The chronicle=news., 1913-06-07
The 0lO ASToR
CLOSES ITS DOORS

new subway call for Al excavation
underneath the old astor hot,s.. aud
as Il result this landmark. probably
the most Historical hotel in America
has been closed aId IL II practically
certain that ils doors will never be
opened ar "a hostsiry again. In nli
~ pinbabili;y the building will be torh
down and modern structure erect
'G un lin rite. which is one OF the
nrs' valuable In the city.
! The property Is owned Jointly by
Vincent Asior AMI william Waldorf
Astog. Vincent owning the southern
half while the northern half heion;s
tn his cousin. II has been suggested
that the latter inirht purchas. the
southern half anJ erect u hotel On
III. property after the completion of
the subway. ms The need of u good
hotel In that locality IL strongly
f.is.
The Asior house WAS buiii by the
original John Jneog Aator. who had
his little fur store around the cor
n.r an Massey street. To bliid the
hotel he secured The property from
NIi .ouB owners who's. homes oscu-
pied the site. I'll" men who owned
tn" plot then were Hrfns kiag. Cor
Iclius Roosevelt. Richard Harrison.
Major John Ruthcriora. and John
&. Cosicr The building was begun
In is.:: aud finished In 1876. when
In May OF that year. III" Joors Of
the finest hotel In America. u, that
time. were thrown open. II had cost
g!:o 200 to build: mn enormous anm
Ter tiIos" dn,s. hu, mall compared
VIII. redcrn tine. when the "os, a
III. crceiioD of non" u. our ik.strap-
..s runs FAR Into the millions.
The house was i..gt known as tn"
Park hotel and although there VAS
nat = room with u private bati, IN
the house. II was considered to he
the last word In e,rsrncc aGi luy-
uIS.
! Tor twenty y"ara after ats Open
Ing the hotel continued To he the
headquarters for no,nbics who visit
I'd New York. Foreign nnb,cmcn.
Who came here. prominent roitti-
r,aay aud statesmen Of onr own
country and the social elite all STOP
ped ut the AHtor house. Daniel Wcj-
stcr was frequently registered NJ
tho hotel: John e. Calhoun. Silas
Wright. Franklin Pierce. Martin
Van Burcn. James buchanan. Zucl,-
nry Taylcr. WiHin,n q. ae~nri.
st.phcn a. Douglas. Lewis Caxs. JEFF
fcrson Davis. Horrtio Seymour AMI
Henry Clay were all registered a,
the hotel nt one time or another.
President Lincoln stopped there
on hir firs; visit to New York. and
Louis kossu'h bid farewell to Amer
lea from the stems of the hotel. The
monster mc.ting to arrange for the
reception of Charles Dickens on tho
occasion OF hi: visit to this country
was held here. Many public dinners
OF no:c. chief among them the din
ncr In honor OF the Priurc lie Join
villc In 1sii, were held In tine din
ing room. Gen. Fremont nnd his
family lived there during the pres
idcntial campaign OF 1856. ana A J.
miruls Fnrrag,it and Porter wern
frcauent guests after the war. u
fortunately some OF the old registers
in which these men wrote their
names have been lost.
The first manager of the hotel
wns Frederick IloyGcn and the ser
cnd was Charles A. Stetson. who
came to the hotel with Boydon as
II clerk. In 1871 Stetson retired and
~aG succeeded by his son, who met
with financial reverses in 1875 and
the hotel fell under the auctioneer's s
hammer. The house was closed for
four months. the only time in It,
history. mp TO the present II was
renovated and rcopcncd by T.. J..
Allen and A. j. Dam. who soon re-
tiord and left the management to
Allen.
Allen continued to manage the
place successfully until 1901. when
he died. His widow and her nephew
A. II. Thurston, then took over the
management and upon the death OF
Mrs. Allen four years ago, Mr.. Thur
ston formed the present company.
which oonsists Of MIR. Thurston and
his sister and is known us A. H..
Thurston and company
At the beginning OF this month
when 1t became certain that the oil |
MOTEL would have to be closed, Mr..
Thurston notified the employees That
they had better seek other jobs. Sew
cral Of the employees have been with
the house for 20 years or more. In
Narially the walters at the Astor
house have been lrishmen. At thu
conference when Mr.. ThurstGn toll
the rmp'ovc1 Tint thn nln"c would
have to be closed. many ot those who
had grown IN in servioe at the old
hostelry left the room In tears.