City - Atlantic City, NJ - The Dennis Hotel 1908 Notebook

Colourized photo from 1908 Original title: Dennis Hotel Photographer: Detroit Publishing Location: 1901 Pacific Ave, Atlantic City, NJ (Beach side) The Dennis Hotel is currently one of the oldest names on the boardwalk (buildings on the left). It has an interesting story that went with it. It all started back in 1860, only six years after Atlantic City was founded. A schoolteacher by the name of William Dennis built a two-room summer cottage for himself on the beach on Michigan Ave. When his relatives caught wind of that, finding the perfect vacation spot, they all naturally wanted to come down and visit him. Naturally his house was far too small from a bunch of freeloaders, so he was forced to expand it. By 1864, this tiny cottage turned into an a 22 room building, which ended up becoming a hotel. But he wasn't interested in running a hotel, so he sold the property to the Buzby family. They ran the hotel for the next 100 years. Construction on the wooden structure continued until it reached 40 rooms. They had to build another building made of fire proof brick which was finished in the early 1900's. I believe the wooden structure was rebuilt using brick as well into 1925. Over the years they had many famous people: Helen Keller, Alexander Graham Bell, John Wanamaker, and the US Army. Eventually in 1975, it was sold and a new hotel as created. They had to knock down the Blenheim (that wondrous building on the right). It would have been too costly to remodel it. They built a hotel there and enlarged the original structure so now they have over a 1000 rooms. If you look carefully, you'll find the time traveller in this one, hint, he's looking at his phone.