Hotel DeSoto -- Hotel De Soto Savannah Ga.

A "Colourpicture" Publication, Boston 15, Mass. USA Sold by Coastal News Co. Savannah Georgia

1930-

Architecture, Domestic -- Georgia -- Savannah -- Pictorial works.

Historic buildings -- Georgia -- Savannah -- Pictorial works.

Hotels -- Georgia -- Savannah.

Savannah (Ga.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.

Preston, William Gibbons, 1842-1910.

Color postcard with no border, divided back and postally unused. In the 1880’s, Savannah was an important stop in Florida’s burgeoning tourist trade. A railroad to Tybee Island was opened in 1887 with the idea of promoting the beach and Tybee as a resort area. Rail and steamship lines were well in place between Savannah and points north and south. It was hoped that Savannah would become a destination rather than a stopover. A major luxury hotel was the element missing that would draw people to stay in the city. Construction on the Hotel DeSoto began in 1888. It was a Richardsonian Romanesque style building designed by Boston architect William Gibbons Preston.

The hotel building took up an entire city block and was constructed of terra cotta, brick, and shingle. Part of the hotel was five stories and the rest was six stories. It had 206 rooms and also housed solariums, a barbershop, drug store, lunchrooms, coffee shops, and a restaurant. There were separate entrances for ladies and gentlemen and large piazzas with rocking chairs. The many brochures in the collection boast of a swimming pool, 18 hole miniature golf course and proximity to tourist attractions, hunting, and fishing.

The postcard publisher, Colourpicture, was founded in Boston in 1939 and produced linen postcards. In the 1950s, they began to publish photochromes under the name Plastichrome. They stopped publishing in 1969.

19018 appears on the lower right side of the postcard's front.

Scholars wishing to cite this item should include item title, Savannah Postcard Collection, MS 016, Jen Library Archives and Special Collections, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the item's url.

Image

Postcard

3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches

Color lithograph

MS 016 Savannah Postcard Collection, Jen Library Archives and Special Collections, the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Copyright may have been retained by the authors or creators of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.