Manufacturer: Scammell China
User: Sherry-Netherland Hotel – New York, New York
Date of soup plate: circa 1927 – 1954
Notes: The 37-story Sherry-Netherland Hotel, on the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street in New York City, opened November 1, 1927. It was originally designed as a hotel, but a change of ownership during construction revised the layout to contain mostly apartments. It was partly owned by Louis Sherry Inc., a restaurant company, which explains part of the name and the emphasis on fine dining. The Sherry-Netherland wanted to be the successor to the old mansions on 5th Ave., with the ultra-wealthy living in its apartments. The hotel was equipped with gold-plated doorknobs and silver-plated bath fixtures.
There were two dining venues in the Sherry-Netherland, when it opened. The main dining room was located off the lobby. It had no windows but had a large skylight in the ornate ceiling. The Grill Room, in the basement, also had no windows, but contained large scenic panels. By 1934, there was a terrace dining room on one of the upper floor setbacks. The wealthy apartment residents could order the same meals that were served in the restaurants, or meals prepared as they wished. These meals were prepared in the restaurant kitchen in the basement and delivered by direct elevator to serving pantries in each apartment. Suites were priced at between $20,000 and $30,00 per month. By 1933, the hotel was in foreclosure. It did survive and continues to operate as a 4.5-star hotel and apartment. In 2018, a full floor co-op apartment went for $11 million.
Scammell made a Lamberton China service for the Sherry-Netherland that is decorated with a series of ornaments spaced around the rim. The ornaments are composed triangle shapes in shades of gray and black. A mint green rim line connects the ornaments. The only known example of this pattern is a set of soup plates on WorthPoint. The back stamp is shown, but the blurred lettering is not clear enough to make out the distributors name. Where this china service was used is not known. In 1934, there were drawings made for a proposed cafe, which might be where this set was made for. Scammell used these transfer triangle ornaments for other customers and produced them in other colors.
Source:
Grand Hotels of the Jazz Age: The Architecture of Schultz & Weaver, by Marianne Lamonaca and Jonathan Mogul, 2005
For additional info:
Sherry-Netherland by Scammell China
Sherry-Netherland 2 by Bauscher China and Scammell China
Sherry-Netherland 4 by Black Knight, Hutschenreuther China
Sherry-Netherland 5 by Walker China
Contributor:
Author and photos: Larry Paul