Readers of this column may remember articles from 2013. This writer shared the early history of the Hotel Mithoff and the Mithoff Block in three articles that year. It was literally the cornerstone of the downtown business area. These words were used to conclude one article (27 May 2013): “The Hotel Mithoff building still stands, bravely waiting to learn whether it will fade into oblivion or be given a new life.” Thirteen years later, it does proudly stand thanks to Brad Hutchinson and his efforts.
John V. Monahan (1879-1959) was the Mithoff’s popular landlord from January 1915- April 1918. He had been briefly mentioned in one article (8-19-2013), but recently, more has been learned. John married Clara Ambrose of Logan in 1901, and by the 1910 census, they were living in Nelsonville with two children, and his occupation was “hotel landlord.”
Five years later, it was announced John Monahan was taking charge of the Mithoff House in Lancaster beginning Jan. 4, 1915. The Daily Eagle also reported Mrs. Monahan and “three interesting children” had arrived to reside in Lancaster. The Daily Eagle also reported, “the license to traffic in intoxicating liquors at 166 West Main Street was to be transferred to John V. Monahan.” Mr. Albert Justus surrendered his saloon license to Monahan, but retained the pool room adjoining the saloon.
“Mr. Monahan is a hotel man of long experience. He was manager of the Courtland at Canton three years, and prior to that was manager of the Dew House at Nelsonville for over seven years. He has been connected with the Ambrose brothers, his brothers-in-law, who are well known hotel men of the Hocking Valley” (24 Dec. 1914 Lancaster, Gazette).
Landlord Monahan lost no time in trying new ideas and winning customers. Jan. 12th the Hotel Mithoff hosted the Fairfield County Medical Society’s New Year’s banquet. The Daily Eagle reported: “The members present greatly enjoyed the splendid hospitality of Landlord Monahan, the new manager of the Mithoff.” And Monahan was just getting started.
The Joseph H. Goldcamp Co. held its annual banquet for employees on Jan. 29, 1915, but Landlord Monahan “with an eye single to the comfort and pleasure of his guests fitted up a private banquet room separate and apart from the public dining room and this event celebrated the opening of this room which was tastily decorated for the occasion…” reported the Daily Eagle.
In June 1915, Monahan again made the news. “The long delay generally caused at a banquet was eliminated by the successful leadership of Landlord Monahan.” The entire menu for the banquet was prepared in the Hotel Mithoff kitchen and then taken to the Knights of Columbus Hall. The food stuff was transferred from the Mithoff to the banquet hall in air-tight receptacles, insuring every hot article was served steaming hot and the salad cold.” Maybe, we should credit “evening meetings held with dinner” to Landlord Monahan. After the Lancaster Retail Merchants Association held its regular monthly meeting for Sept. 1915 for the first time in the evening at the Hotel Mithoff dining room with dinner…it was decided all regular meetings would be at 6 p.m. with dinner and alternate between the Mithoff and the Marten Hotel.
The Daily Eagle announced (6 April 1917) “Proprietor John Monahan will inaugurate in Lancaster a first class, self serve restaurant.” The price of food stuffs had advanced so rapidly that it was next to impossible for a hotel to serve a good meal at the old rate. Monahan decided to inaugurate the self serve style of eating. Customers could choose what they want, and pay for their choices. It was said these restaurants were very popular in Columbus. “John is progressive. He wants to do something this week, a little better than what was accomplished the week before, and with the idea in mind he is going ahead with the self serve plan…With the self serve the owner gets rid of the expense of waiters and is enabled to furnish more for the money. This is the first venture of this kind in Lancaster and it is bound to be a success as in other places” (6 April 1917 DE).
Who said, “There is nothing new under the sun?” “There has been no more enterprising and praiseworthy undertaking opened in the city for years than this splendid adjunct to the widely known Hotel Mithoff” (22 Aug. 1917 DE).
Readers may contact Harvey at joycelancastereg@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Mithoff Hotel’s popular landlord pioneered self-serve dining
Reporting by Joyce Harvey, Special to the Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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