Hotel Astor

A lot of people have been curious about where I take photos for my etsy shop marybethhale so I thought I would share a few photos here. Originally, the building was a hotel built after the great fire of 1922. Opening in 1924 as The Hotel Astor, it was the first building begun after the fire, and the tallest. Today, the building is used for apartments on the upper six stories. The ground floor has offices and boutique shops around the perimeter. It is the decayed ballroom and side rooms on the mezzanine level that are the location of many of my photos.

Under new ownership the building is being restored….except for the ballroom.

front ballroom

This room has arched windows all along the north and west walls. Massive damage was caused by a tenant flooding the building by leaving a bath faucet on to water a plant.

plaster moulding detail

plaster moulding on the columns

hallway

Hallway between ballroom and side rooms.

The pink side room has great textures on the walls but the photos in this room are often flat. I have only had one photography class in my life and that was in the 90s when we used a dark room. Learning to work with lighting may be in the future.

another side room

I’m not sure what this room was originally, but now it is full of old hotel bed frames and dressers. A few of the old red and white tiles remain on the floor. My favorite place to find vintage home decor used to be located in the shop space below this room. Vintage Hardware has since moved to the river front.

The opposite side of the mezzanine is this long narrow space with a sunny window.

Another window amongst all the others….each one a little different.

Gabriela in Edwardian waistcoat and tuxedo pants

There is something about the light and the textures in this place. They are kind to me. And when I arrive here there is a spring in my step and I get lost in time for the day.

Tyler in the ballroom