Webster

Webster’s Early Years

blog17Here are a few of the changes that we made during our first forty years:

  • When Webster was built, the Dining Room was much smaller.  In 1935, to accommodate more guests, the Room was extended toward the Garden.  At the same time, the area that is now the Green Room was added to the First Floor.
  • There were originally ten Beau Parlors.   We converted four during the 1935 renovation.  We would have loved paying homage to even more Legends and Lotharios.  Oh well!
  • Until 1947, the Second Floor TV Room was the Library, and the current Library was a Lounge.
  • For decades, guests could not connect to the outside telephone lines from their rooms.  When a guest received an outside call through our switchboard, our operator would buzz her room and she would take the call on one of the hall phones.  Guests were asked to limit their conversations to three minutes so as to share phone time.  I can’t imagine!
  • On March 14, 1950 the Board passed a resolution authorizing the purchase of our first TV set.  It was black and white (of course) with a 19 inch screen.
  • In 1963 we converted our elevators to automatic.  Up until then, our employees operated them.

We love being part of such a rich history and never tire of learning how the changes in Webster reflect the changing times!

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