The Parlor Houses of Jessie Hayman - Revision history

Tobymarx at 00:38, 10 July 2015

2015-07-10T00:38:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:38, 9 July 2015
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	[[category:Women]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:Tenderloin~~]] [[category:SOMA~~]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1910s]] [[category:1920s]] [[category:architecture]]		[[category:Women]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:Tenderloin]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1910s]] [[category:1920s]] [[category:architecture]]

Tobymarx at 21:33, 25 June 2015

2015-06-25T21:33:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:33, 25 June 2015
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	''Photo: Mark Ellinger''		''Photo: Mark Ellinger''
			----
	1. ''1964, Doubleday and Company.''		1. ''1964, Doubleday and Company.''<br>
	2. ''1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''		2. ''1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''

Tobymarx at 21:00, 25 June 2015

2015-06-25T21:00:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:00, 25 June 2015
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	[[Image:Dawn over Taylor Street.jpg]]		[[Image:Dawn over Taylor Street.jpg]]

	'''"Dawn Over Taylor Street"'''		'''"Dawn Over Taylor Street"''' (2003)

	'''(340/14) 136–142 Taylor Street; Dunphy Building. Stores and offices/lofts. 4B stories; brick structure; decorative window frames including third level arches, bracketed cornice and pediment; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vestibule: tile floor, sign painted on north wall: “United Railways Telegraph Schools”; alterations: ground floor, storefronts, aluminum windows, vestibule. Original owner: P. Dunphy. Architect: E.A. Bozio. 1906.'''		'''(340/14) 136–142 Taylor Street; Dunphy Building. Stores and offices/lofts. 4B stories; brick structure; decorative window frames including third level arches, bracketed cornice and pediment; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vestibule: tile floor, sign painted on north wall: “United Railways Telegraph Schools”; alterations: ground floor, storefronts, aluminum windows, vestibule. Original owner: P. Dunphy. Architect: E.A. Bozio. 1906.'''
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	[[Image:Polo's-.jpg]]		[[Image:Polo's-.jpg]]

	'''"Famous Polo’s"'''		'''"Famous Polo’s"''' (2004)

	'''(341/7) 34-48 Mason Street; The Glenwood (1906); parlor house (1907); Polo’s Restaurant (1952). Storefront and loft; brick structure; decorative brickwork including rusticated piers, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vertical neon blade sign. Alterations: ground floor remodeled. Architects: Meyers and Ward. 1906.'''		'''(341/7) 34-48 Mason Street; The Glenwood (1906); parlor house (1907); Polo’s Restaurant (1952). Storefront and loft; brick structure; decorative brickwork including rusticated piers, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vertical neon blade sign. Alterations: ground floor remodeled. Architects: Meyers and Ward. 1906.'''
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	[[Image:Crystal-Hotel-.jpg]]		[[Image:Crystal-Hotel-.jpg]]

	'''"Crystal Hotel"'''		'''"Crystal Hotel"''' (2011)

	'''(331/7) 128-132 Eddy Street; The Gotham Lodgings, parlor house, Belva Hotel, Crystal Hotel. Rooming house with forty-seven rooms and twenty-eight baths. 4B stories; brick structure; rusticated second level, upper level with decorative panels, bands, window surrounds, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical block; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation. Alterations: ground level completely remodeled, lobby remodeled. Original owners: Daniel O’Neil, contractor, and Cora M. Twombly. Architect Charles R. Wilson. 1908.'''		'''(331/7) 128-132 Eddy Street; The Gotham Lodgings, parlor house, Belva Hotel, Crystal Hotel. Rooming house with forty-seven rooms and twenty-eight baths. 4B stories; brick structure; rusticated second level, upper level with decorative panels, bands, window surrounds, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical block; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation. Alterations: ground level completely remodeled, lobby remodeled. Original owners: Daniel O’Neil, contractor, and Cora M. Twombly. Architect Charles R. Wilson. 1908.'''
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	[[Image:Joy-of-Life-.jpg]]		[[Image:Joy-of-Life-.jpg]]

	'''"Joy of Life"'''		'''"Joy of Life"''' (2003)

	'''Crystal Hotel, 128-132 Eddy Street.'''		'''Crystal Hotel, 128-132 Eddy Street.'''
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	[[Image:Joy Eclipsed.jpg]]		[[Image:Joy Eclipsed.jpg]]

	'''"Joy Eclipsed"'''		'''"Joy Eclipsed"''' (2011)

			''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	1. ''1964, Doubleday and Company.''		1. ''1964, Doubleday and Company.''

	2. ''1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''		2. ''1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''

Tobymarx at 18:48, 25 June 2015

2015-06-25T18:48:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:48, 25 June 2015
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	''by Mark Ellinger''		''by Mark Ellinger''

	~~Annie May Wyant, born~~ 1867 in New Orleans, ~~arrived~~ in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s ~~and by~~ 1895 ~~at the age of twenty-eight~~ was boarding at Mrs. Nina Hayman’s ~~place~~ at 225 Ellis (the ~~same establishment that madam~~ Dolly Adams ~~held sway~~ over ~~some twelve years earlier), taking Jessie Mellon as her house name~~. Near the end of 1898, ~~madam~~ Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took ~~over~~ her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.		Born 1867 in New Orleans, Annie May Wyant showed up in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s. By 1895, using Jessie Mellon as her house name, she was boarding in Mrs. Nina Hayman’s “lodging house” at 225 Ellis Street, an address that later would become one of the best known in the annals of San Francisco prostitution. Opened in the late 1870s by Dolly Adams — former “Water Queen” of the Bella Union Theater — the Ellis Street establishment was taken over by Mrs. Hayman following Dolly’s retirement from madamship in the 1880s. Near the end of 1898, Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took on her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.

	~~It is not my intent or purpose to tell~~ Jessie’s full story ~~here. For those who are interested, it~~ has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district~~; she~~ was an elegant ~~and~~ shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.		Jessie’s full story has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''.¹ Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, and her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district. She was tall and elegant, a shapely redhead and a lover of diamonds whose charms (and prices) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.

	In the late 1890s, ~~after being introduced by~~ photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take ~~Jessie~~ back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of ~~an Arnold Genthe~~ portrait ~~of her~~. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand ~~Duke’s honor~~ the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.		In the late 1890s, photographer Arnold Genthe introduced Jessie to a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire, who wanted to take her back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned Genthe to make a life-size enlargement of her portrait. At a Newport luncheon honoring the Grand Duke the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast.

	[[Image:Dawn~~-Over-~~Taylor-Street-.jpg]]		<blockquote>To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.</blockquote>

			Thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue,* the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimondaine, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.

			The ultimate fate of the portrait is unknown. Perhaps it was destroyed by Bolshevik Red Guards during the 1917 October Revolution; or maybe, along with other detritus of the fallen empire, it was hidden in a cellar only to be forgotten and left to molder in darkness. No matter what actually happened to the enlargement, we know the negative was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, and thus the only known photograph of Diamond Jessie is as good as forever lost.

			''*Or so we must suppose.''

			[[Image:Dawn over Taylor Street.jpg]]

	'''"Dawn Over Taylor Street"'''		'''"Dawn Over Taylor Street"'''
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	''Photo: Mark Ellinger''		''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	~~When~~ the ~~1906 fire destroyed~~ the 225 Ellis establishment, Jessie moved with her girls into the top two floors of the Dunphy Building~~, where~~ they stayed until the fall of 1907, when she acquired a new lodging house ~~at 44~~ Mason and furnished it as a deluxe bagnio.		Several months after the the 225 Ellis establishment was destroyed by the 1906 fire, Jessie moved with her girls into the top two floors of the newly-constructed Dunphy Building. There they stayed until the fall of 1907, when she acquired a new lodging house on Mason Street and furnished it as a deluxe bagnio.

	[[Image:Polo's-.jpg]]		[[Image:Polo's-.jpg]]
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	''Photo: Mark Ellinger''		''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	From 1907 till 1912, when she moved her girls and furnishings to ~~130~~ Eddy Street, ~~Jessie made~~ the Glenwood ~~her~~ parlor house. ~~Years~~ later it would become Polo’s Stadium Club, for many years one of San Francisco’s most popular meeting spots for fine food and drink.		From 1907 till 1912, when she moved her girls and furnishings to Eddy Street, the Glenwood was Jessie’s parlor house. Much later it would become Polo’s Stadium Club, for many years one of San Francisco’s most popular meeting spots for fine food and drink.

	[[Image:Crystal-Hotel-.jpg]]		[[Image:Crystal-Hotel-.jpg]]
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	''Photo: Mark Ellinger''		''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	~~From~~ 1912 until her retirement in 1917~~, this was the last of “Diamond Jessie” Hayman’s brothels~~. The first floor was leased out as a saloon, the parlors and madam’s suite were on the second floor, and the girls’ suites, dining room and kitchen were on the upper floors. With the help of ~~her~~ backing, one of ~~Jessie’s~~ girls later became a leading Hollywood madam under the name Beverly Davis. In her autobiography ''Call House Madam''&~~dagger~~;, Ms. Davis devotes several chapters to her mentor~~, wherein she describes~~ the brothel ~~at 130 Eddy:~~		130 Eddy was the last of Diamond Jessie’s brothels, from 1912 until her retirement in 1917. The first floor was leased out as a saloon, the parlors and madam’s suite were on the second floor, and the girls’ suites, dining room and kitchen were on the upper floors. With the help of Jessie’s backing, one of her girls later became a leading Hollywood madam under the name Beverly Davis. In her autobiography ''Call House Madam'',² Ms. Davis devotes several chapters to her mentor that include a description of the Eddy Street brothel.

	<blockquote>Jessie’s prices were staggering. She had a champagne cellar with wines from all parts of the world. Whoever furnished the house knew his Place Pigalle stuff. There was the red room, the gold room, the Turkish room, the French room, the blue room. oriental couches and shaded lamps, plush parlors one after the other with deep carpets on the floor. The bedrooms upstairs were done in the best style. It reflected ‘tone’ for a parlor house all the way through.</blockquote>		<blockquote>Jessie’s prices were staggering. She had a champagne cellar with wines from all parts of the world. Whoever furnished the house knew his Place Pigalle stuff. There was the red room, the gold room, the Turkish room, the French room, the blue room. oriental couches and shaded lamps, plush parlors one after the other with deep carpets on the floor. The bedrooms upstairs were done in the best style. It reflected ‘tone’ for a parlor house all the way through.</blockquote>

	When she died in 1923, Jessie’s net worth in diamonds and Tenderloin real estate was ~~$100,000~~, equivalent in 2009 to well over ~~$1.2~~ million.		When she died in 1923, Jessie’s net worth in diamonds and Tenderloin real estate was one hundred thousand dollars, the equivalent in 2009 dollars of well over one point two million.

	[[Image:Joy-of-Life-.jpg]]		[[Image:Joy-of-Life-.jpg]]
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	''Photo: Mark Ellinger''		''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	One of my germinal photographs, ~~this view of~~ the Crystal Hotel ~~as seen~~ from Mason Street is also one of my favorites ~~because it~~ captures the essence of ~~what makes~~ the Tenderloin ~~for me such an endless~~ source of fascination. I was captivated by these walls long before I had a camera to photograph them. The ~~two archaic painted~~ advertisements ~~were wonderful enough~~, but the peculiar ~~room hanging on the back of the hotel~~ was a real enigma. ~~I often wondered why it was built and if it was still used. (~~Could it have been a meat locker for the brothel’s kitchen?~~) A couple~~ of ~~years after I took this photograph~~, ~~I met someone who knew~~ a ~~person~~ who ~~had lived in the adjoining room. Of all things, she~~ had used the tiny ~~annex~~ as an extra bedroom~~, which was barely large enough to contain~~ a folding ~~cot~~. Alas, ~~the origin of the curious extension remains a mystery~~ and ~~the rear of the Crystal Hotel has been~~ hidden by new ~~high-rise affordable~~ housing; thus ~~all in~~ this ~~photograph is now just another~~ page in history.		One of my germinal photographs, the Crystal Hotel viewed from Mason Street is also one of my favorites. It captures the essence of the Tenderloin as a many-layered source of fascination. I was captivated by these walls long before I had a camera to photograph them. The faded advertisements afforded a glimpse of the past, but the peculiar, limpet-like annex was a real enigma. Could it have been a meat locker for the brothel’s kitchen? No one seemed to know. Near the end of 2005, an acquaintance told me of a former tenant who had used the tiny space as an extra bedroom by cramming a folding camp bed into it. Alas, this anecdote is all I have gleaned. The little annex and lovely ghost signs are now largely hidden, eclipsed by a new housing development, thus bringing to a close this page in Tenderloin history.

			[[Image:Joy Eclipsed.jpg]]

			'''"Joy Eclipsed"'''

	''~~&lowast;~~1964, Doubleday and Company.''		1. ''1964, Doubleday and Company.''

	''~~&dagger;~~1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''		2. ''1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''

	[[“Maestrapeace” on the Women's Building \|Prev. Document]] [[Prostitute March 1917\|Next Document]]		[[“Maestrapeace” on the Women's Building \|Prev. Document]] [[Prostitute March 1917\|Next Document]]

Tobymarx at 14:45, 13 April 2011

2011-04-13T14:45:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:45, 13 April 2011
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	It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.		It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.

	In the late 1890s, after being introduced by ~~Jessie’s friend,~~ photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take ~~her~~ back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.		In the late 1890s, after being introduced by photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take Jessie back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.

	[[Image:Dawn-Over-Taylor-Street-.jpg]]		[[Image:Dawn-Over-Taylor-Street-.jpg]]

Ccarlsson: added categories and navigation

2011-04-12T16:21:45Z

added categories and navigation

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:21, 12 April 2011
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	''&dagger;1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''		''&dagger;1942, Martin Tudordale Corporation.''

			[[“Maestrapeace” on the Women's Building \|Prev. Document]] [[Prostitute March 1917\|Next Document]]


			[[category:Women]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:Tenderloin]] [[category:SOMA]] [[category:1900s]] [[category:1910s]] [[category:1920s]] [[category:architecture]]

Tobymarx at 14:47, 12 April 2011

2011-04-12T14:47:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:47, 12 April 2011
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	'''(340/14) 136–142 Taylor Street; Dunphy Building. Stores and offices/lofts. 4B stories; brick structure; decorative window frames including third level arches, bracketed cornice and pediment; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vestibule: tile floor, sign painted on north wall: “United Railways Telegraph Schools”; alterations: ground floor, storefronts, aluminum windows, vestibule. Original owner: P. Dunphy. Architect: E.A. Bozio. 1906.'''		'''(340/14) 136–142 Taylor Street; Dunphy Building. Stores and offices/lofts. 4B stories; brick structure; decorative window frames including third level arches, bracketed cornice and pediment; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vestibule: tile floor, sign painted on north wall: “United Railways Telegraph Schools”; alterations: ground floor, storefronts, aluminum windows, vestibule. Original owner: P. Dunphy. Architect: E.A. Bozio. 1906.'''

			''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	When the 1906 fire destroyed the 225 Ellis establishment, Jessie moved with her girls into the top two floors of the Dunphy Building, where they stayed until the fall of 1907, when she acquired a new lodging house at 44 Mason and furnished it as a deluxe bagnio.		When the 1906 fire destroyed the 225 Ellis establishment, Jessie moved with her girls into the top two floors of the Dunphy Building, where they stayed until the fall of 1907, when she acquired a new lodging house at 44 Mason and furnished it as a deluxe bagnio.
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	'''(341/7) 34-48 Mason Street; The Glenwood (1906); parlor house (1907); Polo’s Restaurant (1952). Storefront and loft; brick structure; decorative brickwork including rusticated piers, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vertical neon blade sign. Alterations: ground floor remodeled. Architects: Meyers and Ward. 1906.'''		'''(341/7) 34-48 Mason Street; The Glenwood (1906); parlor house (1907); Polo’s Restaurant (1952). Storefront and loft; brick structure; decorative brickwork including rusticated piers, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical composition; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation; vertical neon blade sign. Alterations: ground floor remodeled. Architects: Meyers and Ward. 1906.'''

			''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	From 1907 till 1912, when she moved her girls and furnishings to 130 Eddy Street, Jessie made the Glenwood her parlor house. Years later it would become Polo’s Stadium Club, for many years one of San Francisco’s most popular meeting spots for fine food and drink.		From 1907 till 1912, when she moved her girls and furnishings to 130 Eddy Street, Jessie made the Glenwood her parlor house. Years later it would become Polo’s Stadium Club, for many years one of San Francisco’s most popular meeting spots for fine food and drink.
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	'''(331/7) 128-132 Eddy Street; The Gotham Lodgings, parlor house, Belva Hotel, Crystal Hotel. Rooming house with forty-seven rooms and twenty-eight baths. 4B stories; brick structure; rusticated second level, upper level with decorative panels, bands, window surrounds, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical block; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation. Alterations: ground level completely remodeled, lobby remodeled. Original owners: Daniel O’Neil, contractor, and Cora M. Twombly. Architect Charles R. Wilson. 1908.'''		'''(331/7) 128-132 Eddy Street; The Gotham Lodgings, parlor house, Belva Hotel, Crystal Hotel. Rooming house with forty-seven rooms and twenty-eight baths. 4B stories; brick structure; rusticated second level, upper level with decorative panels, bands, window surrounds, galvanized iron cornice; two-part vertical block; Renaissance/Baroque ornamentation. Alterations: ground level completely remodeled, lobby remodeled. Original owners: Daniel O’Neil, contractor, and Cora M. Twombly. Architect Charles R. Wilson. 1908.'''

			''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	From 1912 until her retirement in 1917, this was the last of “Diamond Jessie” Hayman’s brothels. The first floor was leased out as a saloon, the parlors and madam’s suite were on the second floor, and the girls’ suites, dining room and kitchen were on the upper floors. With the help of her backing, one of Jessie’s girls later became a leading Hollywood madam under the name Beverly Davis. In her autobiography ''Call House Madam''&dagger;, Ms. Davis devotes several chapters to her mentor, wherein she describes the brothel at 130 Eddy:		From 1912 until her retirement in 1917, this was the last of “Diamond Jessie” Hayman’s brothels. The first floor was leased out as a saloon, the parlors and madam’s suite were on the second floor, and the girls’ suites, dining room and kitchen were on the upper floors. With the help of her backing, one of Jessie’s girls later became a leading Hollywood madam under the name Beverly Davis. In her autobiography ''Call House Madam''&dagger;, Ms. Davis devotes several chapters to her mentor, wherein she describes the brothel at 130 Eddy:
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	'''Crystal Hotel, 128-132 Eddy Street.'''		'''Crystal Hotel, 128-132 Eddy Street.'''

			''Photo: Mark Ellinger''

	One of my germinal photographs, this view of the Crystal Hotel as seen from Mason Street is also one of my favorites because it captures the essence of what makes the Tenderloin for me such an endless source of fascination. I was captivated by these walls long before I had a camera to photograph them. The two archaic painted advertisements were wonderful enough, but the peculiar room hanging on the back of the hotel was a real enigma. I often wondered why it was built and if it was still used. (Could it have been a meat locker for the brothel’s kitchen?) A couple of years after I took this photograph, I met someone who knew a person who had lived in the adjoining room. Of all things, she had used the tiny annex as an extra bedroom, which was barely large enough to contain a folding cot. Alas, the origin of the curious extension remains a mystery and the rear of the Crystal Hotel has been hidden by new high-rise affordable housing; thus all in this photograph is now just another page in history.		One of my germinal photographs, this view of the Crystal Hotel as seen from Mason Street is also one of my favorites because it captures the essence of what makes the Tenderloin for me such an endless source of fascination. I was captivated by these walls long before I had a camera to photograph them. The two archaic painted advertisements were wonderful enough, but the peculiar room hanging on the back of the hotel was a real enigma. I often wondered why it was built and if it was still used. (Could it have been a meat locker for the brothel’s kitchen?) A couple of years after I took this photograph, I met someone who knew a person who had lived in the adjoining room. Of all things, she had used the tiny annex as an extra bedroom, which was barely large enough to contain a folding cot. Alas, the origin of the curious extension remains a mystery and the rear of the Crystal Hotel has been hidden by new high-rise affordable housing; thus all in this photograph is now just another page in history.

Tobymarx at 14:37, 12 April 2011

2011-04-12T14:37:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:37, 12 April 2011
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	Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s and by 1895 at the age of twenty-eight was boarding at Mrs. Nina Hayman’s place at 225 Ellis (the same establishment that madam Dolly Adams held sway over some twelve years earlier), taking Jessie Mellon as her house name. Near the end of 1898, madam Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took over her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.		Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s and by 1895 at the age of twenty-eight was boarding at Mrs. Nina Hayman’s place at 225 Ellis (the same establishment that madam Dolly Adams held sway over some twelve years earlier), taking Jessie Mellon as her house name. Near the end of 1898, madam Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took over her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.

	It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds, whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.		It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.

	In the late 1890s, after being introduced by Jessie’s friend, photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take her back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.		In the late 1890s, after being introduced by Jessie’s friend, photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take her back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.

Tobymarx at 14:32, 12 April 2011

2011-04-12T14:32:25Z

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 Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s and by 1895 at the age of twenty-eight was boarding at Mrs. Nina Hayman’s place at 225 Ellis (the same establishment that madam Dolly Adams held sway over some twelve years earlier), taking Jessie Mellon as her house name. Near the end of 1898, madam Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took over her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.
-It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book The Madams of San Francisco.* Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds, whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.
+It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book ''The Madams of San Francisco''*. Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds, whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.
 In the late 1890s, after being introduced by Jessie’s friend, photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take her back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.

Tobymarx: Created page with '''' Historical Essay ''' ''by Mark Ellinger'' Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived ...'

2011-04-12T14:17:22Z

Created page with '''' Historical Essay ''' ''by Mark Ellinger'' Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived ...'

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''' Historical Essay '''

''by Mark Ellinger''

Annie May Wyant, born 1867 in New Orleans, arrived in San Francisco sometime in the early 1890s and by 1895 at the age of twenty-eight was boarding at Mrs. Nina Hayman’s place at 225 Ellis (the same establishment that madam Dolly Adams held sway over some twelve years earlier), taking Jessie Mellon as her house name. Near the end of 1898, madam Nina Hayman retired to marry a wealthy San Francisco lumber dealer. As the house favorite, young Jessie took over her mentor’s name and business, and it was as Jessie Hayman or “Diamond Jessie” that she became famous.

It is not my intent or purpose to tell Jessie’s full story here. For those who are interested, it has been told with great warmth and wit by Curt Gentry in his book The Madams of San Francisco.* Suffice for me to say that she was strict yet fair and generous with her girls, her parlor houses were the most lavish and fashionable in the district; she was an elegant and shapely redhead, a lover of diamonds, whose charms (and prices!) were legendary in her own time, as illustrated by the following anecdote.

In the late 1890s, after being introduced by Jessie’s friend, photographer Arnold Genthe, a Grand Duke of the Imperial Russian Empire wanted to take her back to Russia with him. When Jessie politely declined, the Grand Duke commissioned a life-size enlargement of an Arnold Genthe portrait of her. At a Newport luncheon in the Grand Duke’s honor the day before he returned to Russia, His Royal Highness proposed a toast: “To the most beautiful woman I have met in your country. She shall be nameless. Even if she were not many miles away, she would not have been included in this gathering. I ask you all to drink her health.” And thus it was that ladies of unquestioned virtue, the cream of American society, raised their glasses and drank to a demimonde, for a request from a Grand Duke was a command.