Where Does This Take You?

Can you imagine how this building stood out in 1931?

We stayed in the most amazing hotel in Cincinnati. It was the Historic Netherland Plaza, now owned by Hilton. Romance and intrigue leaped from the walls and danced across the ceiling of this beautiful example of 1930’s architecture. I had a field day with my camera. The angles and details offered one piece of eye-candy after another.

I loved the history of the building, too. I’m a bit of a history buff--not an expert by any means, but I love the stories behind the buildings. This place had tons of stories:

Focal point of what was the lobby.

• Winston Churchill stayed there. He liked the faucets so much he had the renovations of his house halted until he could get the Plaza’s bathroom schematics back to his builder in London.

• Doris Day made her stage debut in their Caprice Lounge when she was sixteen years old. My precious redhead is almost that age. Wouldn’t put her in a nightclub for love nor money, even though she has quite a set of pipes!

•  Katherine Hepburn dined in the Continental room one night when her Broadway co-star celebrated his casting with a few friends. Suddenly champagne showed up that none of them could afford. When questioned, the maitre ‘d explained that Miss Hepburn had instructed that it continue to flow until the party ended--on her.

A third floor side-view of the same focal point.

So it’s no wonder, as I wandered through this lovely place, that my creative juices got going.

I started imagining about the solid gold backing to all the glass in the Hall of Mirrors. Would it be worth a heist? Eh, probably not, but the opening night in January of 1931 was doubtless filled with jewels and furs from those who were lucky enough to still own them.

I also wondered about the builder. Not being able to secure a loan for the $7 million enterprise, he removed everything he owned from the stock market in August of 1929. Yes, two months before the same market crashed leaving some of the wealthiest people in America sheer paupers. I wonder about his life after his dream was completed. Was he at the opening night? Surely! What did his family think of it and are any of his descendants still around?

One of the many paintings and carvings that adorn the lobby.

Finally, I wondered about the opening. Just walking into that amazing lobby would have stunned the socks off of the most seasoned socialite of the 30’s. What would it do to a wide-eyed innocent, fresh from the outskirts of town? Maybe the niece of a businessman who wants to help her snag a wealthy hubby?

Oh the possibilities! You can bet there’s gonna be more on this!

What do you see happening in this place?