"Circulating ice water in each room."

This postcard of the legendary Hotel Taft of Times Square has no writing on the back, but it’s stamped with “July 16, 1939.” The business began its run in 1926 as the Manger Hotel (which cost more than $10 million to build) but was renamed in 1931 for President Taft. At the time this postcard was printed, the hotel offered 2,000 rooms, some for just $2.50 per night. The Grill was popular and served as the site for Vincent Lopez’s long-running radio program, “Shake the Maracas.” The Hotel Taft and its surrounding area declined and the business was shuttered in the early 1980s. It was eventually revived as a mixed-use development, which includes the Hotel Michelangelo. Text about the Taft’s 1939 prices and amenities from the reverse of the postcard:

“HOTEL  TAFT
Times Square’s Largest Hotel. 2,000 rooms with bath  from $2.50. New “Direct Reception” radio, servidor, circulating ice water, in each room.

ADJACENT TO
Radio City, 100 theatres, retail and wholesale districts.
Grand Central and Pennsylvania R.R. stations 5 minutes by taxi.
B & O Motor Coach connection at door. I.R.T., B.M.T. and 8th Ave Subway stations, Capitol Bus Terminal, just around the corner.”

William H. Taft, who died in 1930, is the only person to be both U.S. President and Chief Justice.