Manufacturer: Warwick China
User: Hotel Hurth
Distributor: Price-Culton Co. – Huntington, West Virginia
Date of plate: circa 1926
Notes: The Hotel Hurth, built by Adolph Hurth, Jr., opened on June 10, 1926, and was located at 222 Chillicothe Street in Portsmouth, Ohio. An article in the Portsmouth Times on its opening day stated: "The new Hurth Hotel opened for room registration today … Hotel officials hope to have the dining room and kitchen ready for the serving of meals Sunday, when the G.A.R. Encampment opens.
"Nowhere in the public rooms of the hotel will be found the brilliant glare of unsubdued lights. Instead fixtures of wrought iron, and brass, of Renaissance style, reflect a mellow glow over the big lobby, while in the main dining room the same atmosphere is given by fixtures of Old English style.
"The dining room carries out the Old English style in furnishings and decorations. The walls are finished in rough English plaster. The furniture is all of Old English style.
"A brief summary of the establishment's appointments shows 107 bedrooms, all of which have baths, some shower, some both. Several large suites are available and there are many sample rooms for the convenience of traveling salesmen.
"Chinaware was furnished by the Price-Culton Co. of Huntington W. Va."
It turned out that all of the hotel's rooms were booked solid its first week of operation due to the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) convention held there. And on August 20, 1928, Portsmouth, Ohio, football fans and civic leaders gathered at the Hotel Hurth for a dinner meeting and the launch of a new professional football venture – the early days of the NFL's Portsmouth Spartans (now the Detroit Lions).
It is not known when the hotel closed, but since 1982, the building has been used as Hurth (senior citizens) Apartments.
White body plate with a border design around the rim in shades of medium blue, light blue, tan, and white. The floral border design resembles tulips laid horizontally. These sections are interrupted by small segments that contain small wing or fan ornaments. The border design is broken at the top of the plate with the hotel's logo, a tan and blue shield with the letter "H" in the center. The "H" is overlaid with an ornament of green leaves. At the top of the shield is the word "HoTel," and at the bottom the word "HvRth."
Sources:
The Portsmouth Times Jun. 10, 1926 – article about the hotel's opening
PortsmouthSeniorApts.com – current use of the building
Contributors:
Ed Babcock: plate photos
Sean Feeney: ID
Larry Paul: information on hotel
George Miller: postcard photo
Ed Phillips: author
