Manufacturers: Maddock Pottery, Scammell China, Hall China, and Syracuse China
User: Hermitage Hotel – Nashville, Tennessee
Date of examples: circa 1910-1940s

Grill Room at the Hermitage Hotel

Hermitage Hotel

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Notes: The 11-story, 200-room Hermitage Hotel, on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Union Street in Nashville, Tennessee, opened September 17, 1910. It contained a 200-seat main dining room and a 200-seat grill, in the basement. The 200-seat Grand Ballroom was located on the 11th floor. It closed in 1977, underwent a $5.5 million restoration in 1980, and reopened April 1981.

Maddock made the original bedroom china service which included toothbrush holders. The coin gold crest features a side-by-side "HH" monogram with a garland swag below.

In 1930, Scammell produced an order of this china which has an unusual pair of backstamps. The glazed, but blank china, was made by Syracuse China. Then it was sent to the Lamberton Works, where it was crested, and gold lined. This joint production may have happened because Syracuse had the mold for the shape the hotel wanted, and Scammell found it cheaper and quicker to buy the blank ware than to create the mold.

In June 1941, Hall China got the contract to supply the Hermitage china. The crest and information are in a notebook of crests kept in the Hall factory. There are minor differences between the Lamberton and Hall crests. The Hall service includes dresser trays, candle stands and match holders.

The only known china with this crest are the bedroom china items. Match holders appear on tables in the Grill Room. At this time the crest on the hotel's dining room china service is unknown.

Sources:
Hermitage Hotel website
WorldWideCollectables.com – Scammell/Syracuse backstamp

Contributors:
Photo of toothbrush vase: Sherri Harris
Author and photos: Larry Paul