Last night Travis, Crawford and I went to The Old Seelbach hotel/bar in downtown Louisville.
The reason: to celebrate Travis getting out of the army, our impending cross-country move back west, and Travis and my 5 month anniversary!
It was simply the cat's pajamas.. and filled to the brim with history!
I wore my red 1940's taffeta party gown, accessorized with my white beaded 1920's purse.
The Old Seelbach hotel 's construction began in December 1903 by the Bavarian Seelbach brothers, Louis and Otto.
They were inspired by the grand old-world hotels of Paris and Vienna.
By May 1905 the hotel was finished, complete with marble imported from Italy, France and Germany as well as wood from Europe and the West Indies.
The ceiling and walls of the basement (the speakeasy area) are made of hand-stretched and hand painted leather.
The vaulted ceilings were painted with the different signs of the zodiac and German coats-of-arms.
25,000 people visited the hotel on it's first day of business.
Louis Seelbach died in 1925, and in 1926 the hotel was purchased by a Chicago businessman, Abraham M. Liebling for $2,500,000.
Throughout the years the Seelbach changed owners and actually closed down in 1975 after the owners went bankrupt.
in 1978 Louisville actor Roger Davis took an interest in the Seelbach and began it's restoration.
The grand re-opening happened on April 12, 1982.
F. Scott Fitzgerald took inspiration from the Seelbach for one of my all-time favorite books, The Great Gatsby.
Al Capone was a frequent guest at the Seelbach.
I asked the bartender about it and she told me that the [Ohio] river is only 5 blocks away.
There were [are?] secret passages and rooms about the bar and the basement.
We had champagne, wine and whiskey.. all quite delicious!
It was amazing walking down into the basement
The reason: to celebrate Travis getting out of the army, our impending cross-country move back west, and Travis and my 5 month anniversary!
It was simply the cat's pajamas.. and filled to the brim with history!
I wore my red 1940's taffeta party gown, accessorized with my white beaded 1920's purse.
The Old Seelbach hotel 's construction began in December 1903 by the Bavarian Seelbach brothers, Louis and Otto.
They were inspired by the grand old-world hotels of Paris and Vienna.
By May 1905 the hotel was finished, complete with marble imported from Italy, France and Germany as well as wood from Europe and the West Indies.
The ceiling and walls of the basement (the speakeasy area) are made of hand-stretched and hand painted leather.
The vaulted ceilings were painted with the different signs of the zodiac and German coats-of-arms.
25,000 people visited the hotel on it's first day of business.
Louis Seelbach died in 1925, and in 1926 the hotel was purchased by a Chicago businessman, Abraham M. Liebling for $2,500,000.
Throughout the years the Seelbach changed owners and actually closed down in 1975 after the owners went bankrupt.
in 1978 Louisville actor Roger Davis took an interest in the Seelbach and began it's restoration.
The grand re-opening happened on April 12, 1982.
F. Scott Fitzgerald took inspiration from the Seelbach for one of my all-time favorite books, The Great Gatsby.
Al Capone was a frequent guest at the Seelbach.
I asked the bartender about it and she told me that the [Ohio] river is only 5 blocks away.
There were [are?] secret passages and rooms about the bar and the basement.
We had champagne, wine and whiskey.. all quite delicious!
It was amazing walking down into the basement
