Body
WHEREAS, Henry Clay Frick built the William Penn Hotel, in 1916, at the cost of six million dollars, to bring a “world class” hotel to Pittsburgh - and one that would rival the grand hotels of Europe; and
WHEREAS, the William Penn was designed by Janssen and Abbott, one of the finest architectural teams of the period and was considered the most modern hotel of its time and as the Pittsburgh Gazette Times reported “there is scarcely a feature of this huge structure …that is not a product of Pittsburgh”; crowds marveled at the opulent Palm Court Lobby with its walnut pillars, floors of green Italian marble and magnificent ceiling, reputedly copied from the Palace at Fontainebleau; the rooms were furnished with reproductions of the Louis XVI period, in walnut, mahogany or white enamel, by the M.J. Pickering Company of Pittsburgh; each piece of furniture and drapery panel and every one of the sixty-three thousand pieces of silver bore the William Penn crest and the Urban Room, the striking Art Deco style grand ballroom, was designed by and named for Joseph Urban, a set designer for the Ziegfield Follies, and features black Carrara glass walls and a hand painted “Tree of Life” ceiling mural; and
WHEREAS, when it was first built, the William Penn was a self-contained city in miniature, including private quarters for staff; a separate 'bachelors floor' with a private sitting room and library; a complete printing facility; a bakery; a barbershop; a manicure parlor; a drug store; a billiards room and the staff included a 'butcher', a 'baker' and a 'candlestick maker' or silversmith and a locksmith; and
WHEREAS, by the late 1930s, the William Penn had emerged not only as a convention facility, but as the center for almost all business and social activity in Pittsburgh; legend claims that more deals were made in the Continental Bar than in any corporate office in the city; and
WHEREAS, the William Penn has hosted many entertainers and celebrities, including Don B...
Click here for full text