Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

About 25 skilled decorators were hard at work in the soon-to-be-opened Davenport Hotel, creating an effect that the head decorator called “the idea of age, rather than newness.”

The lobby, said renowned decorator E.J. Holsclag, would have a Spanish Renaissance theme and would be distinct from any other hotel in the U.S.

“All the rugs and fabrics are specially designed and manufactured abroad,” said Holsclag. “The coverings of the furniture are reproductions of tapestries now being made especially for the hotel. The furniture itself will be an absolute reproduction of antique models in Madrid and other Spanish museums.”

The ceiling beams were to be “heavily ornamented with the crests of the Spanish nobility set at intervals.” The effect, Holsclag said, will be to make the beams look like “century-old oak beams, covered in the rich reds, blues and golds of the Spanish Renaissance.” Holsclag was joined by architect Kirtland Cutter and hotel owner Louis Davenport in choosing the colors for the decor.

From the theft beat: A newsboy named Hulin Denman was gaining a reputation as the city’s top “detective” when it came to recovering stolen bicycles. He just recovered his sixth bike in a month. He found it in a vacant lot and restored the bicycle to its owner.

When asked how he traced the stolen bike back to its owner, Denman said there are some things a “regular dick” (detective) does not reveal.