The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-13
THE CLARENDON'S PASSING.
a ONCE FAsHToNABLE HOTEL GIVES
UP THE CHOSE

Uptown Competition Proved Too Much for
It-Prince OF Wales n Quest in 1890,
and the Grand Duke Alexis Latsr-The
Resort of Well-Known New Yorkera.
Anybody who wants to rent n hotel with q
record can be accommodated now. The old
Clarendon Hotel. at the southeast corner OF
Eighteenth street and Fourth avenue. is In the
market, and whether it's career as a hotel Ia
over the disposition Of its future lessees will
decide. At all events It's use as a hotel Ia for
the first time In more than half a century In
terrupted. Charles l.. Briggs. who was It's
latest proprietor and for many years Its head
clerk, retired on Sept. 30. when his lease eK-
pired. John Weeks OF 81 Wall street Ia the
owner OF the property. To-day the solitary
tenant OF the building Is George, the old por-
ter. VINO for nearly n quarter OF q century has
been employed ia the house. The servants at
the Clarendon Hotel we're accustomed to sec
long periods Of service. One head waiter.
who left shortly before the hotel closed. had
been there for ffty-four years.
The office yesterday was in Just the condi-
ton 1t had been left when. on the last day OF
September, the .hotel closed. Books and
papers are scattered about as II some new pro-
prietor we're expected to step In tomorrow and
reopen the hotel. which was one of the most
exclusive In It's time that New York ever knew.
In this age Of the large hotels It is hard to find
one analogous to 1t. The old registers OF the
hotel contained the names Of many dlstin-
Ruished persons. In any other CITY than New
York 1t would probably survive to-day with its
former prosperity. the resort Of just the sort
OF persons who frequented IL In the past. But
the times change and people change with them
more rapidly here. and the Clarendon. rather
shabby in aspect and remote from the fashion
able regions. has been deserted by its patrons
Tor the more fashionable and more modern
When the Clarendon was built, more than
proprietors Of the Everett House. on the other
chat a smaiierhote oil Union square and some.
what moro private than the Everett would
fled name OF Clarendon. came into existence.
The proprietor perpetuated the style q ar
EFT, and the new building was Of yellow brick
and 9rowpstone. It had frequently been said
ssH a s Sfs os seRoof a Hd' w nrsf ia PSF c SS sS tee f iSto
signed as a hotel BY Mr.. Ksrner, whose son.
a ass1ien Of 1.-THE the house, euseeou Nfte nm Mr.. II ke ere mad had
been its manaser for thirty five, years. he re-
Briggs. who resigned last month, The prop
erty Is said to have made a fortune for the
As soon as it was opened the Clarendon be-
came, the most fashionable Of the city, hotels.
a AZ ad Then E two R broa On t als .fashioned S stTset
by the hotel. Both OF them remained u part
of the hotel until a few years ago, when they
situation Of, the hotel. but, one block from
what was then, the central, part Of the city.
made it accessible. while quiet. Above It on
Fourth avenue were the two rows Of Old-fash-
Toned houses with large yards. which stood
until a few years ago. Then that part Of the
street was called Union place.
1t was to the Clarendon Hotel that the Prince
of Wales went when he came here on a visit in
1860. The Grand Duke Alexis Of Russia
stopped there when he CAM to New York.
and from that day the house was for years the
headquarters of the Russian diplomats in this
country and Of wealthy Russians who came
here. That seven Ministers of foreign Gov
old boast OF its manager. The wealthy Ameri-
cans of other cities also came to the hotel.
which was always smaller than many of its
rivals, but always noted for the excellence OF
its cuisine.
visits to this country, and so did BriGnoli. Car
!otta Patti and Etelka. Gerster. Adelaide
Nelson. the actress. and Christine Nilsson.
the singer, were regular guests of the hotel.
and when Helena Modjeska first came from
San Francisco to try her fortunes here. it was
:, For many years. 1t, was n home, for New
Workers. Many Of the most distinguished
names in New York society were on it's regis
ters. for the Clarendon was looked upon az
the hotel at which fam ilies might permanently
reside with no loss Of dignity or exclusive
ness.
The new hotels. with their greater conven-
fences. its situation SO far downtown, and its
shabby condition are believed to have led to
the ClarendOn's final failure. 1t could not
move uptown as the rest of the city did. So the
Clarendon found itself deserted in its old age.