Alfred O. Smith operated the Chicago Hotel in the 200 block of South Rampart Street during the
first part of the twentieth century. The establishment's letterhead in use after 1910 noted that
the hotel and its restaurant were:
Open all night. With its private Dining Rooms for Special Parties. A three story brick building with three halls, all rooms lead into halls. Reasonable prices for first-class service. Fire-proof safe for deposits. Hot and cold water baths. Barber shop, electric lights, fans, pianos, and ice cream soda fountains, Lemonade, etc. The Chicago Hotel has a two-fold purpose that is to maintain a high grade of morals among our boys and girls, as well as to give employment to them.An advertisement in the 1914 Woods Directory indicates that:
The Chicago Hotel has been a haven of rest for a class of people who were far-sighted enough to realize the need of a quiet, home-like place, where they and their families could stop while in the city.The hotel relocated to 1310 Iberville Street sometime after 1914 and Smith continued to operate it there until his death in 1934. For some time thereafter his cousin, E. Bertha Smith, continued the business, but it was gone from the local directory by 1938.The hotel is located in the heart of the city, just one block from Canal street, the principal street of the shopping district, and in the midst of all the theatres and amusement places. The hotel is open day and night, and affords the necessary protection both morally and financially, which a stranger needs while visiting a great city.
The Proprietor of the hotel is also President of the Louisiana Park Association, an organization having for its object the erection of a large Park and Amusement Resort. The capital stock of this association is $100,000, divided into shares of $10 each. The Association invites the cooperation and support of the colored people in and out of the city in order to supply this much-needed enterprise.
The register includes manuscript entries showing the name and city of each guest (in most instances, the names appear to be signatures). Some entries also include the room number, number of days paid for, and/or amount paid. Among the registered guests were Prof. J.S. Clark (then president of Baton Rouge College) on October 24, 1909 and educator/author I. Garland Penn on December 6, 1910. The Williams and Stevens Stock Company stayed at the Chicago during April, 1910 while performing at the nearby Temple Theatre. Several visiting baseball teams also called the hotel home while in New Orleans, including the All Cuba team from Havana in April, 1911.
Found inside the register was a business card, a letterhead, and an envelope. These have been placed in an acid-free folder at the front of the book.
The register apparently was introduced as evidence in the suit of Alfred E. Milon vs. A.O. Smith, #105327, Civil District Court (1913). Milon, a resident of Nicaragua, sued Smith for non-payment of a loan. Smith claimed that the alleged loan actually was payment for Milon's share of the barbershop that Smith ran across Rampart St. from the hotel.
Return to Manuscript Inventories.
April 2, 1997