Andre Durenceau's Howard Johnson's Mural, 1940.
Mural by Andre Durenceau.
The Queens' colossus was the culmination of Howard Johnson's development from a simple beachside stand into the ultimate dining experience. Described as Colonial architecture, the monument to dining was decorated with Venetian blinds, crystal chandeliers made to order in Italy, elaborate murals, and exuded an overall expansive and impressive atmosphere of luxury.
Moreover, the palatial thousand-seat restaurant's main entryway was under a white-pillared portico which led into an elliptical hall of noble proportions. Within that entry-hall was a wide grand stairway which wound gracefully upward toward a great rose and gold crystal chandelier, and along the walls were striking murals painted by the celebrated colorist, Andre Durenceau.
Like the progress promised by the much-celebrated World's Fair, the Queens HoJo's pointed to a future that was not quite to be.
Photo: From Freezer to Fortune;
The Amazing Story of Howard Johnson's 1941
Business Week reported on June 19, 1943, that war-time gasoline rationing had taken its toll on Howard Johnson--Queens was among the three-quarters of Howard Johnson's Restaurants shuttered for the duration of the War. After the War Johnson decreed that there would be no more roadside cathedrals. Following the 20th century's greatest conflagration, Johnson completely refocused his orange roofed chain away from any pretense at luxury--its purpose would be to serve the burgeoning and increasingly mobile middle class of Americans providing them with an unprecedented standardized product and quality of service!
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