 |
| An old postcard of The Stevens House in downtown Lancaster. |
 |
| A later view of the Stevens House. |
 |
| A Hoar House matchbook cover. |
Monday, October 24, 2016
The "A Real Or Fake Hoar House In Lancaster" Story
It was an ordinary day. Searching the Internet for something and I just came across an old list of restaurants with funny names. What's even more unusual is one of them was a restaurant that used to be in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Place called The Hoar House on South Prince Street in downtown Lancaster. I'm not sure if I ever ate there, but it eventually was renamed McFly's Pub and then in 1993 changed to The Center City Grille. The name of the restaurant is rather funny, but the story behind how it got it's name, if that story is true or not, is just as interesting. Allegedly in 1873 the good people of Lancaster decided that the city needed a first class hotel.
It was to be built in the first block of South Prince Street and named after Thaddeus Stevens, the prominent Lancaster resident who was a member of the United States House of Representatives and who helped lead the way to abolishing slavery. Mr. Stevens had died five years earlier. The only problem was that the panic of 1873 took over and selling the stock to help build it became a chore.
So, someone came up with the idea that the hotel would be named after the person who had bought the most stock. Well, the prestige of having a first-class hotel named after you really boosted sales. Finally the day arrived and ... yep, you guessed it. Guy by the name of Jacob Hoar had purchased the most stock. Can't imagine what everyone thought when they announced what the place was to be called. But, those in command decided it was to be the Stevens House after all. So eventually someone got the idea that Mr. Hoar had waited long enough and decided that the restaurant at the hotel would be called The Hoar House.
But wait! While doing some online research for my story I found on a site about old time Lancaster that one poster stated, "The story is an awesome total fabrication made up in 1975 or so by a part owner of the restaurant. His name was Dickie Doo (actually Gerry Granahan) from the local rock group Dickie Doo and the Don'ts. He had his office along the King Street side of the hotel." Then I found on another website that The Hoar House Restaurant is a Pennsylvania Fictitious Name. There was a filing in Lancaster County Courthouse to that effect and the file was dated February 21, 1979. So, what should I believe? It was reported in another posting that in 1990 The Hoar House was picked as one of the best places you used to be able to go for Happy Hour. So, did The Hoar House ever exist? Just happened to be looking on eBay and found of all things, a matchbook cover for The Hoar House in Lancaster. Said, The Hoar House and Mame's Lounge, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jeez, now I have to start to try and find information about Mame's. Maybe she was the Madame of the Hoar House. That's enough for now! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes it absolutely did exist. It was opened up by a close friend of mine. In the 70's we were both in our 20's and hung out at the Tally Ho. He very much loved black tie/formal and his family was well off. He decided to open the James Hoar House at the Stevens - very tongue in cheek to the life we lived. He loved the idea that he "ran a Hoar House." LOL
ReplyDeletewhen I was a yout we went on a family vacation to Lancaster. There wasn't a lot to keep us entertained evenings so we got mischievous and perused the yellow pages to make prank calls. imagine our delight when we found this place. "Hoar House" "Hello, do you have crabs?" "I'm sorry sir, we don't have crabs this evening." "Great then I'll take a blonde to go." Curiosity got the best of us and we ended up going there for dinner one night. Despite the absence of crabs from the menu, the food was excellent.
ReplyDeleteMy husband I lived in New Jersey, but my sister and her husband lived in Lancaster, PA. Since our wedding anniversaries were 3 years (minus 4 days) apart, we celebrated together at the Hoar House one year. The table where we sat had curtains around it that could be pulled closed to create an intimate "room" for privacy. The walls had red and gold flocked wall paper and all the decor looked like it was from the 1800's. The waiter was womderful and explained the full menue, making suggestions from drinks to dessert. My sister and I tried all of his suggestions; however, our husbands (being the pain in the a**es they were, considered none of them. By the time dinner was completed, and the waiter brought my sister and I our "doggie bags" which were wrapped in foil shaped like swans, we were being treated like queens and the guys were practically invisible. We all laughed about that all the way home! By the way, the food was the best I ever had, anywhere, and I still long for the champagne flavored with peach schnapps.
ReplyDeleteWe had our rehearsal dinner there 32 years and 1 day ago. Every year for our anniversary we would make a reservation for one of those curtained booths and were extremely sad when it closed.
DeleteI can say that yes! The place did exist. I had the misfortune of having slightly warped parents, they thought it would be FUN to take their son to the HOAR house on his 21st.
ReplyDeleteI could be (and maybe am) very good friends with your parents. Sounds like something my hubby and I would do to our son. That's hysterical!
ReplyDeleteMame's Lounge was an ode to the owner, Dan Meyers' grandmother. He was an awesome guy to work for.
ReplyDelete