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Food & Fun |
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Deals of Historic Proportions Struck at Historic Hotels
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 16, 2001 -- The White House, U.S. Capitol and Statehouses are obvious locations for striking a deal of historic proportions, but hotels do not immediately come to mind. With their plentiful meeting space and diverse locations providing big-city accessibility or small-town privacy, many of the Historic Hotels of America have seen agreements, treaties and contracts impacting politics, economics, entertainment and athletics struck within their walls. The deals of lasting importance include the drafting of the U.N. charter at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and the creation of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund at the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H.
Historic Hotels of America offer an opportunity to visit the scene where the powerful have made decisions that have changed the world or agreements that have influenced our culture. Here is a sampling.
The lobby of the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, Colo., was home to a meeting in 1959 between Bob Howsam and Lamar Hunt where the details for the purchase of a football franchise were hammered out. With a simple handshake and a $25,000 check, the NFL's Denver Broncos were born.
Two of the world's best-known economic development agencies, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), were created in the waning days of the Second World War at the Bretton Woods International Monetary Conference at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, N.H. More than 700 delegates from 44 countries, along with 125 national and international reporters, descended upon the hotel, which had been specially restored and re-opened for the event after more than a year of disuse. Stories of strange sightings abound regarding the event - including delegates poring over numbers while perched on the rock outcroppings that dot the grounds and the Chinese delegation heading off to climb Mount Washington under a huge umbrella. After 22 days of negotiations, in what is now known as the "Gold Room," the plans for the World Bank and IMF were drawn up, the international gold standard was set at $35 an ounce and the U.S. dollar was selected as the backbone of monetary exchange.
In June 1945, San Francisco played host to the United Nations Conference on International Organization as delegates arrived to draft a charter for the organization. The Fairmont Hotel was host to the U.S. Secretary of State, Edward Stettinus, who used the hotel's Garden Room to work on the draft of the charter, which was approved by the delegates at the San Francisco Opera House.
Today, the Fairmont's facade is adorned with flags of the countries that participated in that historic event.
In 1895, the parlor of the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, N.Y., hosted the first Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration, called by Mohonk founder Albert Smiley, whose Quaker background led him to seeking peaceful solutions to conflict. The annual meetings lasted until 1916 and are credited with being the precursor to the Hague Conference movement and the establishment of organizations such as the World Peace Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Legendary pianist Liberace was a fixture in the Circus Room at the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, Calif., in the 1950s, when he was still relatively unknown. Always the showman, he insisted on performing even when the audience was only a few patrons. His diligence paid off when television producer Don Federson caught his act on one poorly attended night and was impressed by his ability to connect with the small audience. Federson found Liberace perfect for the intimacy of the small screen and offered him his own show on the spot.
Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic Hotels has identified more than 200 hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. To be selected for this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized as having historic significance. A directory of member hotels can be purchased for $4.00 by sending a check to National Trust/HHA, P.O. Box 320, Washington, D.C. 20055-0320. Rooms at any of the member hotels can be reserved by visiting www.historichotels.org or by calling 800-678-8946. Reservations made through Historic Hotels of America support the National Trust, a non-profit organization of 200,000 members that provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
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