Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-01
THE new AUGUSTA HOUSE
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TODAY
Hotel Without a Superior East of
Boston-==Has Been Enlarged
and Wholly Rebuilt.

of the city and one of the finest and
best equipped hotels to be found east
of Boston will open its doors to the
public this morning and bid it welcome,
and in doing so will inaugurate a new
era in the hotel business in Augusta.
For nearly a year past preparations
for this event had been in progress and
during that time the old and we'll
known hostelry has been completely re-
modelled, added to and practically re-
built, so that today but little of the
identity of the old house remains.
Three stories have been added to the
main house, making it a slX-story
structure, wings have been built,
and the capatity of the house has
been almost doubled, so that while
the old house contained about 100
rooms the new one contains $50
and all of them good ones and mod
ern in every particular Fifty of the
rooms have baths and in addition to
that there are public baths ard toilet
rooms for men and women on every
floor. The kitchen has been remod-
elled and enlarged and equipped with
modern apparatus, a new and improved
heating plant has been installed in the
basement, and in fact everything that
could in any way add to the conVen-
fence and comfort of the house has
been included in the work which has
this week been completed.
Viewed from the outside the hotel IS
a handsome structure with it's six stO-
ries of brick painted in buff and white
and it's entrance beneath two-story
pOrtico supported by 1luted pillars and
thanked on either side by an open piaz-
Ia extending the entire length of the
State street front of the building, and
which is reached by a broad fight of
granite steps leading from the street
but the real beauty and completeness
Of the work which has been done Is
seen when one passes through the ma
hogany doors which guard the main
entrance and enters the lobby. Here Is
located the Office of the hotel but 1t
does not seem like an office-it is more
like a suite of rooms in modern
home, only larger 1t is really as it Is
intended to be, the one great general
living room of the hotel, running the
entire length of the east side of the
hotel
arrangement gives to the stranger an
at home" feeling at once. The room Is
lone in white and green the woodwork
being done in Old ivory while the cell
ing and walls are done in tints Of green
that harmonic well and the general eff
feet produced is one of much beauty.
Two large firepiaces add to the appear
ance If the apartment and the homelike
effect is carried out by the presence of
large rugs tables and easy chairs, the
furniture being of mahogany. ON the
west side of the lobby are located the
desk, the private office. coat room, tel
ephone booth and the elevator. ana
the office equipment is complete in
every particular.
At the north end of the lobby and
connected by a broad entrance guarded
by pOrtieres is the ladies reception
room. which is one Of the prettiest
apartments in the building. The
room is done in green and white and
on the floor is a green SaXony rug. In
the center of the room is handsome
mahogany table and here also is a
Vose & Son piano. The other furnish
ings of the room are comfortable
WILLOW cIldlIS Will Slttll Iiu'i - III
mings.
Opening from the reception room
and also from the lobby is the main
dining hall which will seat 120 people
and is a very handsome apartment.
The floor is OF Georgia rift pine. like
that of the other apartments on the
main floor of the building, while over
head is a beamed ceiling. The furni-
ture of the room is of fumed oak with
Drowned leather cushions. A door at
the left of the west end of the dining
room leads to the old dining room
which has been completely remodeleu
and will be used in case of an over
flow. The two rooms will seat 225
people.
At the south end of the lobby is a
writing room which is neat and at
tractive apartment and which is
destined to be very popular. This
room is done in brown, and novelty
in the way of decoration are num-
Der OF bronze seals on the walls. each
having a background of oak and re-
presenting some of the secret
societies. among them being the
Knights Templar. the Shrine. Odd
Fellows. Knights of Pythias and the
Elks. The furniture Of the room is OF
Flemish oak and the floor is covered
with a Saxony rug. Other rooms on
this floor are a card room. barber SHOP
and also private dining room for
small parties The main idea in the ar
rangement of the first floor apartments
OF the hotel is that of promoting
sociabiity on the part of the guests
and making the place home for them
while they tarry within its walls.