Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-26
COLLEGE INNS AID
NEW YEAR GAYETY
Spread of Novel Type OF Grill
Rooms Continues Rapidly
Through Country
COLOR AND SPIRIT MAKE HIT
Establishment Recently Opened
in Chicago Vies with Most
Beautiful in Country
Especial to The Herald)

NSpcClal 10 Inc llViuiu
CHICAGO. Dec. 25.-Not all laments
for the old-fashoned New Years
have ceased, but the new sort-the New
Years eve joy parties which came III
when the epidemic of college inns
broke out--evidently has the dear de-
parted New Gears ignominiously ON
the run.
100000" histrionic star with
stentorian voice, inquired of seVeral
hundred sympathetic and responsive
celebrants last year. 100000, why
does New Years eve come but once a
year," He paused, there was hush
and he added. confidentially: When
there are more college inns twill come
oftener.'
But he was wrong; the country is
speckled now with college inns ga
lore and of all sorts, from Seattle 10
Jacksonville, Fla, and from New
Haven to Lafayette, Ind, and TO MIL
waukee. yet New Years continues but
an annual occasion, one of mellowness
and merriment beyond any other OF
the year-as witness the champagne
record.
The spread of the college inn, not
only to college towns and cities north'
south, east and west, has in fact been
startling phenomenon. New YORK,
though il lifts its eyebrows disdaln-
fully when anyone mentions the possi-
bility of anything new originating IN
the west, has fallen in line with MIL
waukee. Lafayette and the other cities
which have college inns. Whatever
the relation ray be between the ebul-
lient celebrations of New Years ewes
and the college inn-no, not colly gin
the number of cafes that bear the name
and seek the reputation is legion.
SPREAD OF COLLEGE INNS
From New York to Lafayette is a
big jump i'll point of population, but
the HooSier college town has a better
imitation of the original than the east
ern city and its college atmosphere
is much truer to the standard than
the Gotham cafe. Milwaukee has re-
produced in detail the Chicago original
and the Cream City's copy is the near
est approach to the original college
inn" of any of the many imitators,
some of which are poor counterteltS.
They will be poorer counterfeits by
comparison when the Chicago proto-
type moves into its handsome quarters
in the new $3,000,000 Hotel Sherman
during Christmas week. If New York
and Milwaukee and Lafayette and the
other cities which have college inns
want to keep up with Chicago they will
have to 60 some.
The college inn" idea, like other sue
cesses, came suddenly. Joseph Beifeld,
having secured control of the old SJ1er-
man house, was impressed with the
need for a grill room that would be
something more than q mere place to
eat. He thought if he could make the
place more attractive without being
cold and formal he would be bene-
factor both to that part of the public
which must eat in hotels and to him.
self.
In talking il over with his son. DR..
William Beifeld, the latter suddenly
advanced the idea of calling the grill
room the college inn and redecorating
it to carry out as we'll as possible the
name. This was done, college flags and
colors were used in the redecorating
scheme, few stalls were put in at one
end Of the grill room, partitions and
other things that made for formality
were eliminated and the college inn
was success from the start. The
reason ascribed for the widespread sue
cess of the idea is that it revolution
ized the old way of looking upon cafes
as mere eating places and introduced
a more cozy, neighborly, cordial atmos-
phere without sacrificing any individual
rights or tastes. People liked the col
ors and the spirit of the college inn.
The New Years eve receipts for the
last three years of the College inn
were: 1906, $10,000 1907, $4,000; 1905,
$4,000.
EUROPE LENDS SUGGESTIONS
So successful in fact was it that
when it was decided to tear down the
hotel and erect a modern fifteen-story
hostelrS the College Inn was not closed
but carefully moved to temporary
quarters in Clark street. 1t has been
doing business in the smaller quarters
while the handsome new structure was
being erected at Clark and Randolph.
on the site which has been occupied
by five hotels for seventy-five years.
The new College Inn was opened dur
ing Christmas week-and for New
Years eve, and has been made the
largest and probably the most beauti-
full grill room in the United States, a
creditable original of the college inn
idea, upon which millions of dollars
have been lavshed. With the kitchen
and bar it occupies the entire base
ment of the big hotel building-a quar-
ter of a block. The old and the new
worlds were searched for suggestions
that would aid in carrying out a
scheme for decoration and comfort.
The decorations are of the Elizabethan
period, with silver~d oak paneling to
the ceiling, which is of ivory. the Sc
Vereness of the white relieved by bright
colored small frescoes.
About the walls are enameled wood
shields representing all the prominent
English and American colleges, the
decorations which have been copied so
widely. Along the south wall there is
a row Of booths like those of the old
English coffee houses which were fire.
quented and made famous by Thack-
cray, Ben Jonson, Sheridan, Dickens
and other literary and theatrical celeb
rites
There are two entrances--one off the
main entrance to the hotel on Clark
street and the other from the lobby
The main entrance is of beautifully
carved oak and gothic windows with
heraldic designs in loaded glass. Open
ing off the grill room are seven private
ming rooms, with accommodations for
from six to twenty-four persons. Each
of these rooms has its Individual dec
oratve scheme. every detail CARRYING.
out some special period In fact, there
is vastly more study and work put into
the decorative scheme of the new Col
lege Inn than visitors realize, but the
general erect is one of warmth and
friendliness, and that was the idea that
set the college inns to blossoming so