Vanderbilt Cup Races

Many Places to Choose From

A listing compiled by "The Automoblle" showing hotels, road houses and boarding houses.  (The Automobile Sept. 24, 1906)

Johren's Hotel

In addition to Frank Krug's East Williston Hotel (with 4 rooms and barns that can hold 50 - 60 cars), the listing included another Mineola hotel named Johren's, of which I'll document in this post.  Interestingly the listing for Johren's notes "no rooms"; perhaps this refers to there being no vacancy during the days of the race.

According to this listing published by the Long Island Rail Road in 1904, the hotel had 30 rooms and charged $14 per week - double the rate for the other two hotels listed.  I would assume rates were higher during the races in the ensuing years. 

As a Race Headquarters

Besides race attendees staying at hotels, drivers used the hotels as their headquarters.  Albert Clement stayed at Johren's during the first few races.  (Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sept. 20, 1905)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sept. 25, 1905

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sept. 27, 1906

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sept. 28, 1906

Location, Location, Location

The hotel was operated by Ernest Johrens and was located diagonally opposite the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola at the intersection of Old Country Road and Mineola Blvd..   I wonder if the "hotel sheds" noted on the building next to the main building were used to house the race cars. 

A few other hotels were also located in the area.  (E. Belcher-Hyde, 1906)

Across from the Denton Building. (1906)

I tried calling "tel. 38" but my iphone got confused and said no listing.  (Times Union Sept. 14, 1907)

An ad for Johren's Hotel.  (1908)

A Brewery Connection

Ernest Johrens retired from the hotel industry in 1909 and sold his interest in the hotel to William P. Nash of White Plains.  Interestingly, the hotel was actually owned by the Ulmer Brewery of Bushwick, Brooklyn and opened in 1899.  (Times Union Sept. 1, 1909)

Previously, Ernest was assigned a license to "sell and dispense of "Strong and Spirituous Liquors, Wines, and Beer in quantities of Less than Five Gallons" at a location in Brooklyn.  So there must have been a connection with the Ulmer Brewery going back prior to Johrens operating the hotel. 

This 1914 map shows the hotel renamed Nash's hotel, however in later ads Johren's was also used.  (E. Belcher-Hyde, 1914)

Competitors and An Appeal to Automobilists

Numerous other hotels located in Mineola advertised as well as Johrens.  Here's an ad for Nash's Hotel (Johren's) directly beneath the well documented Krug's Corner Hotel.  (Times Union Jun. 10, 1916)

Johren's and its competitors noted the special accommodations they each offered automobilists in these ads that appeared on the same day in June, 1916.  (Times Union Jun. 4, 1916)

However, Johren's got its own shout-out among all the ads.  (Times Union Jun. 4, 1916)

Times Union Jun. 4, 1916

Times Union Jun. 4, 1916

Ernest Johrens died in 1931; as the obituary notes the hotel was "the unofficial headquarters of contestants in the Vanderbilt Cup Races over Long Island".  At the time of his death the hotel was named the Court View Hotel, having changed hands multiple times since 1910.  (Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 12, 1931)

A Court View Hotel Connection

Interesting factoid - Garden City native Telly Savalas (aka Kojak) often stayed at the Crown View Hotel as at one time it was owned by a relative.   (Newsday, Aug. 4, 1974)

Kojak!

A 4-Legged Vanderbilt Connection

A coincidence between the Vanderbilts and Johrens was that the Corneiluis Vanderbilt Whitney branch of Willie's family owned a thoroughbred stallion named Johren that raced quite frequently.  Wonder how it would have done in the recent Kentucky Derby!  (Cincinnati Inquirer Dec. 30, 1930)