HOLLAND HOTEL, West Village

The former Holland Hotel, with its circular corner turret, looks much the same today as it did when it was built in 1904, a Renaissance-inspired building designed by architect Charles Stegmayer. The ornate column at the entrance can be fond on many older NYC buildings from the same period. The hotel contained 38 small rooms and catered to dockworkers, seamen and stevedores working the busy Hudson River docks of that era.

Just across the street at the Amos Dock (West 10th was named Amos Street until the mid-19th Century) John “Old Smoke” Morrissey had fought Know-Nothings gang leader Bill (The Butcher) Poole to a draw on July 26, 1854, seriously wounding both men. Later, Morrissey’s friends shot Poole dead. Reportedly his last words were, “Goodbye boys, I die a true American.” Poole, a respected figure in the anti-Catholic gang wars and a major political operative of the era, was sent off in a grand funeral, the procession attended by thousands. He was interred in Green-Wood Cemetery and was given a marker there about 15 years ago.

In 1910, the hotel had new ownership and was renamed the Clyde. This far west, it couldn’t hope to obtain much of a respectable clientele. In the 1970s, it was home to Peter Rabbit, a gay bar; presently the bistro Uguale (Italian for “Equal”) occupies the ground floor. I’m not sure, but I imagine the upper floors are rental apartments these days.

Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”

1/25/19