National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-03-23


Fifth-aveaue hotel. No stranger coming TO
this city fails TO visit u. Its reputation IL
national and even worldwide. The greatest
celebrities have been It's guests. The Prince
OF Wales stopped al this great Inn seventeen
years ago. Other guests have teen Presidents
Lincoln, Grant and johnson, Secretary Seward,
Charles sumner, George Peabody, Gen. A. X.
Burnside, the late Charlotte Cushman, N.
Jacques Odenbsch, and hundreds of otbers
no less Distinguished. The families Of Presf-
dents Lincoln and Grant have alvays made
Q home Of the Ftfth avenue when they visited
this city. Nearly all the ambassador from
foreign courts make the Fifth-ayeuue their
stopping plscr when In New York. The Bra
from all the leading hotels Of the retropolis,
50 anxious were the proprietors TO furnish
apartments to the Emperor Dom Pedro II and
the Empress Of Brazil. But the minister from
Brazil camel voluntarily to the FIfth. avenue
hotel and engaged suites Of thirty or moro
rooms, twenty Of which are on the paror
floor, and stretch two hundred feet on the
Twenty third street side Of the immense hotel.
II !. doubtful n any hotel I'm America or In
Europe can boast Of . suite OF rooms equally
extensive and stretching along In . continu
Gus line. These are the celebrated aparsmepts
that were occupied by his Royal Highness the
heir apparent to the English throne.
Wien George Peabody was 10 America he
gave . most elaborate dinner party at the
fitth-sveuue hotel, al which were present tho ,
most distinguished literary, professional, mer-
camille and public men In the country, In
GLIDING President Grant, Admiral Fsrrasut,
William II. Seward, Gov. Aiken, OF South
Carolina: Gov. Gr.bsm, Of North Carolina:
Bishop NeIlvaise. Robert c. Winthrop, AT.
S,svnt and William B. Astor. And twenty
years ago or more where this hotel now stands
there vas only q vayside INN, called the
ssMsdisnn Cottaee.o II was . starting poIut
for omnbuses which ran into the business part
o. the city, all Of which was then southlpf
Bleeeker street . 81
Though the Tint avenue may not cover q
many s9uare feet as come hotels In the United
S,afek u certainly has larger rooms, higher
eeiiings and better veutilatioa. Brick psft-
ton walls between each suite Of rooms b .
decided advantage in this hotel. The two
nefes Of cement between the double floors
net only secure perfect quiet, but are . pre-
S'nsive AGAINST fre. The fifth-avenue Is
uHsrkably well patrolled hotel. Each hoor
has It's day and nizht Waterman, all Of whom
ave under general superintendent. They &c.
also q detectives and fremen.
Originally the Fifth- avenue hotel cost sig
/ 1unc red thousand dollars. To day Il IL valued
al tuo millions Of dollars. II occupies
phole block BETWEEN Twenty third and Tween
iy.hurth strests, and extends back on each Of
these street two hundred and twenty feet.
BIilt In the form Of q hollow square, with four
| magnificent facades, IL allows an abundanc,
Of light for al the rooms and permits ventila1
TIN throughout the structure. Covering
eg, ten lots, rising sir stories high, exclusive
Of The basement and upper floors for the ser
wants, u stands giant among the great build
fpss Of the metropolis Of America. With It's
Thick outer walls, Its numerous brick division
walls, ms Hoors fred In with mortar, its pro-
fasion Of hose and pipes and we'll appointed
Ere department, the building Is practically
/ g. Ia
senser elevator, model Of work, which runs
from the frst floor to the top Of the house,
there are six staireases ascending from The
ground floor In various parts OF the building
The hotel contains SO rooms and accommo-
dates from six to eight hundred guests, be-
SKIES the four hundred persons required to
run the house.
There are four entrances from the streets
to the FIRST floor OF the Fifth.avenu The
great hall Of the hotel, paved with marble,
handsomely frescoed, the rear lined with an
immense mirror, Is two hundred feet long,
twenty eight feet wide and sixteen feet high
From This central hall one may pass 10 the
large reading room on tho left; to the oflce
and clerks desk; to the grand marble stair.
case and elevator on the right; to the exten
s-ye smoking loom, barber shop, sc. In con-
mon with all great American hotels, the Filth
theatre ticket ONCE, telegraph aud express
Offices, stock indicators, sc. All Of these
rooms are Of great sine, beautifully furnished
and kept In the most perfect manner. The
second 6oor contains stx magnificent public
paricrs, all froasins on Madison Square, each
richly furnished, Ike the drawing. rooms Of
the most sumptuous private mansion. The
enhances to the hotel have lately been re
modelled and new woods and castings have
been addsd. A large corps OF mech snics are
nov at work making new improvements.
The tea-roota has just been renovated
sisht double ersetsts and twenty. seven chan
deiisrs, Com Mitchell, Vance & Co., and car
pats Of beautiful desigus, from the Bigelow
CARPET Company. have been added. There d
roshiny loud about this apartment. II Is a
cosy - room at home. The proprietors Of
tie Fifthavenue are certainly good educators
fthe people on the subject Of house furnish
The great dining ball, sixty-four by eighty
four feet, occupies the hollow square OF the
hotel, and Is the finest room Of the kind In
New Iorf. II has been lately frescoed b.
Neleni- The four seasons and other allegori.
cal and NEUROLOGICAL figures arc represented
In the most delicate and refreshing colors OF
the ceiling. Frescoing Is undoubtedly In.
art, to judge BY the profusion Of flowers which
are painted on the walls. The mirrors 10 thi,
hall have beautiful effect in multiplying th,
room. The whole work Of this dining room
The superiority Of the Fifth. avenue hotel b
veil Illustrated BY little anecdote told b.
Mr.. James 7. Fields, Of Boston, In the Trans
eyIf Of that city: .Three ladies and gentle
nan In Boston, Who had travelled all over th,
hathsbie globe and bad lived at all the re
poured inns worth mentioning on the planet
were playing games Of Beat authors, best cities
Eat everything, In short, and they all wrot,
on slips Of paper, unseen BY each other, wha
each one considered the best hotel In tn,
World, and the same was written by all six
W., 'the fffthavenue, New York"