In our July issue, I told you about the Claridge Hotel, a Main Street landmark for almost a century.
If you read the story, and had been paying close attention, you may recall that I mentioned the hotel here was actually designed and constructed by a firm in St. Louis. And since they were in St. Louis, and had already drawn up the plans for a really nice hotel, it dawned on them (this is how I see it) that they realized they might as well build an identical hotel in that city, too.
So they did just that, and they gave the St. Louis hotel the same name. As you can see, it was called the Claridge Hotel, and it towered over the intersection of Locust and 18th streets in the heart of downtown. "In the center of the wholesale district," according to the postcard.
I can't say exactly when the owners decided to build a third hotel — or why they located it in St. Louis instead of Memphis, unless it was just easier for them to watch the construction — but they erected the Mark Twain Hotel at the intersection of Eighth and Pine. This one was home to "the famous Mark Twain Coffee Shop."
They don't say what was so famous about it — not enough room on the postcard — but we'll take their word that the good people of St. Louis knew about it.
This one was a bit taller than the rest — 15 stories instead of 12 or 13 (it's hard to count them on the old postcards, especially the lower floors), and a bit narrower, which explains why it was only 300 rooms, compared to the 350 rooms for the Claridge in St. Louis and 400 room for the Claridge in Memphis.
Hmmm. Earlier I had said the two Claridge Hotels were identical, but somehow the one in St. Louis lost 50 rooms. Well, I can't worry about things like that.
So, how have they fared over the years? Well, the Memphis hotel is now the Claridge House Apartments, and a very nice place indeed. The Mark Twain Hotel still looks pretty spiffy (it's the tall building to the right in the photo below) but like its Memphis "cousin," it's no longer a hotel, and it has even changed its name. Today, it's the Paul Brown Lofts.
photo courtesy google
The old Mark Twain Hotel in St. Louis (the tall building at right) is now the Paul Brown Lofts.
But what about the Claridge Hotel in St. Louis? Well, I can't find it. I have "flown" over the intersection of Locust and 18th, and even "walked" around that same intersection, thanks to Google Street View, and can't find any building that resembles what you see here on the old postcard. I didn't even bother clicking a picture, but the buildings at Locust and 18th are only about eight stories tall — four floors too short. A Google search of "Claridge Hotel St. Louis" turns up nothing but more old postcard images, and a more specific search for "Claridge Hotel St. Louis history" or even "demolition" turns up nothing.
I'm going to assume it's been torn down. But I can't say for certain, and until I open the "Vance Lauderdale - St. Louis Branch," you won't get any more information about this from me.
