Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-20
3FAMOUS HOTELS
| PASS into HISTORY
bingham, Continental and Little
Hotel WiImot Soon to
Be Displaced
HAD MANY NOTED GUESTS

with the passing Of the Bingham
<hs Continental, and the Little Hotel
N Wimot in rapid succession. Philadel-
mia will enter upon n new phase Of It's
Eotel history and at the ,same time lose
Shree Of its best known landmarks. one
~ them SO intertwined with the history
Al tho United States and It's notable
oersonages of a crucial period that It
kscame a national institution.
In addition to the food Of rcminis-
ernces which naturally attaches to the
oroposed transitions, the changes mark
Z deviation from local hotel history OF
recent years in that a gigantic modern
hotel will occupy the site of the old
Continental and bring the trend Of
6otel buildings ip/ Philadelphia once
more toward the locality from which It
started.
Although the Continental site will b"
the only one Of the three to be occupied
6y n hotel. It will be building with
4 far greater capacity than that of the
three ancient hostelries combined, The
Bingham site will be taken up with a
combination Of moving picture theatre
and Office building. and the site of the
Little Hotel Wilmot will be used as an
annex to the nearby Girard Trust Com
pany.
Bingham Site Dates Back 10 1912
Despite popular belief. which credit,
Che Continental with the oldest history.
the Eleventh and Market streets site of
che Bingham dates back to 1912,
when Thomas Leiper. Philadelphia
capitalist, who had but three years be-
fore constructed in this city the first
piece Of railroad track in America,
erected a hotel building which was the
first Of its kind in Philadelphia as
purely hote structure. all existing
hotels having been adapted from stores
and residences.
The manager selected was William
Kenshaw. for n number of years man
agcr of the fashionable Mansion House.
Third street below Walnut. Despite
his excellent management the project
was doomed to failure from the start,
due to its location too far west from
the center Of activities.
For a number Of years the hostelry
was idle and then from 1923 to 1925
II was occupied by the PENNSYLVANIA
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb and
later became n fashionable boarding
house known as the New Mansion
House.
In later years the ground floor of
che building was occupied ms ter.
minus by the newly constructed Phila-
ielpha. Wilmington and Baltimore
Railroad. and from 1852 until 1865
the Pennsylvania Central Railroad had
its terminus In the same building. then
known as the United States" Hotel.
With engagements. prior to the
opening Of the Centennial Exposition,
tie house became the New bingham
Hotel and from 1880 until 1904 the
0oodins. father and son. were the sue
cessive prOprietors. In 1904 the hotel
vas again improved and enlarged at
On expense of 5000. 900 and was given
the distinction OF having the first hotel
roof garden in the world. On May 22,
1921. a centennial anniversary dinner
vas given at the Bingham by David b.
Irovan. now managing director Of the
Adelphia, and was attended by former
guests of national prominence.
T.. Continental More Famous
The glories Of the Continental Hotel,
although shorter. were far more notable
than those of the Bingham. Its in
terror architecture and handsome fur
nishings made it during its early days
Americas foremost hotel. and to the
distinction of its world famous ellen.
tele the fact that 1t was at one time
the only hotel in the United States to
VVuct ul CbCNutpi All hO
measure to its fame.
The Continental Hotel sheltered every
President from Lincoln to Mckinley
the Prince of Wales, afterward King
Edward VII. when he visited this
country incognitO as Baron Rcnfrew
Dom Pedro of Brazil and King Albert
Of Belgium when he visited this city
IN his youth. Charles Dickens was
numbered among Its guests and at the
Continental he received impressions of
American life more agreeable than those
DO published Of other American hostel.
sies.
In Republican campaigns the Con-
tnental became the foreOrdained head
quarters and the names of men proml.
nent in State and national politics were
always feature on its register.
Noted Guests at Wilmot
The Little Hotel Wimot, built com.
paratlvely recently. 1890. was placed
on the site of three residences on South
Penn square. one of them, at 14Os,
the home Of Representative O'Neill,
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