Manufacturer: Maddock Pottery
User: Hotel Martha Washington – New York City
Pattern: #146 Breslin
Distributor: Kniffin & Demarest Company
Date of plate: circa 1920s

Breakfast Menu from the Hotel Martha Washington

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Notes: From ny.curbed.com: "The Women's Hotel, as it was originally known, was constructed from 1901 to 1903 by acclaimed British-born architect Robert W. Gibson, who won a competition for this commission. Designed in the Renaissance Revival Style, the hotel was 12 stories tall and featured trademark ornamental details of the style, such as 'quoins, lintels detailed with keystones or pediments, rustication, brackets and dentils.'

"At the time of its opening, the hotel was fully occupied with permanent and transient guests, with a sizable waiting list. The hotel contained single rooms and apartments (416 in total), along with a library, reception rooms on each floor, a roof promenade and a private dining room as well as a separate restaurant open to the public. The hotel also featured amenities specifically suited for women, such as 'a drug store, ladies' tailor shop and millinery store, a manicurist and chiropodist, a ladies' shoe polishing parlor, and a newspaper stand.'

"In 1920, the hotel was purchased by the Martha Washington Hotel Corporation, giving the hotel the name, it would come to be known by.

"Despite changes in societal attitudes and the feminist movement, the hotel would continue to serve only women until 1998.

"In recent years, it's gone through a number of different owners and name changes: It became the Hotel Thirty Thirty (2003), Hotel Lola (2011), King & Grove New York (2013) and in the spirit of history, would be once again known as the Martha Washington Hotel in 2014.

"In 2015, the hotel was purchased by the CIM Group for $158 million and was rebranded as the posh Redbury New York Hotel in 2016" and continues as such today (2023).

According to a June 2014, story about the Martha Washington Hotel in Hotel News Resource.com: "It housed many notable women in its day. … The hotel also had a connection with the movie actress Veronica Lake who during the 1940s was regarded as one of Hollywood's most popular actresses. However, by 1952, she was unable to continue working as an actress because of her difficult reputation – Raymond Chandler referred to her as 'Moronica Lake.' After divorcing her husband, she drifted between cheap hotels in Brooklyn and New York City and was arrested several times for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. A reporter found her working as barmaid at the all-women's Martha Washington Hotel in Manhattan. At first, Lake claimed that she was a guest at the hotel and covering for a friend. Soon afterward, she admitted that she was employed at the bar. The reporter's widely distributed story led to some television and stage appearances."

White body plate with Maddock's Breslin Pattern (#146) in medium and navy blues around the rim except at the top where there is a drawing of Martha Washington's head and shoulders in matching blues. Underneath the drawing are the words "Hotel Martha Washington" in blue block letters curving toward the top.

Sources:
Ny.curbed.com – history of the hotel
HotelNewsResource.com

Contributors:
Plate photos: Roy Maloney
ID: Larry Paul
Author: Ed Phillips