8/6/11

LET'S GO FIRST CLASS across America: Part 3


So you’re in Kansas City, Missouri and you just want a place to rest your tired puppies. How about the Hotel Commonwealth located at 12th and Broadway? It might not be first class, but it looks inviting.


Click on either image to see it larger.

Hmmmmm…I see on the back of this card it says “downtown apartment and transient hotel” which doesn’t sound so good. I’m now thinking of the hotels in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, transient hotels. But hey, it looks really nice so let’s go there and see what a room costs.

Ummmmmmm…I ummmmm…think it’s gone. Urban renewal.


Okay, the fact that on the front of the card it says Hotel Commonwealth and on the back it says Commonwealth Hotel leads me to believe even when it was standing people weren’t really sure where they were.

And let's talk about the patrons. This ad is from the November 27, 1943 Billboard magazine. A guy set up shop in the hotel to hire workers for carnivals. That must have been interesting to have that across the hall. Did animal acts show up or just guys who ran the tilt-a-wheel?

As to this card, most of what I’m finding online gives the date around 1937. It is a Curt Teich linen. I’m assuming people decided on this date due to used cards with postal dates because there is no copyright date.

Next Up: Idaho Falls

3 comments:

  1. Pave Paradise - put up a Convention Center? Maybe the guy hung on and booked the Circus.

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  2. I haven't seen a postcard with borders like that on the sides. Pretty catchy. But like you said, this place may not have been all cracked up to what we think. I imagine there were plenty of "characters" in that place.

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  3. I've seen other cards with the same border. Adds a little extra.panache

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