| Show new yorks famous old hoffman house to be razed N NEW YORK the old Il 11 olTman offman house famous for nearly halt half a century and one ot of manhattans Manhat tans leading hostelries in the palmy days la Is to go it will vill follow tile the equally famous fifth avenue hotel the bartholdi and the tha other landmarks at twenty third broadway Dro adway and fifth avenue into that bourne from which no superannuated hotel returns with the passing of the Hoft Ilaff nian mart hall house se famed in song and story as well as a in the hearts of the millions who have in times past made the old place their temporary home thera theatt will be nothing left but madison square quare garden to remind the old timers of the days when twenty third street was the heart of uit great white way when martins at twenty fifth street was almost the northern limit of the night life district when the original hoffman house was built the ground cost the plat now has been sold for so much for the unearned increment along with the fl offman house proper the purchaser bought the old hotel albemarle now an annex of the hoffman house and on the site of the two will vill be erected a 16 story office building the immediate success of the kloffman house in its first days led to fro quent additions so that up to a few years ago the noffman with the albe alba marla included occupied all the broadway Dro adway frontage at twenty fifth street in its best days the hoffman house vied with the fifth avenue hotel at twenty third street and fifth avenue which 80 some me five years year a a ngo g 0 g gave av way to an office skyscraper sky scraper the fifth avenue was the headquarters or of the republicans and the rival democrats took up a reservation in the looft man grover cleveland stopped there frequently and was staying there when elected to tn the presidency the second time gen benjamin duller butler anti and gen winfield scott were regular patrons patron a of th tho 0 hotel au ali outgrowth of the fifth avenue hotel Is the famous amen corner an exclusive organization of newspaper men and politicians who hold annual dinners and pull off stunts like those of the gridiron club in washington behind the elevator in the fifth avenue adjacent to the buffet were two seats joining at a right angle and upholstered in red plush these seats beats were hidden from the lobby and formed an all excellent place for quiet conversation the late senator platt former governor U B U B odell the late markhanna and many other republican politicians of that day along with sam blythe eddie riggs and other political writers used to meet there each afternoon for conferences somebody dubbed the red plush benches the amen corner and UK tho name stuck the formal organization grew out of it |
