New-York tribune., 1911-11-29
NEW YORK'S HOTELS LEAD
Have Always Been Famous for
Magnitude and Luxury.
BUILDING STILL GOES ON
Proportion to Population, How
ever, Smaller than 1S6O-City
Renowned for Restaurants.


Renowned for Restaurants.
The hotels Of New York have always
been famous FOR their magnitude and lux
ury. In Colonial days the taverns and inns
although built 10 accommodate only few
guests EACH were considered magnificent
and capacious.
In the old hotel the smiling host was
much IN evidence. lie was the Spirit OF
the House. But now there is no host. The
modern hotel IS an institution. It's keynote
Is inpersonality. Nothing however IS lost
in nature. Where formerly stood the genial
host. the press agents studio now operates
twenty-four hours a day.
II is a far cry from Sam Fraunce's Inn
70 the Hotel Plaza. Five years before The
Tribune was born there We're comparatively
few hotels in the United States that were
capable OF accommodating as many as two
hundred persons. Then the Astor House
IN New York. was opened. in 1896 Built Of
massive granite and furnished with all the
coDveniences of that day, it was the talk
Of the country; but there were numerous
critics who foreshadowed financial disaster
for its promoters. saying the hotel was TOO
far uptown ever 20 pay.
class restaurant I'm New York In 1888 the
United states Hotel in New York made its
how. Two years later the Gait House in
Louisville. turned the eyes Of the travelling
public toward its imposing dining room, and
was one Of the few things in the United
States we'll spoken OF by Charles Dickens
IN his American Notes
The same year, 1871, that saw the first
rrt-- Cd ODenlnE
of the Planters House. in St Louis. This
house prided itself upon being the largest
hotel west Of the mountains" II had A6
we'll furnished rooms, classic ballroom,
with floor space "S,9u square feet more
than the celebrated fremont House, at
Boston" while the china and cutlery all
of which was made in England, bore the
imprint OF the house.
HOW long ago seventy years may really
rrove 10 be can be realized by recalling the
fact that eleven years were yet 10 pass be-
fore bridal chambers" would become rec
ognfzed features of hotel life, and eighteen
wears must creep by before the first pas
senger elevator would be installed IN q
New York caravansary.
Madison Square, IN 1851, ten years after
the birth Of The Tribune, was still a Wild
and almost deserted suburban piece Of
property. and was known chiefly for It's
proximity 10 the famous roadhouse OF Cor
rioral William Thompson, situated where
later the Fifth Avenue Hotel stood.
At Last the "Bridal Chamber"
The 81. Louis and Metropolitan hotels
were opened in New York in, 1851. and at
once became particularly conspicuous be
cause they introduced bridal chambers
md other novelties Two years later the
Frevoort and the Everett made a sensa-
tioD. and began operations on the European
rlan. The Fifth Avenue Hotel was fin
ished in 1889
II was the first hotel TO introduce a pas
senger elevator. For twenty-five years
dating from the memorable visit OF the
Prince Of Wales, IN 1860, the Fifth Avenue
Hotel had the honor Of entertaining nearly
every traveller Of distinction who came 10
Manhattan.
a visitor TO the metropolis after the Civil
War and before the epoch IN the business
Of hotelling marked by the erection Of the
Waldorf In 1898. would probably have beer
informed by railroad timetables, first, that
the hotels Of the city Of New York were
famous for their magnitude and luxury
second. that there were more than one
hundred Of those caravansaries capable OF
accommodating from 200 20 1000 guests
besides many Insignificant inns; the large
numbers Of New Workers who preferred
hotel life, added TO the $4,000 to 5000
strangers estimated TO be constantly in
the city, affording them ample patronage.
The more magnificent and capacious OF
these edifcos. the contemplating visitor
would be informed, were the AstOr House
the Metropolitan, the st. Nicholas, the
Grand Central the Union Square, the Ffftf
Avenue. the Gilsey. the Everett, the Bruins
wick. the Brevoort, the Windsor and the
Buckingham. These We're from six 10 eight
stories high and We're always referred &c
as luxur.ously appointed.
The last two decades Of the nineteenth
Century were conspicuous, not only for the
sudden increase OF new and more splendid
hotels, but also for the enlargement and
Improvement Of those already built In every
part Of the country Counting the AstoI
House az Epoch No / and the Fifth Ave
nue. Hotel as Epoch no. g. in the hotel In
dustry. we may therefore come TO that
brilliant year Of 1893 which ushered IN the
Waldorf and marked Epoch the Third.
Ever since the opening Of the Waldorf
The hotels dc luxe Of New York have be
como noted throughout the world for their
unparalleled magnidcence and luxury. They
ore pointed out as hotels where employees
average one-third more than the maximum
number OF guests; where the subterr2near
stories contain huge engineering anC
electrical plants, with dynamos 10 Drive
from twenty 20 forty elevators and fur
nish illumination for 5000 20 $1,000 lights
and where self-stoking furnaces burn a'
much as 80 tons Of coal day.
In these modern wonders OF the new
world chefs conduct the operations Of on
hundred and fifty cooks, and all the higl
wrought details Of the establishment or
under a manager, who reaps a fortuna
every twelve months.
The situation in New York IL simply this
Flat or apartment houses have become 81
popular that the building OF them has De
veioped into a craze There arc now NOR