tterrace] Lovely Stained GlassSuch interesting buildings. I love the designs and visual interest each have. The details, such as the stained glass awning at the Schlitz entrance and the transom on the other hotel. I bet they were gorgeous when backlit in the late evening or night. Also the turret corner is lovely. The Bank is my favorite with all the beautiful ironwork. Too bad we don't have such interesting and pretty details on buildings today. Instead most of what we have today is a square, bland Lego block style. IMHO they are depressing to look at. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Cavalier Hotel: 1931
Washington, D.C., circa 1931. "Cavalier Hotel, exterior." A three-room furnished apartment in this building at 3500 ... - I can make out a wire hanging over the corner of the hotel. Viewed from a car perspective, this is the "blown big-block Chevy" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:05pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1931. "Cavalier Hotel, exterior." A three-room furnished apartment in this building at 3500 14th Street N.W. rented for $115 a month in 1928. 8x10 safety negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Still thereView Larger Map Cavalier ApartmentsThis is the Cavalier Apartment building - it is a subsidized/low-cost apartment complex in Columbia Heights, on the west side of 14th Street just north of the Tivoli Theater and new shops and restaurants. It has recently undergone a full exterior renovation. ExcellentWhat an interesting design! Very glad to see the proof that it's still active and unblemished by the 80 years since the black & white was taken. Ortho film in a view cameraThat's the only way to take a photo of a big building. The cloudy sky comes out nicely darkened, and the proportions are just ever so. The detail is stunning - I can make out a wire hanging over the corner of the hotel. Viewed from a car perspective, this is the "blown big-block Chevy" version of photography. Birthplaceof the Cavalier Attitude? Theodor HorydczakWas a great photographer for DC's modern architects on both sides of World War II. Hope to see more of his shots. And oh yeah, Cavalier was recently made a landmark building so now it's on the National Register. The owner wanted it on the National Register so he could get the federal rehab tax credit to when he restored the building. Penny ScaleLove seeing the old Watling scale in front of the drug store. I have one just like it. These scales used to be staples of the street corners, but now I guess everyone who cares about their weight has a bathroom scale. Cavalier Apts., c. 1961Looking in a south-southwest direction at this venerable structure. Image taken shortly before D.C. Transit pulled the plug on streetcars. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Theodor Horydczak)
Hotel Astor (Colorized): 1909
... flag of Hudson's era) and the big flag on the front of the hotel is that of Cuba, then a new flag. It has five stripes of ... 
 
Posted by Dennis Klassen - 02/21/2012 - 6:00pm -

Detroit Publishing photo taken during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration during October, 1909. The details are amazing and I just wanted to see what this scene might have looked like in color. View full size. Good JobOutstanding work. A lot of fine details here. Wow!Wow! What a nice color job! Thanks!! Makes me see new detailsFor some reason, adding color makes me see stuff I missed in the original. In particular: why is there an Arc de Triomphe on the roof? That green garlanding must have taken forever to make green. I salute you. Cross dressing? A close examination of this colorized version shows me something curious. Right at the bottom, just to the right of the vehicles there, there is what looks to be a woman in a white dress, with one man's pants clad leg showing. Now that I look at it again - It could very well be a young man wearing a butchers apron or the like, rushing across the street. [It is a young man in an apron; this close-up shows he's carrying a jug, which probably indicates the kind of establishment he's working for. - tterrace] Thanks Terrace! Nice, but flagsA little vexillological research would have helped, I think. The H-F flag was described in the news accounts of the day as having blue-white-orange stripes (like the Dutch flag of Hudson's era) and the big flag on the front of the hotel is that of Cuba, then a new flag. It has five stripes of blue-white-blue-white-blue with a red triangle at the hoist bearing a white star. ExcellentWonderful job! Wow, that looks like it was a lot of work. For some reason, I'm especially drawn to the green wagon with the "S" on it, out front. It really looks realistically worn and dull. This is a great example of how colorized photos can enhance these views of the past. Thanks for the great work! [The identity of the "S" wagon was revealed here. - tterrace] Outstanding!Great job! Puts my attempt at colorizing downtown Detroit to shame. Thanks for inspiring me to do better. I assume you used Photoshop; but, what tools do you primarily rely on to uniformly color the different objects? How long do you think this one took you to do? Are there any instructional aids you can recommend? Too many questions? Just a great job! Colors!Yes Dave, this is better. We will expect all photos in Shorpy to be color from now on. [The caption was written by the colorizer, Dennis Klassen. - tterrace] 1909 Vanderbilt Cup RaceThis photo is absolutely spectacular! Here is a link to information on the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race that was advertised on the building. Oh my goodness!!What an amazing job colouring the photo. Amazing to imagine life back then. Well done and regards from Australia. Kenny (Colorized Photos)
Hotel Velvet: 1904
Old Orchard, Maine, circa 1904. "Hotel Velvet from beach." Note photo studio signage at right. Renamed the Hotel Emerson, the place "burned like oil" in the Great Fire of 1907. 8x10 ... to thousands. Lady Zamora Other Shorpy views of the Hotel Velvet and Lady Zamora's fortune-telling booth at Old Orchard Beach: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2012 - 8:24am -

Old Orchard, Maine, circa 1904. "Hotel Velvet from beach." Note photo studio signage at right. Renamed the Hotel Emerson, the place "burned like oil" in the Great Fire of 1907. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Oh my goodness....I remember that type of peanut/popcorn wagon from when I was a kid in Buffalo, NY. during the very early 1950s, I'd get a bag of popcorn from my mom if I was good when we went downtown to go shopping. Get yer red hotThe peanut or popcorn or salt water taffy wagon near the photo studio probably sold their wares for an outrageous nickel, much higher than non-resort stands. Wish I had that wagon today. Old Glory?If you look at the roof of the cupola on the right side of the photo--the cupola without an American flag flying--it would appear that Old Glory has fallen from its flag pole and is now on the roof, draped at the foot of the pole. Is that observation correct? [Seems to be. - tterrace] Velvet KissesOn the corner of East Grand Ave. and Old Orchard Ave. in Old Orchard Beach. Hildreth's Velvet Kisses were put up and sold in yellow boxes at this location and were known to thousands. Lady ZamoraOther Shorpy views of the Hotel Velvet and Lady Zamora's fortune-telling booth at Old Orchard Beach: 1904, and Hotel Velvet: 1904 (s2010). WhimsyDescribes the style of architecture, perfect for a place you'd go to escape your cares and worries. (The Gallery, DPC)
Meats and Groceries: 1905
... Publishing Company. View full size. Kuehnle's Hotel Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey, ... D. C., he had the honor of presiding as chef at the hotel where President Buchanan boarded. In 1858 he opened the New York Hotel at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:24pm -

Continuing our visit to Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Atlantic Avenue West." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Kuehnle's Hotel Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey, 1910. Louis Kuehnle was born January 6, 1827, at Hacmusheim, in the principality of Baden, Germany, and died August 7, 1885, at Egg Harbor, New Jersey. In his native country he received the training requisite for a first class chef, and came to America in 1849, obtaining employment at some of the leading hotels and restaurants of the country. While in Washington, D. C., he had the honor of presiding as chef at the hotel where President Buchanan boarded. In 1858 he opened the New York Hotel at Egg Harbor, being connected with same until his death. January 9, 1875, he purchased and opened Kuehnle's Hotel, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, placing same under the management of his son, Louis K. He was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens at Egg Harbor, who several times elected him to the office of mayor; he was also a member of the city council and the school board. He married, in 1852, Katherine Werdrann, of Germany, and they had three sons— George, Louis and Henry. "Poultry! Game! Butter! Eggs!"...all produced in the nearby farms of the Garden State. They were brought in daily by horse-cart, as well as grain, garden truck, milk, pork, firewood, even barrel staves! New Jersey was called the "Garden State" because it was the backyard vegetable garden, chicken coop, pig sty, timber patch and cow pasture for New York City, Philadelphia, and the sandy shore resort-towns. As Benjamin Franklin, a man who knew it well, said, New Jersey is like "a beer barrel, tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York." (It was also the brewer, hard cider as well as beer.) All those McMansions presently in New Jersey, and their accompanying highways? They were all built on those former tomato fields, potato fields, corn fields, fruit orchards and cow pastures, after the Second World War and the Interstate Highway Act. Most developments have one lone farmhouse standing by the access road, often with large chicken coops still standing behind them, the palimpsest of New Jersey's agricultural heritage. If transportation costs ever get so high that it's no longer worth it to truck in vegetables from California and Mexico, and not sensible to drive to work from 5000-square-foot houses 100 miles from the place of employment, New Jersey will turn its residential zoning back into farmland. There's going to be a lot of money waiting for someone who develops a way to remove toxic chemicals and metals from poisoned reclaimed farmland. Yes - New Jersey born, New Jersey bred, New Jersey proud! That's me! Jitneys on Pacific AvenueI remember Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue as being the two main streets in the Atlantic City of the 1950's. Pacific Avenue had small buses called jitneys that held about 12 people. They ran practically bumper to bumper so they were very handy. The fare was 10 cents unless you wanted to go past the end of the line to Hackney's Seafood Restaurant (10 cents extra) or Captain Starnes Restaurant (15 cents extra.) The last I heard, the jitneys are still in service. My main memory of Atlantic Avenue was going to the movies on a rainy summer vacation day in 1957 and seeing William Holden in "The Bridge on the River Kwai." Captain Starnes, Pat Boone The Captain's was always a highlight of our Atlantic City vacation. The visit was usually reserved until the last full night and I can still remember the flounder I had my first trip. The Steel Pier along with its Deep Sea Diver Bell, Diving Horses, comedy divers, first run movies and name entertainers was the first full day must. I remember seeing Gary Cooper's High Noon then after the movie Pat Boone came out to sing Ain't That A Shame and Lucille but to my fine tuned R&R ear they were poor imitations of Fats Domino's and Little Richard's versions. A daily highlight was eating at a cafeteria where I was allowed to pick my meal and the only admonishment was one I heard later in life at Great Lakes NTC, "Take all you want but eat all you take." It was always a day of adventure from the rental bicycle Boardwalk ride to being allowed to eat salt water taffy just before bedtime at the Saint James Hotel. On another note, I love those swinging doors on Kuehnle's Hotel Bar. Kuehnle’s hotel was the hub of Republican politics in Atlantic City and the place where important political decisions were made. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Hotel Netherland: 1905
New York, 1905. "Hotel Netherland, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/24/2020 - 11:55am -

New York, 1905. "Hotel Netherland, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Old buildingsAre getting somewhat tiresome to me! Can we get some people, or other interesting things? That gingerbread fakery on these old behemoths look dangerous - but then I live in Earthquake country! You don't need to post this, I just wanted to say enough of these old things! Horses & HatsI don’t see an Internal Combustion Engine anywhere - but do see a hat on every head! Grand Army PlazaThe building on the left is still there. The shiny statue is gilded -- then and now. I thought it might be a brand new bronze statue that hadn't tarnished yet. Love the old buildings!The intricate designs put on paper and then brought to life in hundreds of tons of rock and brick at magnificent heights is very interesting to me. Today we have plain steel box frameworks covered in glass (talk about dangerous!) that are supposed to inspire..doesn't work for me. Give me a farmland 4 story county courthouse in gingerbread wedding cake design any day! And it's still thereThis building is still there, with some exterior modifications and additions, but it is still accommodating visitors and getting five-star reviews on Trip Advisor and other travel sites. [Actually it was demolished in 1927. - Dave] I LOVE the old buildings so keep the photos coming. How about some photos from Tennessee -- there are old buildings there too. Old Buildings FanKeep them coming, I will not scoff at your posts as this site is a service to those that like to take a break from the modern day-to-day in order to see what life was like for our past brothers and sisters. There is a great mix of buildings, people, transportation, and much more throughout Shorpy. What's interesting about this building is while the statue still remains, most of the buildings in this picture have been replaced. Although the main building on the corner was replaced by a similarly built and much taller structure. Pro-Shorpy Viewer Tip: Jump to one of the over 600 other pages of posts to see what interesting and unique photography was shot in yesteryear. BydimSay it ain’t yous’ Joe Oversight?At least two windows without awnings. At the moment of the photo, The Netherland looks like a clipper tied to a pier. On a hot August afternoon, we may see the same ship rounding the Horn. I suspect that Awning Salesman was a pretty good gig back in '05. Still some work to do on this block. Keep those Old Buildings Coming!I wish to make my voice heard loud and clear -- I disagree with loujudson on the subject of old buildings. Keep posting their pictures, I can never get enough of them! I love them all, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Pictures of old buildings are what brought me to Shorpy in the first place, and that's what keeps me coming back here, day after day. Nobody does pictures of old buildings better than Shorpy.com! Masterful photography 1905 excellence offered in this architectural image. Perspective totally under control, exposure rendering of highlights and shadows could not be better and as a bonus, clouds in the sky brought out by the use of a filter. I stand in awe of what was produced here. [Photoshop probably deserves a smidge of credit here. - Dave] HorsesWhy do all the horses have a covering/blanket? [They're cold. - Dave] Can we get some people?My answer to loujudson, whom I acknowledge as a long-time and valued commenter, is: there are actually so many people in this picture! My favourite is the coach guy in top hat, far right, looking straight at the camera 115 years ago, alive today as we look at him. Metropolitan ClubThe building on the far left is the Metropolitan Club, at 1 E. 60th Street. Very interesting history on their website: https://www.metropolitanclubnyc.org/ (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
The Hereafter: 1906
... Sewell’s Point in Norfolk. Pine Beach Hotel - The Hampton Roads Naval Museum Blog A Hellish Experience? I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/24/2024 - 5:39pm -

Norfolk, Virginia, circa 1906. "Pine Beach -- amusements and boardwalk." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Grewsome ObjectsTHE DAILY PRESS, Newport News, Va., June 21, 1906 "HEREAFTER" AT PINE BEACH Local Amusement Company Offers Weird St. Louis Attraction "Hereafter," a spectacular show which created a sensation on the Pike at the St. Louis exposition, has been put in at Pine Beach by the Newport News Amusement Corporation at a cost of $10,000 and will be ready for public exhibition tomorrow afternoon and night. The contract for constructing this expensive amusement enterprise was awarded to Austin, Bradwell and McClennan of New York, the firm which put in the St. Louis show. Mr. McClennan was manager of Luna Park at Coney Island for two seasons, and has created such shows as "The Johnstown Flood" and "Over and Under the Sea." "Hereafter" is under the general management of Messrs. Clinedinst and Ballard, of this city. The show is a very weird one but it has never failed to attract immense crowds wherever exhibited. Entering the first chamber of the great building erected for this show, the spectators are ushered into the chamber of horrors, the walls of which are lined with coffins and decorated with grinning skulls and other grewsome objects. This is an exact reproduction of the famous Cabaret de la Mort, or the Cabinet [sic] of Death, in Paris. The lecturer invites some person in the crowd to enter one of the upright coffins and he is immediately transformed into a skeleton. His spirit invites the spectators to accompany him to the under world and together they descend a bottomless pit, finally crossing the river Styx and finishing in Hades. The electrical effects used are most vivid and greatly add to the impressiveness of the scene. Entertainment through the decadesIt's nice to see Oliver Hardy and Mary Martin making use of someone's time machine. But as for the Hereafter, it is easy for us to snicker at such a kitschy exhibit for the rubes, but our contemporary comic book movies and "reality" tv are just as stylized and phony. In fifty years this will be really obvious. Less amusing now.Pine Beach was located at Sewell’s Point in Norfolk. Pine Beach Hotel - The Hampton Roads Naval Museum Blog A Hellish Experience?I have to wonder if that expensive $10,000 investment was profitable as time went on. I'LL GET IT Apparently, the merry-go-round swing thing in the center of photo is stuck because someone is scaling up the side to locate the problem with a 1906 version of WD-40 aka lubricating oil. WhirligigThe merry-go-round swing thing in the center of photo. I'd be hereafter... a ride on the little train just the other side of the messy log patch. Looks like a nice steamer, willing to tote a dozen or so happy kids around the park. And the name "Hereafter" reminds me of the old plug about what guys say to their date right after parking in the woods. Somebody help meWhat is that thing which the woman in white is looking/laughing at? I refer to what appears to be an elephant trunk -- not attached to an elephant -- suspended between the two benches. BTW I am stone cold sober. [Is it a trunk? More likely a limb! It looks to me like part of a tree. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Norfolk)
Rockaway Bungalows: 1910
... sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't ... store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 3:56am -

Vacation bungalow colony at Rockaway, Queens, c. 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Note "front yards" of sand decorated with seashells. Sand in QueensI wonder if any of the buildings are still standing. Since they are tract of small bungalows, I wonder what company supplied that lot for workers to live in. Sand in...Queens?! Wow. [Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] BungalowsWere these for living or vacation rentals? They sure are cute. Does anyone know how far from the water they were? Rockaway[Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] Well I've heard of Rockaway Beach here in Oregon. :) Re: BungalowsThe were seasonal at first. More info at the Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association: By the 1920s, Rockaway Beach was the poor man's Riviera. It had a six-mile long boardwalk lined with amusements, and thousands flocked to the beach every summer weekend. Many families rented tents for the entire season, while those a little more affluent rented small bungalows. The concept of the bungalow in America was well established by this time as they were built for summer communities on both coasts. The plans could be purchased from catalogues and were designed in numerous styles. This last remaining bungalow colony was built by Richard Bainbridge in the 1920s. The one and a half story houses all have front porches and pitched roofs. The design and style vary from street to street. Some of the bungalows are in a Spanish Revival style of stucco with wood trim and green the roofs, and others are in an English Tudor of brick. Lacking heat, they were closed for the winter months. The lanes leading to the beach have permanent easements for common access. As development pressures change the Rockaways, this small district has become endangered. But it would be appropriate to preserve and restore this remnant of past summer amusements. The yards are super.The yards are super. Send the kids down to the beach to bring back sea shells to decorate with! Talk about a family project. Rockaway BungalowsI'm pretty sure these are not there anymore. In fact Rockaway Beach today is quite run-down. If you take the A Train out there, these must have been between the tracks and the water, where there are now streets with no houses. Only weeds. Sadly, most of theseSadly, most of these bungalows are gone, as Doug points out above. There are only a few left, and they face demolition by developers who want to turn the Rockaways into yet another bland housing development. These were vacation homes for folks in Manhattan and the other boros, not company houses for factory workers. How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are only a few blocks long. The last block actually ends at the boardwalk. Across the boardwalk is the beach. The Ramones were from the Rockaways. Beach 29th streetMy family rented a bungalow on Beach 29th street until I was around 12 years old. As soon as school was over, my parents would pack up a van and off we went until Labor Day. It was the most amazing summers of my life. No locks on doors, showers in the backyard, fireworks Wednesday nights. My parents belonged to a group called FROGS- Far Rockaway Ocean Goers. The Bungalow owners, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, would let my Dad come before the season to fish. The last time I was there was about 36 years ago. It was so sad to see the destruction of these amazing bungalows. Ours was white and green, and all the furniture inside was painted a sticky tacky gray. My Grandma and Nana lived a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach 29th StreetHi! I am very curious exactly where on 29th Street the bungalow was. I lived on 29th just off Seagirt Blvd. It was a year 'round dwelling. The area was VERY crowded during the summer and VERY empty from after Labor Day until Memorial Day. Do you have any pictures from there? I would love to see them! Thanks, Marc Far Rockaway refugee now living in Bayside, NY Rockaway BungalowsThere was nothing better than spending the summer in Rockaway. Most of your family members rented bungalows in the court. Everyone was out every night. The beach was just a few steps away. Fathers came out only for the weekends, even if you lived in Queens... Beach 107 StreetMy aunts, grandmother and uncle would whisk us away to Rockaway the minute school closed for the summer. We would stop at Weiss's for fish and chips, then drive over the old Cross Bay Boulevard bridge and see the top of the roller coaster and the ocean beyond. In a few minutes we would be at our bungelow in Highland Court, the second one in. We thought we had arrived since we had a hot water heater. It was a great place for kids to grow up. Every day my sister and I would open the window with the sun shining down on us. We would get into our bathing suits and run to the beach, riding the waves until we were dragged out by our relatives. Beach 106 StreetBetween 1951 and 1958 or so I stayed with my good friend Donald Sullivan and his family in bungalows on Beach 106 Street. I don't remember the court name - if it had one. I do seem to remember Highland Court but this was centuries ago and memory may play tricks. Sand in QueensA similar group of bungalows still exists in the Breezy Point Coop and Roxbury in Queens. Many have been expanded and converted to year round use now, though some are still used only for the season. They refer to Breezy Point and Roxbury as the "Irish Riviera" due to the strong Irish presence. B. 29th bungalowsI know EXACTLY where you were. My grandmother too had a bungalow, about 5-6 before the boardwalk ramp. They were on the left side, because on the right side was a parking lot or a building (I can't remember it exactly). But up the block was two hotels - the Regency and another one. They were both owned by the same people - Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, german/lithuanian-jewish folks. If you remember, there was a wooden bridge that connected the two buildings, and the courtyard was shared by the two. The showers were both underneath the front of the buildings behind the, lattice and then common showers/bathrooms in the hallways. There was one public phone on each floor and a television on each floor. When my grandmother could no longer stay in the bungalow (either they were sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't need air conditioning. The last party of the season was Mardi Gras. My grandmother, being on the heavy side, loved to wear blackface makeup and put her hair up with a tied kerchief - she was "Aunt Jemima." I only wish I had a place like 29th street to bring up my children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but retained memberships at the beach club. We can't get the sand out of our shoes! Belle Harbor's Bungalows I was searching for a picture of Weiss's Restaurant and stumbled across this site. I found one taken before the war, but was hoping to find one more recently, like late 1950s or early 60s. Looking at the group of bungalows, there were similar ones along the beach 2 rows deep at B129th Street in Belle Harbor, Rockaway. They looked very similar to the ones in the pics if memory serves. I was there last year and although they still occupy the same footprint, most have either been completely reconstructed or torn down and replaced with more modern ones. I recall every summer going to the beach and seeking out the "city" kids here for a few weeks. We made lots of new friends every summer. Then there were the bungalows out on RockyPoint/BreezyPoint. My mother spent her childhood summers, probably right there in that picture. Her parents owned their own bungalow. I have a picture of it from around 1941. Mom's 83 and I'll have to print this off and show it to her. Maple Court, Beach 28th st.I've been searching for info on Far Rockaway. I've been strolling down memory lane thinking about my wonderful summers there. My family rented, and we stayed for a total of five summers. The last two were in Maple Court, which, I believe, was on beach 26th or 28th Street. Before that we were in B Court and A Court on 28th. I agree with the posters who spoke of these summers as paradise! I felt truly free there. And yes, nothing was locked up. There was no schedule to keep. Just pure fun. My last summer there was in 1969. I remember this because of the moon landing. We returned home from the fireworks display on the beach and watched it on TV. My grandparents owned a fruit store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far Rockaway. Maple Court bungalowMy family purchased a bungalow at 29 Maple Court in 1969 when I was 9 years old. I too had the greatest memories there. We took so much for granted thinking everyone lived as we did. Now I realize how lucky we were back then. Being able to stroll down the street to the boardwalk, watching the fireworks Wednesday nights, and winning prizes at the arcade games are fond memories. Do you remember the pizza shop on the corner? Because the bungalows were so small and cozy, to this day I prefer smaller spaces. Thanks for letting me relive those memories for just a short time. The EmbassyWe stayed in the Embassy on 29th Street (right next to the ramp to the beach). Many of my friends were in the bungalow courts between 28th and 29th. We stopped going in 1967 but those were the best times -- those summers were magical. My husband and I went back in 1998. There is a school where the Embassy used to be and nothing much else. I went down to the beach and I cried. Who were your grandparents?Carolyn, my parents owned the Manor at 2400 Seagirt Blvd (beach 24st). My last summer on Rockaway Beach was 1967 just before I entered the Army. My parents and I moved to South Florida shortly there after. I was 6 miles from the DMZ in Vietnam when we landed on the moon. Fruit storeCarolyn, if memory serves (pretty fuzzy by now), your grandparents were the Lebowitzes. The fruit store was on Edgemere Avenue just off Beach 24 next to Willy's Market. If I am right, I am amazed. The EmbassyMy family had a bungalow on B29th Street on "the ramp" from the 1950s until around 1970. I got thrown out of the Embassy by the owner because we didn't live there. I bought ice cream at the candy store under the porch of the hotel. I saw the school, it was a bummer. I remember Lenny's, skee ball, Jerry's knishes, Sally & Larry's pizza, movies on the boardwalk, Dugan the baker, softball games, basketball in the parking lot. I used to sell lemonade to the ball players on hot days. Memories ... I remember a girl named Cherie or Sherry. She had a boyfriend, Arnie. I used to hang out with Arnie's brother Marvin. lmc2222@aol.com Far RockawayI also have childhood reminiscences of Far Rockaway. My family lived in a small bungalow rented for a group of Russians in 1970s (yep, I am Russian, living in Moscow now). I was 3 or 4 years old at that time, so I do not remember much. What I know is that these are one of the brightest memories of my early childhood. My pa said the house was really small. I do not know what street it was on, or if it still exists. What matters are the snapshots of my memory: me sitting on a porch on a rocking chair, and the arches of the porches, of the same form and shape, go all the way down to the ocean. Me playing in sand, building garages for toy trucks, with other children running from waves that seemed - wow - so really huge. And above all and around all, the salty smell of Atlantic, which is different from any other seaside smell. Great pity the place is devastated today. Hope that everyone who has ever had good times in Far Rock keeps his own memory snapshots of the place, where it looks as it really should. Fruit StorePeter, you have an incredible memory! My grandparents were the Leibowitzes. That's such a specific memory. Did you know them personally? I would love to hear about any memories you have of them or the store. Were you a child at the time? The EmbassyCheri, I can understand your crying. I went back many years ago and was also upset to see the area so demolished. At that time, it seemed the only bungalow left standing belonged to a lady we were all so afraid of on Maple court. She seemed to hate kids (probably we just annoyed her mercilessly!). But going back as an adult, I saw her situation quite differently. The bungalow was all she had, and so she stayed there while everything around her seemed to be destroyed. Maple Court BungalowLillian, we must have known each other since we were there at the same time, and we were around the same age. I was in the first bungalow on the right, facing the main street. You might remember the pile of junk in front of the house (left by the owner, which we were waiting for them to take away!) Where in the court were you? I remember a girl named Elena, and a boy everybody had a crush on named Eddie. The ManorWow... your parents owned the Manor! What an interesting and exciting experience that must have been. If I recall correctly, there were an eccentric bunch of characters staying there. Carolyn! What a great happening!Hi Carolyn, Glad you found me on Facebook. Your ability to put me together with my earlier Shorpy post was remarkable, so I am posting this for the benefit of "Shorpy page readers." Your recollections and mine from the 1960's certainly attest to how great having the internet and pages like Shorpy's are. (Shorpy..thank you!) The fact that I remembered your grandparents is somewhat unique cause I can't remember anyone else's grandparents from way back then, other then mine. I must have really liked them and was destined to cross your path again. I remember sitting and talking with them on porch of the Manor in one of those green rocking chairs. They were "grandparent" types, had a European accent like most grandparents back then, and easy to be comfortable with. Just to put things into focus, I am now 63. That was back when I was 16 or 17 and younger, but your grandparents returned to the Manor for quite a few summers in the 1960s. How could I have remembered your grandparents' name? I too am amazed and flabbergasted. Memories of Far RockawayYes, this website is truly wonderful for allowing us to stroll down memory lane and recall the sights, smells and feel of Far Rockaway... and what an extra treat for me to find someone who actually knew my grandparents. Thank you Shorpy's for allowing us this exchange of information and memories... and thank you Peter for your kindness and your very sharp memory! Far RockawayMy sister directed me to this site. We stayed in the Jefferson Hotel, right between Beach 29th and 30th, next to the Frontenac. My good friend Faye's grandparents, the Kratkas, owned the Embassy and both Faye and I worked the concession stand which her parents ran. The memories of the boardwalk are still strong. Not only did we have the luxury of a fantastic beach at our doorstep, we also had nighttime fun. Cruising up and down the boardwalk -- eating pizza at Sally & Larry's, or Takee Cup (originally called Tuckee Cup until the owners got disgusted of painting out the alternate name it always received over the winter months) and listening to Eddie, with his ever-present songbook, sing requests. All added up to good, clean fun. I left in 1968, went back from time to time, but haven't been back in years. Unfortunately, you can see enough from Google Earth. My two auntsMy father's two aunts had a bungalow in Rockaway Beach in the late 50's early 60's. It had flowered wallpaper and a musty smell, but it was the most interesting home I have ever been in. I was allowed to leave and explore without my mother's glare. I cannot tell you what food we ate there. I have no memory of meals which is odd. I do remember being bitten by my aunt's dog, which scared me for a long time. I think their names were Bernice and Ruth Cohan. If you have any thing to share please do. thanks, Mary Donaldson neversynvr@aol.com Twin HousesThe houses with the bridge were known as "the twin houses", possibly the Claremore & Edgewater, both owned by the Hechts. I spent the happiest summers of my life there! Like Cheri, I've wanted to return, but haven't as I know how sad it would be. Better to revisit in memory, sometimes in dreams. I probably know Cheri (from Arnie & the Joey days) and Les rings a bell, as does singing Eddie... Marcy Sand in my shoes on Beach 107thMy mother's family went to Beach 107th in the summers of 1917 through 1929. After the Depression hit they couldn't afford it. I still have photos of that period. In 1951 our family went down to the Rockaways and rented a bungalow for the season. The courts I remember were Almeida and Holmenhurst. My dad came only for the weekends, arriving Friday evening. The first thing he did was put on his trunks and head for the beach with me. When he hit the ocean you could see all his cares and worries leave. At night the parents would gather on the porches and play cards, drink a Tom Collins or have a beer and just have a good time. As a 10-year-old I wondered what was so much fun doing this every weekend. It occurred to me many years ago that boy, did they have it made. Sitting on a porch with a nice summer drink, a cool ocean breeze along with good friends to talk with and play cards with. Life was so laid-back and simple then. Does anyone remember the doughnut shop Brindle's or the bakery Dudie's? What about Nat's Ice cream shop, where you could get a walk-away sundae. Bill's Deli had the best salads and cold cuts. Wonderful summers that will always keep me warm in the winters of my aging mind. Beach 28th Street & A B and C CourtsI too remember the pizzaria on the corner of Beach 28th street. I remember my friends Randy, Shmealy, Risa, Brenda and Jody. I don't remember Shmealy's given name, but I remember he was hyperactive and a lot of fun. Made up a song from the commercials of the time for Halo Shampoo. "Halo Sham-poo poo, Ha-a-lo! Jodi's mom didn't want me hanging around Jody because I blinked my eyes too much. Oh well. HEY: Jody from Beach 29th street who wrote a post here on 11/12/2007 - I wonder if you're the Jody I remember!? I hung around with Risa a lot. I still have a photo of us and my dog Suzie on the porch of my Bungalow. I once disappeared into the Courts of Beach 28th street while walking my dog. I ended up talking to a boy for 2 hours, not knowing my parents had called the police and had an all-out search for me. My father finally found me. I was the talk of the town that day! I hope someone remembers these people or IS one of these people, or remembers the lost girl incident and would like to contact me at orangechickens2@aol.com. It would be wonderful to hear from you!! Anyone remember dogball?My dad wrote about playing dogball on the beach at 110th Street on his blog at willhoppe.com. I'm going to show him all of your comments later tonight. The BungalowsI was born in Far Rockaway in 1942. I lived there for 16 summers. My dad owned a small grocery on B 28th street. It was the best time of my life. Maple Court faced 28th. To me it was a very exotic place. The renters/owners vacationed there, my dad was a workman. We lived in roominghouses with a bath on the floor. One year I begged my dad to live in Maple Court and we got a small apartment in the back of a bungalow there. The bungalows were the BEST. Rockaway native from HammelsBorn in Rockaway in 1941 at Rockway Beach Hospital. Went to PS 44, JHS 198, Class of '59 from Far Rock. Worked as a locker boy at Roche's Beach Club in Far Rockaway. For two summers I worked in Rockaway Playland. I lived on 90th, where my parents rented out the bungalow in the back of our house every summer. My father at the end of his years as a waiter worked in Weiss's dining room, and the Breakers restaurant on 116th Street. I met my wife in 1965 at McNulty's on 108th Street. She was from Woodhaven and Breezy Point. We got married in '68. I am writing this on the back deck as we are still enjoying the summer weather here at Breezy. We both still have sand in our shoes. Our 1940s summersA group of Bronx families spent the summers of the early '40s in a few bungalows. Sundays the working fathers would appear for a community breakfast. We celebrated V-J Day with a parade on the boardwalk. Takee Cup was a part of our diet. A noodle cup to be eaten after the chow mein was devoured. The ultimate hand held food treat. Beach 25th StreetI grew up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s and 70s. We lived in the Bronx and rented every summer on Beach 32nd Street (now two big apartment buildings -- Seaview Towers). When I was 9 or 10, we moved to Beach 25th year-round. The summers were great -- we didn't wear shoes most of the time. Every Friday night, "Bingo Al" held a game in the court behind the bungalows, between 25th and 26th. One summmer he had a "Chinese auction" and dressed up in an oriental robe and Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Many of the residents got seltzer water delivered in bottles at their back porch. They would gather in the evenings out in front of the bungalows and talk and joke. I would lie in my bed, with my ear pressed against the window screen, trying to listen, and also trying to stay cool -- no air conditioning. Sol "The Cantor" Gerb would play his little electric organ as people sipped their drinks, chatted or played cards. It was like a different world from the rest of New York. I read where one commenter talked about the bungalows rented for the Russians. This was on Beach 24th Street. They worked at the United Nations and rented a block of bungalows. Every Monday morning passenger vans would show up to take them to work at the UN. We played with the Russian kids. They were a good bunch. I stayed over at one of their bungalows and we had crepes for breakfast. I had no idea what crepes were! I learned to play chess, as the Russians were crazy about it. I recall one time when members of the Jewish Defense League blew up a small BMW belonging to one of the Russians. The news came out and I was in the background, behind the reporter. A sad time for Far Rockaway. One of the amazing things was the backgrounds of the bungalow residents -- former concentration camp prisoners, Russians, Irish, Jews, some Italians and Greeks, but we all got along so well. A great place to grow up! At the FrontenacMy family spent summers at the Frontenac from the late 40s until 1957. When I describe it to my daughter, I have to confess it was really more like a boardinghouse. My mother, father and I shared a room that was also the kitchen. Bathroom on the floor, showers were out back for when you came back from the beach. It was great community. Juke box for dancing, card room for gin and mah jongg and the television on the porch. I loved Jerry's cherry cheese knishes. I remember the movie theater on the boardwalk in the 30's (it could barely be called indoors) I bought the News and Mirror off the delivery trucks for 2 or 3 cents and sold them for a nickel. My parents would pay the guy who ran the first aid station under the boardwalk to hold our beach chairs overnight so we wouldn't have to "schlep" them back and forth. We played softball on the blacktop parking lot on 29th street right off the boardwalk. My wife, who I did not know then, stayed with a friend's family in a bungalow on 29th street. I think her best memory was playing Fascination. Best summers everI used to stay at my grandmother's bungalow on B 28th st. in the mid to late 60s. Those were the very best summers ever! Walking just a few yards to the boardwalk and beach, pizza from the store on the corner, hanging with Howie and the crowd there. Playing Fascination for a dime, huge french fries in those cone cups. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Howie Young I'd love to get in touch with him. My email is belongtoyou@hotmail.com Hugh McNulty Hotel, Rockaway BeachI am trying to learn about Hugh McNulty's Hotel. I am not sure what street it was on, but there was also a bar in it. Hugh was my mum's uncle and her father came to stay with him and work for him. The time period may have been 1924-1930. I know the hotel was still in operation in 1953, as my grandmother visited him at that time. Any help is appreciated. libtech50@comcast.net Edgemere memoriesMy family lived many places in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway (I don't know the exact boundaries of Edgemere, if there were any), but my memories centered on Beach 48th Way and Beach 48th Street. Fantastic place to spend the summers and escape the hell of the South Bronx. I had wonderful Jewish friends and I worried that they would go to hell because they weren't Catholic. Now I laugh as such perverted theology, but back then it was serious stuff. I loved the beach, the ocean, the starts, the jetties, playing every group game known to humans, going over the the "bay side" to play softball with the "project people" -- those who lived beyond the marshes and spent the winter there. No doubt about it, the best part of my childhood was Rockaway. Too bad it was taken away from us and to my knowledge, still is just a bunch of sand with no houses where we used to live, right near the boardwalk. Beach 48th Way, RockawayIn the early 1960s there were two brothers that were lifeguards when my family was there, Dennis and Tom Fulton. Anyone remember them? Also there was a man named Warren who would feed pigeons at the end of the block every day. My parents would rent a bungalow in the summer months to get us out of Brooklyn for awhile. Great memories. Rockaway, a kid's dreamI remember growing up in Rockaway. We had two boarding houses on Beach 114th Street. When my mom was a kid, Carroll O'Connor, his mom and brother Frank stayed with them. He returned to see my parents back in the mid-eighties and I received one of his last e-mails before he died. I worked my way bartending at Fitzgerald's on Beach 108th and Sullivan's on Beach 116th (1967-1970). You could leave the house at 7 years old, walk to the beach without crossing the street and never had to worry one bit. The neighbors looked out for everone's children. Great memories and thanks to Shorpy for an incredible site. Brilliant job! Cohen's CourtThe picture above is very much how I remember the bungalow court where my parents rented in the summers of the early 1950s. I think my mom said it was Cohen's Court. Ours was at the end of the court on the left. I don't remember too much, I was really little. But I think there was a center row of garden where parents hid treats for us to hunt. I remember a corner candy store we kids could walk to and my mom confiscating a tube of plastic bubbles I bought. I guess she thought the fumes would get me high or something. There was a little girl across the court who would stand on her porch in a towel and flash us once in a while. And I have a memory of being on the beach with my parents, I in the sand and my mom in a beach chair, and my dad taking me into the water. I went back with my parents in the early 60s because they were thinking about renting it again. But it was so musty and dirty and ramshackle that they decided against it. I had a girl friend with me and I have to say I was embarrassed about the way the place looked and smelled. Too bad, that bungalow was a great summer getaway for a working class family from Brooklyn. Elisa on B 29thWas your grandma named Bessie? I lived in the Claremar, one of the twin houses, and I remember her. Did you have a brother too? My sister, parents, grandmother and baby brother and I all lived in two rooms in the basement. I remember Crazy Eddie and his huge black book of songs. Tina and Elise ... Elliot ... Donna ... Jackie ... smiling in memory! Palace HotelThe last place my family stayed at for quite a few years was the Palace Hotel on Beach 30th Street right near the boardwalk. Those were the days my friend. All the arcades and food places on the boardwalk, Cinderella Playland for the little kiddies, the Good Humor man , Ralph was his name. Life was simple. No internet, cell phones or video games yet we had great times and wonderful memories. We played board games and cards and rode our bikes. The guys played baseball in the parking lot adjacent to the Palace Hotel. The team was a mix of every race and ethnicity and everyone managed to get along and looked forward to playing together the next Summer. The beach was the best. Dads could go to work and come back every day rather than only on weekends as they do in the Catskills. Such a shame that this no longer exists. The last summer I went there for a few weekends was in 1976. The JeffersonMy grandparents rented a place in the Jefferson for many years. I have great memories of the place, the back stair cases, the porch, and the beach just a short walk away. Does anyone have relatives who stayed there? Rockaway summersI spent virtually every summer till the age of 22 in Rockaway. We stayed on Beach 49th till they knocked them down, then kept moving to the 20's. Best time of my life. My family was unique -- Italians in the Jewish neighborhood and we came in from Jersey! My mom grew up in Brooklyn and her family started coming in the '40s! Wish I could connect with friends from back then. If I sound familiar please let me know. You would be in your mid to late 50s now. Rockaway Beach Bungalows on PBSI received a message, last night, from my girlfriend who stated that "The Bungalows of Rockaway" was on PBS @ 8PM. I started watching at 8:30 and to my surprise I could not stop watching. I was born at Rockaway Beach Hospital and I am a lifer. I never lived in a Bungalow but I have always wanted to purchase one. I was taken aback by the fact that there were at least 6,000 bungalows and now there are approximately 300 (big difference). I also found out in this documentary that there is hope that the bungalows can be landmarked and I hope that it happens. The bungalows are a unique attraction to this area and I hope that the 300 remaining can be preserved. Elisa on B. 29th Street - the hotelsTo Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:15am - YES! My grandmother was Bessie. I do remember your family - your grandmother, parents and the little ones. Your mom wore glasses and had blonde hair. She always wore her hair pulled back and up on her head, curlers in the evening. Also, Harry and Dottie lived in a large room in the corner of the basement of the hotel. I have 3 brothers and one sister. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo used to come to the hotel as well to visit with Grandma Bessie. Please e-mail me @ medmalnursing@msn.com Sally's Pizza and the Lemon & Orange Ice StandI spent the best summers of my life on Beach 28th Street. Coming from a Bronx apartment, it felt like our own private house. Our own family doctor came out to Rockaway every summer and stayed on Beach 24th Street. I now wonder what happened to his patients during July and August. How come nobody has mentioned Sally's pizza, on the boardwalk around 32nd Street? You couldn't forget Sally-- with her bleached blond hair, tight pants, and backless highheels. Near Sally's was the fresh lemon and orange ice stand with the fruit stacked against the wall. The ices even contained pits. No artificial coloring or corn syrup in those ices. Grandmother's bungalowsMy grandmother owned 10 bungalows on the beach on 35th Street from the 1930s thru the 1950s. They were the ones nearest the water. I loved going to help her get them ready each spring and clean them up each fall. Playing on that wonderful empty beach at those times of year with no one else in sight. We lived in Far Rockaway at 856 Central Ave., so going to the bungalows was not a long trip. Great memories. Mom's RivieraMy mother loved Rockaway so much that we called it "Mother's Riviera." She couldn't have cared less about the beautiful beaches across the ocean in France or Italy, for Rockaway Beach was her greatest joy. We spent many summers in a bungalow court on 109th Street and my grandmother and her sisters also spent their youthful summer days in Rockaway Beach. So our family goes back generations loving Rockaway. Every Memorial Day the court always had a party to celebrate the beginning of summer and the courtyard inhabitants were usually Irish. The courtyard came alive with Irish songs and jigs and reels. Of course, the people of the courtyard always chipped in for a big keg of beer. It was repeated on Labor Day as we all said our goodbyes to our neighbors and to our beloved Rockaway Beach. Saturday nights in Rockaway were spent at the closest Irish bar and some nights the local boys slept under the boardwalk after having a wild time. They always managed to get themselves together for Sunday Mass or otherwise they would get holy hell from their families. Sands of TimeI spent every summer in the Rockaway bungalows from the fifties until the mid eighties when we were forced to leave because of the deteriorating situation. I was a child on Beach 49th and remember George's candy store where you could get a walkaway sundae for 50 cents. Sue, I remember the Fulton brothers, who were lifeguards. Handsome devils, had a crush on Tom when I was 14. Times were safe. There were a thousand kids to play with. We went from 49th, 40th 39th, 38th, 26th and finally 25th Street with my own kids trying to hold on to that wonderful way of life. Unfortunately it disappeared. Some of the best days of our liveswere spent on Beach 25th. When I was 12 (1936) until I was 17, we stayed every summer at my grandmother's at Beach 66th Street. Those were glorious days on the beach. The boardwalk at night was wonderful, too. We played pinball, and games of skill for 5 cents to collect prizes. Bottled soda and ice cream were 5 cents then, too. We used to run up to the boardwalk to eat the delicious knishes. My summers at Far Rockaway were the most unforgettable of my growing up. Tuna fish and bologna sandwiches on a roll never tasted as good as it did at the waterfront. In 1961, when I was married with children, we rented a bungalow on Beach 25th and loved it! It was a rainy summer and we spent a lot of time in Far Rockaway shopping, eating and going to the movies. Every sunny day, however, we quickly rushed to the beach to enjoy it with family and friends. The Jefferson, Beach 30thI stayed with Grandma and Grandpa every summer for years in a small room at ground level. Grandpa would take me to the beach in the morning, then off to the stores on 24th Street. The back patio was for dancing on Saturday night and the concession inside had bingo. The porch! As I grew up to teenager, I met Ronnie Schenkman and family on the second or third floor (used the back staircase). I don't remember where Eleanor stayed. Crazy Eddie and his songs. Hal and his girl of the night. Warm nights and days. Very sexy! As a working girl I still took the RR to Far Rockaway, then the bus to Edgemere. Took my children to visit Grandma when it was becoming sad looking. Then went to the area years later and found a burnt shell with a wicked fence surrounding it. Took pics and had a good cry. We are all lucky that we were able to experience the wonderful warm sun and sultry nights. Belle Harbor BungalowsI think the two rows of Belle Harbor bungalows on Beach 129th to which another person referred were probably the Ocean Promenade Apartments. I have very happy memories of living there in the mid-i950s in the winter. Beach at 37th streetWhat a trip to see all of the these comments. I grew up and lived year round on Beach 37th until 1950, when we moved to Bayside. Takee Cup was a treat as well as the movie theater on the boardwalk, Italian ices and of course the arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958My family spent the summer in Rockaway in 1958. Most of our friends were in the court, but we were outside it on the main street. I don't remember the street, but I suspect it was around Beach 45th, as the El was right on the corner. We had a bungalow with a porch. I was climbing on the outside of it, fell when I saw a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just made do. Later that same summer, I ran across the street to get Italian ices from the local candy store, but looked the wrong way crossing the one-way street and almost got hit by a car. I didn't think that much of it, but the woman driving was hysterical. I also remember a movie theatre on the Boardwalk. In those days, an 8-year-old (me) could feel safe walking the boardwalk without an adult present. The back of the theater opened up at night so you could sit outside. I saw "The Colossus of New York" there, an incredibly bad "monster" movie. Most of the bungalows in the Rockaways were destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960. So-called "urban renewal" took care of the rest. Now some sections of the Rockaways, especially those facing the ocean, are filled with expensive new condos. The Jefferson 1950s I stayed at the Jefferson in the 1950s. It was far far away from the Bronx. Our father worked two, sometimes three jobs, so my brother and I could escape the Bronx and spend each summer --the whole summer-- in Rockaway. Dad took the train to work every day. We turned brown by July 4th; skinny brown kids always running, scheming, cunningly evading the watchful eyes of Jewish mothers. We played softball in the parking lot by the beach in the early mornings before the cars showed up. We played kick the can in the street, ring-o-lerio (sp?), off the stoop. And then there were the long long days on the beach, hopping on hot sand from blanket to shore, waiting the magic 45 minutes to go in the water after eating lim and sandy salami sandwiches, early versions of body-surfing, acting like we couldn't hear our mothers calling that it was time to come in from the water. Crawling into the cool dark sand under the boardwalk. Some kid named Howie always had a piece of fruit in hand, juice dribbling down his chin. And then there was a kid whose own family called him "Fat Jackie" -- at least that's how I remember it. Once in a while we were treated to Takee cups or lemon Italian ices, and chocolate egg creams. Always sneaking off with so much watermelon that your belly ached, and sand -- always sand -- in your bed. Jumping off the wooden steps to the beach, higher and higher, until you dared to jump from the railings along the boardwalk. I think it was Friday nights we would go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks display from Playland. Flying kites over the surf when the weather cooled, and sneaking out to the Boardwalk to watch, awestruck, huge summer storms -- was it hurricane Carol? Evenings with men playing pinochle, women playing mah jongg. Ping Pong, hide & seek around the Jefferson. Costume parties with fat hairy men wearing grass skirts and coconut shell brassieres, and mothers with painted mustaches and sideburns, wearing huge hipster hats, chewing cold cigars. Then, dreaded September, back to school and insanely diving under your desk to practice for the upcoming atomic war, or wondering whether you were one of the kids who got the fake Polio vaccine. But somehow, during those summers at the Jefferson, there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Beach 45thDoes anyone remember Scott Whitehill or Laird Whitehill? If so, please e-mail me at scott@scottwhitehill.com Moe's Grocery Store on Beach 28thBarbara posted a comment earlier about her dad owning a grocery store on Beach 28th Street. The name of the grocery store was Moe's, and they carried lots of things for a small store. I lived in bungalows on Beach 28th and Beach 29th Street. These were the most memorable times of my life. I only wish that I could go back and see and relive these wonderful times. Beach 49thMy family and many of my relatives owned bungalows on Beach 49th and Beach 48th Street. We spent every summer there until the city condemned the properties. My father brought one of the first surfboards there in the early 60s. I have many fond memories of the beach and the friends I made. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Travel & Vacation)
Hotel Thorndike: 1908
Boston circa 1908. "Hotel Thorndike, Boylston and Church Streets." The establishment last seen ... remains. That entire block is now the Four Seasons Hotel. The staff at Aujourd Hui (once a top-end dining experience) can likely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/23/2022 - 12:32pm -

Boston circa 1908. "Hotel Thorndike, Boylston and Church Streets." The establishment last seen here, minus the bulb-studded rooftop sign. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Dotting the iHello up there -- I don't believe it!A 1908 photo and there are NO awnings to be seen, anywhere! [I see four! - Dave] Dinner at the Thorndike, 1907Most expensive thing on the menu: Canvas Back Duck at $5. That would be a week's wages for many workers in 1907. The block is new, but across the way ... The timeless Boston Public Garden, with its swan boats and tranquil walkways, remains. That entire block is now the Four Seasons Hotel. The staff at Aujourd Hui (once a top-end dining experience) can likely prepare everything on the 1908 menu offerings, but the pricing is magnitudes higher. The world has gotten faster and far more expensive, but an afternoon walk in the garden is still timeless. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Ebby's Diner: 1942
... "Lancaster, Pennsylvania." Ebby's Diner and the Corine Hotel at Queen and Chestnut streets. Photo by John Vachon for the Office of War ... It would have been to the far right facing Chestnut. The hotel is gone too. It would have been where the parking lot is now. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/25/2024 - 3:47pm -

February 1942. "Lancaster, Pennsylvania." Ebby's Diner and the Corine Hotel at Queen and Chestnut streets. Photo by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Trolley 236 still runningLancaster had a city streetcar system and an extensive electric interurban railway service in the area. It lasted until 1947 when buses replaced the trolleys. Birney car 236 still runs in nearby Manheim, and you can learn all about it in this video. John Vachon's street views from above really capture that moment in time. Delicious geometriesCertain photos on this website work their magic immediately and then leave me to try to figure out where the power comes from. First to spring out at me are the pleasing geometric planes, forming a big Z in the middle, with the streetcar tracks acting as the central diagonal. Then there’s Ebby’s Diner, which appears like a larger version of those two streetcars. And the allure of those cozy establishments -– how I wish I could go to eat at that diner or The Village restaurant or even Sprenger’s, whatever kind of place that is. And winter! Bravo, John Vachon. Here and GoneThe diner is gone. It would have been to the far right facing Chestnut. The hotel is gone too. It would have been where the parking lot is now. The three-story brick building remains with some modifications. The commercial ground-floor space was removed. Great photo!What a great photo! WowEchoing @davidK, this photograph is a masterpiece. Whazzat?Is that a lumberyard in the upper right? It’s an unusual open-sided structure The Old PRR Main LineThe original Pennsylvania Railroad main line passed through Lancaster right through the downtown area. The depot was located at Queen and Chestnut Streets. You can see a boxcar under the roof where the original depot once stood. Apparently by this time the track had been terminated here and that boxcar is now sitting in what would probably be a covered team track. A study of satellite views will reveal parts of the old right-of-way and some buildings cropped at odd angles or others that were once parallel to the tracks. [update] Upon finding maps of Lancaster circa 1900 I have concluded that the actual PRR trackage passed right across the lower portion of the photograph frame and, indeed, Ebby's Diner is perched directly on the former right-of-way. The box car further down E. Queen St. is actually on a stub-end siding that once served a business there or could have been a freight house. Ebby's Was The Old Pennsy RR StationI could be turned around, but I think the view faces northwest, in which case the train station was on the lot where Ebby's stands in this photo. The tracks came into Lancaster from the N.W. and crossed the empty lot next to (left of) the Hotel Corine, then across Queen Street to the passenger station. The beginning of these tracks are visible from Dillerville Road (or on Google Maps) near the western end of the Norfolk Southern Lancaster yard. The tracks crossed Harrisburg Avenue west of the new stadium and ran into the center of town. The boxcar under the shed was one of many stub tracks that branched into small sidings. Bits of the right of way were turned into parkland or create strange property lines that are still visible, as G of V noted. The tracks then continued east and north to rejoin the main line. Also goneis the building from where John Vachon took this photograph. If you swing around in the Street View supplied by kozel, there's a Holiday Inn there now. No doubt it was a cold February day in Lancaster, yet two windows at the corner hotel (I can't read the name) are open. On the top floor one is open a little. The window directly below it is wide open. Brrrrrr. This Photo Smells So GoodMy mouth is watering, what with the cooking smell coming from the diner and the cold frigid air that carries the smells of the bacon and eggs, or steak and potatoes to your olfactory senses. The hotel might have a place to eat as well, if so, that would overload the senses with its waft of whatever is non the grill. Another odor would be the scent of freshly laundered sheets and/or towels from the Laundry at the top left of the picture. A-lone survivorBuilt like a brick shi... er, well, solid as a rock. Probably good for another coupla hundred years. About those open windowsDoug (see below) pointed out that on an obviously chilly day, a couple of the windows in the hotel are open. Back in the day it was a routine practice for housekeeping to throw open windows in recently vacated rooms to air them out. This would have been especially desirable in an era when smoking was so common, even in hotel rooms. Also, most hotels did not have individual thermostats in rooms to control the heat. The heat was typically from radiators or from ventilation grates in the floor connected to an often coal fired furnace. In either case, the heat was usually controlled by the hotel staff. Sometimes rooms could get a bit stuffy or just plain hot, to the point where even on a nippy day, cracking a window for a few minutes might be the only way to get some fresh air and cool off. Lancaster's Pennsy StationI found this early view of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station courtesy of the Lancaster County Historical Society. Sometimes It May Not Have Smelled So GoodThe Lancaster Stockyards, the largest stockyard east of Chicago, was located about a mile north of here along the PRR mainline between Philadelphia and points west. It handled 10,000 cattle a day, along with pigs, sheep and other animals arriving by rail from the west. After a layover, the doomed animals boarded connecting trains and were distributed to other cities to meet their fates. If the wind was just right the scent of bacon and steak on the hoof may have tainted the wonderful odors emanating from Ebby’s and The Village. 142 units, 12 stories, $7,556 per mo.The site of the former Corine Hotel, shown as a parking lot on Google Street View, is currently a construction site for a market-rate rental development, scheduled to be finished by late spring 2024. [$7556 is the rental rate for the first-floor retail/restaurant space. - Dave] More Open WindowsI can definitely related to Ad Orientem's comments on heated hotel rooms. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the hottest Summer I ever spent was a Winter's night in Moscow! We spent several nights in Moscow's Hotel Ukraina back in January, 1998. Imagine sleeping in underwear, on top of the bed, with the floor-to-ceiling (unscreened!) windows open to try to catch a breath of breeze. Under 10F outside, and over 80F inside, with no way to regulate the steam heat! The downside of free city-wide steam. Closed?The diner shows no signs of life that I can see. Can anyone read the sign on the door? [All those footprints would seem to indicate otherwise. - Dave] Man in BlackExceptionally composed photograph. To my eye the man in black along the roadway is the focal point. The angles lead to him. I am always amazed by snow scenes, the intensity of reflected light, which even on a cloudy day usually requires a small aperture with attendant great depth of field and sharpness. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, John Vachon, Streetcars)
Plaza Hotel: 1910
New York circa 1910. "Plaza Hotel." Yet another view of this aristocratic edifice. 8x10 inch dry plate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:59pm -

New York circa 1910. "Plaza Hotel." Yet another view of this aristocratic edifice. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Beautiful buildingI love this place. My nephew is now a bartender there most evenings. Stop in and ask for Sean! New York ObserversSomething to do with Eloise? Things To Come100 years later, the Plaza is still a 5 Star venue, however the majority of the units are condos. What would have been beyond the imagination of anyone in that building in 1910, would be the building directly across the street. On the plaza (small p) in front of the GM Building, is a glass box structure that houses the entrance to a subterranean Apple Store that is open 24/7 showing and selling equipment undreamed of in 1910. It is usually packed. In the short 5 years of its existence it has become a major NYC attraction. Double ConeIntriguing building just to the right of the Plaza. Heart attack!Heights don't bother me too much, but this one spooked me. I can't imagine being up there! One night standThe aristocratic edifice is superb. In 1961, my wife and I stayed there one night on our honeymoon. The lobby was magnificent, but our room was dusty, and the low pressure in the bathroom, rusty water, and rust stained fixtures were memorable for all the wrong reasons. Surely they pegged us for their bumpkin accommodations. RealismThis is another of those wonderful pictures that, excpet for the people and traffic, could have been of a very detailed, large scale model. Beautiful. Sean, eh? I must remember that. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Carroll Hotel: 1906
Vicksburg, Mississippi, circa 1906. "Carroll Hotel." Where the weary traveler will no doubt want to avail himself of the ... in a more discrete location than right outside the hotel. She looks more like she's going through the debris in front of her ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:50pm -

Vicksburg, Mississippi, circa 1906. "Carroll Hotel." Where the weary traveler will no doubt want to avail himself of the Shaving Parlors and Baths. View full size. Balconies Were those for actual use or merely decoration? Never seen a terrace style door leading out to these very ornate balconies. Or did the person simply step on through the huge double hung windows? Sometime laterand from a different angle (sans sinister chambermaid): https://www.shorpy.com/node/6026 Actually, I wonder if the woman isn't a rag-picker. The "chamber pot" looks a tad too big and I would have thought they would have disposed of the contents in a more discrete location than right outside the hotel. She looks more like she's going through the debris in front of her and likely carried the pot on her head while walking. Bowled OverThis figure is quite sinister. What is she looking at so intently in the bowl? Is she wearing a mask? Presumably it's all a trick of the light adding drama to a prosaic moment and there is an obvious reason for her bending over. I just can't think of it. [Sinister chambermaid. Attacking evil chamberpot. - Dave] Window doors The windows on the balconys were floor length and doubled as doors. The lower sash opened as any double hung window does but opened high enough to act as a door. This arrangment was common throughout the south in the 18th & 19th century and some remain today. (The Gallery, DPC, Vicksburg)
Gingerbread Hotel: 1904
1904. "Hotel Velvet, Old Orchard, Maine." The seaside resort and its ocean pier. Three ... 1907 actually burned the entire beachfront including this hotel. http://www.harmonmuseum.org/local-history Is he riding a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2015 - 8:19pm -

1904. "Hotel Velvet, Old Orchard, Maine." The seaside resort and its ocean pier. Three years later, in a denouement that Shorpyites can recite in their sleep, the place burned to the ground. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Added information of the fire.The great fire of 1907 actually burned the entire beachfront including this hotel. http://www.harmonmuseum.org/local-history Is he riding a giant pickle?or is that some other native flora from Maine? [Mr. Peanutine. - Dave] It's a giant peanutI can't find much about Peanutine on the interwebs, but it appears to have been a peanut confection sold in Maine from these charming peanut-shaped donkey carts in the early part of the 20th century. We Sell Peanutine from this Wagonhttp://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/spec_photos/766/ History Repeats itselfWe were there on vacation on July 19, 1969 when the pier burnt. Golly, what a nice day.A mile of balcony and nobody sitting outside. Lousy fires. I have a strong feeling that most of these old structures would have been torn down regardless. Most unfortunate because they truly are wonderful buildings. (The Gallery, DPC)
Hotel Vendome: 1900
Boston circa 1900. "Hotel Vendome, Dartmouth Street and Commonwealth Avenue." 8x10 glass negative, ... full size. Fire and Partial Collapse, 1972 The Hotel Vendome was the site of a tragic fire in 1972. Nine fire-fighters died. ... to accommodate ballgowns. At one time, this was the best hotel in Boston. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2017 - 10:57pm -

Boston circa 1900. "Hotel Vendome, Dartmouth Street and Commonwealth Avenue." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Fire and Partial Collapse, 1972The Hotel Vendome was the site of a tragic fire in 1972. Nine fire-fighters died. The building was restored, although altered. In the background: the New Old South Church. Still there, and mostly intactMost of the High Victorian decoration is there, particularly on the windows. The roofline is toned down a bit, with that big front tower reduced. Still "A gift to the street." Stayed there often in the '50s and '60sToward the end it was pretty much run-down. The hallways were "springy" from worn-out floors. The huge rooms featured walk-in closets with clothes hooks eight feet up to accommodate ballgowns. At one time, this was the best hotel in Boston. (The Gallery, Boston, DPC)
Ladies' Rooms: 1904
... New York unattended will appreciate an elegant, modern hotel, receiving only women as lodgers: the new HOTEL MARTHA WASHINGTON, extending from 29th to 30th Street, 100 feet from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/18/2016 - 11:33am -

        Ladies visiting New York unattended will appreciate an elegant, modern hotel, receiving only women as lodgers: the new HOTEL MARTHA WASHINGTON, extending from 29th to 30th Street, 100 feet from Madison Avenue. Rooms at moderate prices. Superior Restaurant for Ladies and Gentlemen. Every comfort and careful service. Write for booklet before you select an hotel. - ADV. New York, 1904. "Hotel Martha Washington." Built by the Women's Hotel Company. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Divvying the goodsInteresting to see what looks like rag and bone men divvying up the goods right in front of the hotel's entrance. The ladies must have had better quality trash. Remember the hotel in "Big"?I stayed at the Martha Washington in the 70s, while interviewing for jobs out of college. Back then it was more akin to the hotel Tom Hanks stayed in in "Big". Hallway bathrooms, people speaking Spanish on the payphone out in the hall. But it was something like $18/night, and for a 20-something on a tight budget, it was just fine. Amazingly thrivingBut no longer women only. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC)
Hotel Radisson: 1910
Minneapolis circa 1910. "Hotel Radisson and Seventh Street." The start of today's multinational lodging ... 1981, and razed in 1982(I watched the demolition.) The new hotel opened in 1987. Love that dragon! Rather a different vibe than the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/28/2016 - 3:59pm -

Minneapolis circa 1910. "Hotel Radisson and Seventh Street." The start of today's multinational lodging conglomerate, named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Dayton's As WellProbably the original Dayton's Department Store as well - parent company of Target. There's still a RadissonBut only Dayton's(now Macy's) remains from the 1910 photo. It's to the left behind the skyways. In about sixty years. . .. . .Mary Tyler Moore would throw her hat into the air at that very intersection. The old RadissonThe new Radisson is actually the same old innards with with an 80s façade. Re: The old RadissonThe original Radisson was opened in 1909, closed in 1981, and razed in 1982(I watched the demolition.) The new hotel opened in 1987. Love that dragon!Rather a different vibe than the current decorations in that area. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Dorn Hotel: 1941
January 1941. Miami, Florida. "Apartment hotel on the Miami River." Medium-format nitrate negative by the mysterious ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2012 - 11:15am -

January 1941. Miami, Florida. "Apartment hotel on the Miami River." Medium-format nitrate negative by the mysterious "Daly." View full size. RE: I had no IdeaThe apostrophe in APT'S is acceptable if seen as indicating the shortening of "Apartments". Low-LyingAll I can think about as I look at this is "Storm Surge." Gone but not forgottenThe Dorn opened in 1924 and burned down in 1983. Lobster Traps TodayNot much replaced the old Dorn, which was pretty much a flop-house by the 1980s. It sat on South River Dr. just a little south of the First Street Bridge. It's a bustling lobster and stone crab trap yard today. BoatsLove these boats, would like to have any one of them. Can some old salt tell us more about the sailboat near center? I had no idea!Seems the misuse of apostrophes goes back a lot farther than I thought. Center BoatIt is a cat boat that is large enough to have an enclosed cabin. This sailboat type was gaff rigged, center board with a huge rudder. Most had no auxiliary motor. The South Miami Dorns?The Dorn family were business pioneers in the nearby town of Larkins, now known as South Miami. I wonder if they also had a (considerable) toe-hold in downtown Miami. What a stunning photo - there is something so haunting about these early photos of the river. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Miami)
Hotel Utica: 1910
Utica, New York, circa 1910. "Hotel Utica." Playing next door at the Majestic: "The Fortune Hunter." 8x10 ... moved back 10 years ago. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Utica with my laptop and this picture is posted on Shorpy. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2015 - 8:53pm -

Utica, New York, circa 1910. "Hotel Utica." Playing next door at the Majestic: "The Fortune Hunter." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. John Barrymore in town?John Barrymore starred in "The Fortune Hunter" in 1909-10. This from "The Home Front Encyclopedia". The Fortune HunterWas a 1909 play written by Winchell Smith 1871-1933, who also wrote a play based on the novel Brewster's Millions. The Fortune Hunter was made into a film in 1914. More on the Majestic Theatre here. http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/Recreation/Recreation.asp Click on Grand Old Theatres OSHA Panics!!That fella hanging out the window on the left side of the building doesn't look like he's even wearing one of the belts used by early window washers. Looks more like a kid told to scrub the window. Scary. [Look closer. There is some sort of chain or strap holding him in. - Dave] Revised and RetouchedThis negative was used as the basis for a highly retouched print. Click to enlarge. FestoonedWhat do we make of the small lights festooned around the top of the building? Holidays? Really, I just wanted to use festooned in a sentence. I'll show myself out... Shiver running up my spineSo I grew up in Utica. Moved away for 20 years, moved back 10 years ago. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Utica with my laptop and this picture is posted on Shorpy. (The Gallery, DPC)
Hotel Aragon: 1905
Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1905. "Hotel Aragon, Forsyth and Julia streets." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... building. Longevity I have no memory of this hotel from growing up in Jacksonville in the 1950s and '60s, but evidently it ... fire. I found suggestions that it was listed in the Hotel and Motel Red Books as late as 1969, but couldn't verify that. (The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/19/2020 - 11:50am -

Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1905. "Hotel Aragon, Forsyth and Julia streets." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Funny towerThat is a strange tower up there, with the triangular windows, all alone on the roof, set back from the facade, and out of scale with the whole. It looks like it belongs to a different building. LongevityI have no memory of this hotel from growing up in Jacksonville in the 1950s and '60s, but evidently it was there. I found this photo featuring a 1957 Ford parked in front. (I will be swiftly corrected if I'm off on the model year). As a bonus, both photos in the montage show a Krystal hamburger outlet just to the right of the main entrance. The Aragon lasted a long time. It was one of the few buildings in the area to survive the 1901 Jacksonville fire. I found suggestions that it was listed in the Hotel and Motel Red Books as late as 1969, but couldn't verify that. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville)
Americana Hotel: 1962
Oct. 1, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Entrance section from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/21/2013 - 4:57pm -

Oct. 1, 1962. "Americana Hotel, 52nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City. Entrance section from left. Loew's Hotels, client. Morris Lapidus, Harle & Liebman, architects." We saw the coffee shop a few weeks ago. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. It's now the SheratonAnd seems to have been retro-fied. A Sunday outAnd across the street, the great House of Chan, one of the wondrous luxe Cantonese restaurants in the city--all thick carpets, moon gates, mahogany, soft lighting and softer table cloths, and classic dishes under cloches. A must at least one Sunday a year for our Brooklyn family, usually after a major new movie matinee (Ben-Hur!) at the Criterion Theater. First Visit to New YorkMy family and I stayed at the Americana on my first visit to New York -- Spring Break (from First Grade) 1965. The purpose of the trip was to go to the 1964-1965 World's Fair. The thing that impressed me most was that the bathroom in our room had a telephone next to the toilet. Destruction of the center of JazzThis is one of the buildings that destroyed the world center of jazz, the many clubs that lined 52nd street. "The Street" is now mostly sterile loading docks for buildings like this. If NYC had not allowed this to happen, "The Street" would be a major tourist destination. What a sad story. Bad Sheraton, BAD!The changes to the original fascia amount to vandalism. My God, what were they thinking? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Hotel Fire: 1963
... newspaper stories about the fire highlighted one group of hotel guests that night - adults and children in the tour company for "The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2015 - 12:09pm -

"Sherry Biltmore fire, Boston, 1963." Aftermath of the five-alarm blaze that killed four on March 29, 1963. 35mm negative, photographer unknown. View full size. Eight O'Clock Coffeeis still around, although the name was bought by another company. I shopped at A&P. It was a "Great" place. "La fille aux yeux d'or"Is that theater called the Fenway? It must have been an "Art House" cinema, as it was showing a rather obscure French film from 1961. Do-re-mi-FIRE!-so-la-ti-doThe initial newspaper stories about the fire highlighted one group of hotel guests that night - adults and children in the tour company for "The Sound of Music" (starring Barbara Meister as Maria). One week later, UPI reported that an 8-year-old son of an actress in the touring company and a Viennese opera singer had been accused of setting the fatal fire while playing with matches. The April 6, 1963 account added that "in recent months there have been fires in other hotels where the cast stayed in Minneapolis and Baltimore." '56 DeSotoThat tailfinned beauty in front of J.J. Newberry is a 1956 DeSoto. My late father had one during my childhood. It was our first experience with power windows and pushbutton gears. They shoulda "Biltmore" like it.Because it's still standing. Plaid StampsOn the eve of the demise of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, it is pleasantly nostalgic to be reminded of The A&P's Plaid Stamps trading stamps. My mother collected both Plaid Stamps from the A&P and Blue Stamps from the Grand Union. I can remember helping her to paste them into the redemption booklets. There was a walk-in redemption center for the Blue Stamps at the county seat. Perhaps some other Shorpy contributor can remind me of how the Plaid Stamps were redeemed. I can hardly believe that the A&P has come to the end of the road. Will Jane Parker. Ann Page and Sultana find employment elsewhere, or will they go into retirement? (The Gallery, Boston, Fires, Floods etc., Found Photos, Stores & Markets)
Hotel Escambia: 1910
Pensacola, Florida, circa 1910. "Hotel Escambia." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 8:11pm -

Pensacola, Florida, circa 1910. "Hotel Escambia." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. They're creepy and they're kooky,mysterious and spooky. Admit it -- you looked at this and the "Addams Family" theme popped into your head. BandedTell us again why we used to see white paint on tree trunks? The Way Down.I've never seen a fire escape quite like this one. Guests on the upper front and right floor can crawl out the dormer windows, down the very steep roof to the edge, grab hold of the roof pipe fence and hopefully can carefully walk to the front second floor fire escape. Apparently there is another escape on the left side of roof as well. Brave souls. We're painting the tree trunks white!It's whitewash, actually, and Googling turns up the info that it was done to minimize "sun-scald." Don't Bug MeAnother reason for white trunks was insect control. Insects that might prove harmful to the tree by entering at the trunk (such as a colony of carpenter ants or termites) would be easily seen by birds and picked off the tree, hopefully before any damage was done. I don't know how effective or even necessary this was, as it is rarely seen today. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Pensacola)
Château Frontenac: 1900
... & Dufferin Terrace, Quebec City." This majestic hotel, constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway on a bluff overlooking the ... Much larger now Possibly the most prestigious hotel in eastern Canada, the Chateau Frontenac has been greatly expanded since ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/08/2024 - 8:42pm -

Circa 1900. "Château Frontenac & Dufferin Terrace, Quebec City." This majestic hotel, constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence River, opened in 1893. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Much larger nowPossibly the most prestigious hotel in eastern Canada, the Chateau Frontenac has been greatly expanded since 1900. Montgomery Clift didn't want to look upIn Hitchcock's "I Confess" (1953), Montgomery Clift plays a priest who is charged with murder. In one scene, the priest exits the courthouse into a hostile crowd; he looks up to see people staring down at him from a window in the Chateau Frontenac. It was reliably reported that Clift, a Method actor, caused considerable delay in shooting because he wasn't convinced the priest had "motivation" to look up. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Fifth Avenue Hotel: 1901
New York circa 1901. "Fifth Avenue Hotel, southwest corner of Madison Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative ... Jackson. View full size. Roof Masts On the hotel roof and the three buildings to the right of it looks like at least ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2018 - 2:44pm -

New York circa 1901. "Fifth Avenue Hotel, southwest corner of Madison Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. Roof MastsOn the hotel roof and the three buildings to the right of it looks like at least 30-foot masts. Too early for radio. [Wireless telegraphy got its start in the 1890s, so it's not "too early for radio." But those are flagpoles. - Dave] Interesting TrackworkStreetcar lines on both streets are powered by underground conduits, but only horsecars or trailers could use the curved connection tracks. SewardStatue of William H. Seward, Secretary of State who negotiated the Alaska purchase in 1867 for $7.2 million, by sculptor Randolph Rogers. Early MorningJudging by shadows, low sun in the southwestern sky, and the relative lack of people, this photo looks like it was taken pretty early in the morning. [The shadows show the sun to be overhead, not low on the horizon. - Dave] (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, NYC, Streetcars, W.H. Jackson)
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