Hotel Menasha Interiors

A reader recently asked about interior photos of the Hotel Menasha.  I had a couple, which were featured in the Menasha book from 2012, but I reproduce them here today with the captions from the book.  

This 1905 interior view of the Hotel Menasha, shortly after its opening, shows the main lobby and desk area (top photo). The bellmen are poised at the stairs, ready to service any of the clientele coming in from the various train stations. Tom Fitzgibbon was the desk clerk.

Billy Guenter was the proud bartender in the Hotel Menasha bar (bottom photo). Prominently placed on the floor are the spittoons for patrons’ use. Notice the absence of bar stools which are commonplace today. Most hotel bars existed largely to cater to business travelers, though many a high-end local political deal might have been settled within these walls.