REAL PHOTO : NEW YORK CITY - Old Hotel San Remo

Description: REAL PHOTO : NEW YORK CITY - Old Hotel San Remo - Central Park Lake: Michael Brennan's initial idea of erecting side-by-side apartment houses quickly changed to a single "family hotel" or "apartment hotel." He hired architect Edward L. Angell to design the 10-story structure which was intended to vie with the best residential hotels in the city. A year into construction the Record & Guide commented "It towers above every surrounding structure, and vies with the great 'Dakota' apartment house in importance and magnificence." Residence hotels differed from apartment houses in that they offered the services like maids and hallboys (on hand to carry packages, run errands, etc.). Residents of the San Remo ate their meals in a common dining room on the top floor which offered sweeping views of the park. The arrangement eliminated the need for large domestic staffs and the accompanying stress of managing servants. Residents would keep a small staff, including a lady's maid and butler and at least one maid. That maid would have available a "complete steam laundry" within the building. The San Remo would contain about 90 apartments ranging from two rooms and a bath to nine rooms and two bathrooms. Each of the more than 100 tiled bathrooms had a window. The apartments were trimmed in oak, sycamore, ash and cherry executed by master woodworker J. S. Roddy (deemed by the Record & Guide "a recognized leader in the art of polishing and finishing hard woods). Mantels matched the wood in each room. The main dining room was 50 by 100 feet and the Record & Guide pointed out that there would be "a smaller dining-room for children and nurses." The cutting edge building had an "electric plant" (i.e., dynamos) in the basement to power electric lights. (The fixtures were combination gas and electricity, since even with its own generators electric service was not yet dependable.) Other innovations were mail chutes in each apartment, so no one needed to walk out his door to mail a letter, and a system for "filtering of the water used for drinking purposes throughout the hotel." Enjoying the luxurious appointments and amenities did not come cheaply. Rents in 1891 ranged from $800 to $2,400 per year--about $5,800 per month for the most expensive. The San Remo Hotel opened on October 1st, 1891. An advertisement in the New-York Tribune promised, "There will be no duties, no cares, no eternal worry about servants." Another ad said "The Hotel is conducted solely for families who wish to avoid the annoyances and inconveniences of 'housekeeping,' and for that reason the suites will not be furnished, but every service, including electric light, steam head and chamber service will be furnished free of charge." As the 1920's drew to an end, the Victorian apartment hotel could no longer compete with the sleek Art Deco apartment buildings lining up along Central Park West. The San Remo was demolished in 1929 to be replaced by its namesake, designed by Emery Roth which survives. This Undivided Back Era (1901-07) Real Photo postcard is in good condition. No. 44.

Price: 9 USD

Location: Brooklyn, New York

End Time: 2025-02-10T03:40:38.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD