PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING: I sell ONLY ORIGINAL items and NOT ANY reproductions.

This sale is for one RARE, Historical

advertising Letterhead,

 from

HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA

( Lithography features an image of HOTEL building which is quite detailed please view both images )

Located in 

New York,

during the year of 1925. 

Manage by

Hotel Statler

Signed with facsimile signature by:

R. M. Crimmon

Historical notes:

In January 1916, the PRR announced that it would build a 1,000-room hotel on the Seventh Avenue site for about $9 million; the hotel itself would cost $5 million, while the furnishings and land would cost $4 million. The hotel was to be designed by McKim, Mead & White which had also designed the original Pennsylvania Station. The planned hotel was cited as being either ten or twelve stories. The PRR hoped that the hotel's construction would spur development in the surrounding area, particularly after the Interborough Rapid Transit Company’s 24th Street Penn Staton subway station opened in two years. In addition, the site was near several major attractions, including multiple Broadway Theaters, department stores, and hotels. 

The PRR hired the George A. Fuller Company as the hotel's general contractor in 1916.  the Fuller Company constructed the Pennsylvania and the Commodore simultaneously. The hotel's cost had increased to $11 million by that April; this cost included $7.5 million for the actual hotel, $2.5 million for the land, and $1 million for furnishings.] The PRR filed plans for a 20-story hotel in May 1916, to be designed by McKim, Mead & White. Initially, the PRR leased the hotel for 21 years.] In December 1916 Ellsworth M. Statler of Statler Hotels purchased a controlling interest in the lease. Matchette and Statler formed the New York Hotel Statler Company, which issued stock to finance the hotel's construction. Both men initially had a 50 percent stake in the company, but Matchette turned over a 25 percent stake to Statler shortly after the company was established.

The PRR announced in December 1916 that the hotel would be named the Hotel Pennsylvania and that construction of the hotel's foundations would commence the next month. 

The Hotel Pennsylvania was formally dedicated on January 25, 1919.  On that day, 3,000 spectators viewed the hotel, and 2,000 people ate in the main dining room. The Pennsylvania's 2,200 guest rooms and baths made it the largest hotel in the world at the time; it was slightly larger than the Commodore, which opened a few days later on January 28. However, only 1,200 rooms were available when the hotel opened, and some of the public rooms were still incomplete. Thirty days after the hotel opened, Statler Hotels started paying $200,000 in annual rent for the site; this amounted to five percent of the hotel building's assessed value of $4 million. In addition, Statler would pay six percent of the construction cost each year.[37] One architectural critic wrote that the hotel's completion "marked a great step forward in hotel efficiency", as it had an efficient design that was not overly ornate.

In the hotel's early years, it hosted such events as a charity event for the Jewish Federations of North America meeting for veterans, and a showcase of radio equipment. Employees established a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Register in 1921, which according to The Christian Science Monitor was "said to be the only daily newspaper published in a hotel". In 1922, the Pennsylvania became the first hotel on the East Coast of the United States to receive radio telegraph service. The Pennsylvania remained the world's largest hotel until the late 1920s,[  when the New Yorker Hotel was constructed. E. M. Statler managed the hotel until January 1928, when Frank A. Duggan took over as the hotel's manager.  There is a long description of the hotel’s complete history online, unfortunately this beautiful building was partially demolished by 2023 according to Wikipedia. 

CONDITION:  It has normal letter folds, with toning and it is in very good condition and signed with facsimile signature.  The "EBAY ITEM" thing is just a loose piece of paper and not part of the sale.

Approximate size of this item is 8 1/2" X 11 ".

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

  • Payment to Ebay upon purchase.  
  • Free shipping to the continental U.S. only. 
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