I have pointed out this particular painted ad for the long-lost Automat before, but it’s been awhile. While walking down 7th Avenue all these years ago, I happened to look up at at the parking structure at the corner of West 38th and 7th. This structure was supposed to be used for all the people who enjoyed throwing their money away at the nearby OTB. Since the OTB is now a thing of the past, it is now used for regular parking. On the roof, the spots are reserved for all the monthly cars who like to keep their Mercedes and BMW’s away from the riffraff. It is up there, where we see an ever interesting ad for a basically extinct thing of the past: the Automat. This sign advertised an Automat that could be found up the block at Broadway and West 38th.
The Automat was first brought to the US in 1902 by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened up their first restaurant in Philadelphia. New York City got their first Automat 10 years later in 1912. Sadly, the Automat has been but a distant memory for over 30 years, with the last Horn & Hardart, at 3rd Avenue and East 42nd Street, closing in 1991. There was a brief revival on St. Marks Place, but that only existed for a couple of years. At the Automat, you put your coins in a slot and doors would unlock, accessing you to your selection. Bugs Bunny demonstrated how it worked in “A Hare Grows in Manhattan.”
In 2022, filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz put together a reminiscence of the Automat featuring Mel Brooks and other personalities who remember the Automat.
Part of today’s text is by David Silver.
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1/24/23