Architect Joseph Huston, who also designed the Pennsylvania State Capitol, incorporated William Elkin’s mansion (already standing at Broad and Girard) into his designs for the Majestic Hotel. Elkins had moved to an even grander house in suburban Philadelphia in 1900 and two years later the elegant Majestic Hotel opened to guests. In the mid 1920s Philadelphia photographer William Jennings took photographs of the hotel including views of the lobby, the hallway, and the ballroom. By the mid 1940s an American Automobile Association guidebook described the formerly exclusive accommodations as “average.” The building no longer stands today.

Sarah Weatherwax
Curator of Prints & Photographs

Congratulations to the following readers who correctly identified our Ben’s Lens:

Julian Brodsky
Frank Hoeber
Kathleen Kelly