In blue writing on the front of the small rectangular boxes I got at auction recently were the words “Henry Hudson Hotel, New York. 1200 Rooms. 1200 Baths.”
They were three boxes of facial tissues, bulging with content, the tissues a bit faded. I thought of them as throwaways, a somewhat interesting find among a group of items in a box lot from the auction a week or so ago. The boxes looked to be quite old, though, so I was curious to find out what I could about the hotel.
You never know what buried history you’ll find, and this was one of those instances. I learned that the Henry Hudson – at 353 West 57th Street, New York, 19, NY – began its life as a clubhouse for the American Woman’s Association.
The organization was founded in 1921 by philanthropist Anne Morgan, the daughter of financier J.P. Morgan, he of the monied set. Anne Morgan, who was described as an advocate for women’s rights, created the club with her wealthy friends as a place where professional women could network their way to upward mobility in businesses. In those days, even white women were largely excluded from the men’s clubs and corporate offices.
But not just any woman could be a member of this august group. The woman had to have “ambition, pluck and energy, which would push her up and up in her profession,” Morgan is quoted as saying in a 1998 article in the New York Times.
Morgan and her group raised $4 million to build a clubhouse on West 57th Street, and construction was completed in 1929. It had 1,250 rooms, a swimming pool, gym, restaurant and more. (Photo above is from the website Fading Ad Gallery.)
The Great Depression did not treat the clubhouse well, and it went into bankruptcy. It was converted into the Henry Hudson Hotel for men and women in 1941. During World II, the hotel was a way station for Army troops headed to Europe. Today, it has been renovated and renamed the Hudson Hotel.
I’m assuming a guest at the hotel took the boxes as souvenirs during a stay – putting them aside at home, forgetting them.
I’m glad he or she did. What a joy at discovering a bit of history from three boxes of facial tissues.
