In the series ... "I REMEMBER THE ROCKAWAYS"... Stevie S. Stevens

Luxury, leisure and location were among selected superlatives -- laudatory descriptions applied to promote one of Arverne's finest turn-of-the-century hotels. Second in size only to the massive greater Arverne Hotel located some five beach blocks to the west, the Colonial was physically the finer looking of the two and it is said to have enjoyed a clientele of far greater opulence and importance than any of the other hostelries on the entire Rockaway peninsula.

Erected at the foot of Amerman Avenue (Beach 64th Street) in the year 1903 by real estate developer Edward Walkman, the hotel first opened for business in May of 1904. The structure included 150 guest rooms, an elevator lift, several large social "common" rooms, an elegant formal dining room, an interior retail specialty shop, a spacious welcoming lobby, a wrap-around veranda, and a privately owned and maintained wooden boardwalk which extended some dozen beach blocks -- from 62nd Street (to the east of the hotel) extending westward for at least another ten city blocks.

Not much of a beachfront existed in 1905 when this photograph was taken -- from Beach 66th Street facing east. The large Colonial Hall Hotel is shown as the large structure on the north side of a privately owned boardwalk — a wooden walkway that "ran " only twelve city blocks at the time. The Edgemere Club Hotel located on Beach 35th Street can faintly be observed in the far distance — the shore front actually curves as you travel eastward.

Located directly on the beachfront, many guest rooms faced directly out onto the fabulous white sand and were favored with pleasantly refreshing summer breezes. Walkways and entranceways connected directly to the conveniently located boardwalk. An oceanfront, ground-level cafe (coffee shop) proved to be a popular gathering place for dozens of local residents as well as the typical summer guests.

The Colonial did not support a tennis court nor did it provide for either a salt or fresh-water swimming pool. Regular and returning residents were comprised primarily of an older, more sedate population preferring peace and quiet as well as seclusion from the rigors of normal and hectic everyday routines. Wicker chairs on second-level balconies were offered in abundance and many guests would occupy endless summer hours simply by rocking back and forth, while staring out at a cool blue ocean.

This real photograph is dated 1904 --and was taken during the Colonial Hall Hotel's initial year of operation. The photographer is facing west and the larger Arverae Hotel (Beach 69th Street) can be seen in the center background. Back in those early days, almost all beach "sitting" was done on the north side of the boardwalks. More often than not, the ocean crested directly under the wooden walkways -- no wonder so many of them were "washed away" to sea during off-season high tides and hurricanes.

Many of the elite who found themselves venturing out to Rockaway for a week or so during the summers of the early 1900s would make temporary homes at Colonial Hall. Famous and not-so-famous early motion picture stars, famous and infamous politicians also "checked in" to the great inn. Guest lists amplified and exaggerated over the years included many popular icons of the times and it was not unusual to hear rumors of dignitaries of all types who were reputed to either have stayed or were currently residing at the hotel.

Late in the afternoon of June 15th, 1922 -- a fire engulfed a major part of the Arverne area. The conflagration, accidentally instigated by a roofer repairing a (different) hotel structure totally destroyed much of the central part of Arverne - leveling homes, hotels, and commercial establishments located and contained within the boundaries of Beach 57th right through to Beach 61st Street - from the ocean to the Jamaica Bay. Little in this particular area remained after the blaze was finally extinguished.

According to an articled posted in The New York Times newspaper of June 17th, 1922: "In light of the great Arverne fire of the past few days, an emergency fire committee...was organized and will meet on the morning of June 18th, 1922 in Colonial Hall to make arrangements to clear away the debris preparatory to rebuilding. It (the committee) also called a public meeting this evening at the same place to find ways of assisting sufferers from the fire. Handbills were distributed notifying all those in need of assistance to apply at Colonial Hall, the headquarters of the committee."

Although the Times article went on to indicate that the Colonial Hotel was slightly damaged by the great fire, other reports tended to dispute that report. Even as the affected areas of Arverne were being leveled and cleared in preparation for subsequent rebuilding, it was noted that the Colonial and its neighboring summer establishments were indeed open for "business as usual" within only three days after the fire and they continued on in operation during the rest of the summer season.