If you visited Philadelphia in the late 19th or early 20th century, you might have spent a night at the Hotel Hanover, located on the corner of 12th and Arch. According to an 1896 Rand McNally book, rooms at the Hanover were going for $2.50 a day. In the 1903 Rand McNally, we learn that “This is a large and well appointed hotel…and is conducted on the American plan. Although but recently opened it is already widely known for the excellence of its table and the comfort of the rooms.” Scroll down, and you can check out the best restaurants in Philly in 1903. Very cool stuff.
There is, quite frankly not much more I can find on the Hotel Hanover. Here is a photo of the hotel. Here is another shot of the Hanover. But no record I can find of contruction date or destruction date. Anyone have any more info on this place? In case you are curious, there is a picture below of what the same intersection looks like now below. Ugh. Practical, I suppose, but not nearly as attractive.
Another interesting thing about this postcard: The note on the back, written in 1916, starts thusly, “Dear Marty: Sup.” I did not know that “Sup” was a shortened version of “What’s up” almost 100 years ago.
UPDATED: A close up view of the Hanover after the jump.
