Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-04-15
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Special Correspondence.
New YORK, April 8, 1875

The central event of the week here, in
point of Importance, was the completion
and formal opening of A. T. Stewards
Women's Hotel, which has been slowly
building during ten years past, at the
corner of Fonrsh Avenue and 33d street.
Everything being finally in readiness.
the enormous structure was brilliantly
illuminated early on Tuesday evening,
and Mrs. A. T. Stewart waited in an ell
egant little parlor fitted up especially
for her use, to receive the three or four
thousand guests who had received formal
cards of invitation to this inspection.
The management, however, soon learned
that they had reckoned without their
host in attempting to open the building
for chosen few. Immediately upon the
doors being thrown back, an immense
and indiscriminate throng of the curious
surged in. elbowing the greatly scandal
lied ticket-holders and taking possession
of things generally. 1t is estimated
that in the course of the evening, about
thirty thousand people pushed and strug-
gled through the hotel, inspired by the
uncomfortable desire of seeing for them
selves the true inwardness of this great
white pile which for years past has stood
closed and silent as the sphynx.
The "Women's Hotel" is an eight
story iron building, 200 feet square,
covering fourteen lots. A hundred feet
square is devoted to an interior court,
which, being provided with fine foun-
tain and parterres of flowers, will in
some measure take the place of pleasant
outside surroundings. On the outside,
above the store floor, there are 500 win
dows looking into the street, all being
provided with inside blinds. There are
$50 windows looking into the court
yard. The lower story is cut up into
thirty eight stores. and the remaining
ones contain the parlors, Office, dining
and reception rooms, library for the
free use of guests, containing over $500
volumes, kitchens, etc., beside 502 sleep.
ing rooms. The furniture and carpets
are very handsome, and the place is ex.
pected to accommodate about one thou.
sand women. The building is consider.
ed to be absolutely fire proof and is self
dependent for water and gas, there be.
ing a full set of water pumps and facil.
tiles for manufacturing an abundant
supply of gas. Two sumptuous elevators
furnish easy communication between the
floors, and over two thousand gas jet,
furnish illumination by night to thu
mammoth caravansary which has cost
all complete, in the Deighborhood of So,
100000.
This enterprise has been very gener
ally and yariously misunderstood. Tn,
prevailing impression seems to have beef
that Mr.. Stewards idea was, to provid
a home for working women, which
should be charitable institution, fire.
or nearly SO. This misrepresentation wa
pleasant enough while it was procurin,
the gratuitous advertising which ha
been given to the hotel all through th
years of its construction, but now tina
it transpires that the scheme is largel
business one, that the terms of the in
stitution are to be comparatively hig
and the rules for its government rathe
strict, general hue and cry is raise
against Mr.. Stewart and his executors
1t is true that only the higher class Q
working women can live in the house a
its present tariff, but it is also true tina
this class are the ones to best appreciat
its comforts. and that there are plent
of them in New York to fill it full.
is. however, an experiment, after all