national register nomination for boulevard park historic

was very different from the perception of these buildings, and their residents, in the
minds of urban reformers. Because these buildings defied an evolving American
suburban ideal, reformers actively ignored the realities of residential hotel life. They did
not include hotels in surveys or studies and did not plan for their replacement when
planning public housing projects in conjunction with slum clearance. They did not
address the housing requirements or social needs of the people who lived in these
buildings. The result of the difference between the reality of hotel housing and reformers’
narrow vision has proven catastrophic, resulting in a nationwide housing crisis and
widespread homelessness.
All residential hotels shared many attributes. They were centrally located,
allowing convenient access to urban workplaces. They were inexpensive compared to
other housing of the same social class, providing social opportunities for the nouveau
riche, and an alternative to sleeping in an alley for the poorest. Their relative lack of
home amenities meant that hotel residents’ homes extended into the streets of the city.
Their kitchens were nearby restaurants, their washroom was a nearby laundry, their parlor
was the hotel lobby, a nearby bar or billiard hall, or even the streetcorner. Hotels’ typical
pattern of using their ground floor for commercial spaces was economically beneficial to
the hotel owner and convenient for the residents. This use of public space helped a
uniquely urban and urbane mode of life flourish in American cities. Because hotel
residences were closely spaced within the central city, people of many social classes lived
in close proximity.
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