Larry R. Paul hotel database
Creation: 2012Abstract
Local Maryland historian and private collector Larry R. Paul (b. 1935) has had an extensive career as an exhibit designer, cataloger, and antiques dealer. The collection consists of a database, created by Larry R. Paul, of over 20,000 hotels operating in the United States during the eighteenth century up to the year 2000, although it includes some details on more recent changes to buildings.
Dates
- Creation: 2012
Creator
- Paul, Larry R. (Person)
Extent
1 digital_files
Physical Description
1 digital file: FileMaker Pro 12
Historical Note
Local Maryland historian and private collector Larry R. Paul (b. 1935) has had a 35-year career designing displays, exhibits, and retail appliance stores for Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., during which he collected gas and electric appliances dating from the 19th century to the 1990s for use in exhibits. Following retirement, Paul operated as a cataloger, antiques dealer, and exhibit designer for the Baltimore Museum of Industry. He is the author of Made in the 20th Century: A Guide to Contemporary Collectibles and From Earth to Art: The History of the Lamberton Works, and Linthicum Heights--A Classic Railroad Suburb.
Paul's interest in lodging history came about during the summers of 1954 and 1955 when he worked at a small summer resort named The Colton Court in Cape May, New Jersey, a resort city filled with Victorian and early 20th century hotels. In the 1970s, Paul began recording information on various hotels as he encountered their crests on china he was collecting. His filing system on 3" x 5" cards quickly turned into a comprehensive computer database.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of a database, created by Larry R. Paul, of over 20,000 hotels operating in the United States during the seventeenth century up to the year 2000, although it includes some details on more recent changes to buildings. The majority of information included is on hotels established during the twentieth century. Modern standardized chain hotels and early motels or auto courts are not included in the database, although older individual hotels later acquired by national chain operations are.
The Official Hotel Red Book and Directory, 1904 through 1969, was a primary resource in the creation of Paul's database. Additional information, with sources, was culled from postcards, brochures, newspapers, magazines, and various researchers.
Existence and Location of Copies
Copies are available online at http://larryrpaul.com
Use Restrictions
Please contact the Audiovisual and Digital Initiatives Department to view the database.
Language of Materials
English
Additional Description
Processing Notes
FileMaker Pro 12 database migrated to a CSV file for preservation.
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Larry R. Paul hotel database
- Author:
- Abby Adams
- Date:
- 2014.
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository
