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Norfolk, Virginia, 1902. "Monticello Hotel, Granby Street and City Hall Avenue." 8x10 inch glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size.
Mr great-great-grandfather, David Lowenberg, was the principal builder and owner of the Monticello. Not bad for a German immigrant in 1856 who began as an itinerant peddler.
And only 15 years later it was flooded by a hurricane. Fire, ice, and water all damaged this hotel. But urban renewal killed it.
The Monticello Hotel burned on New Year's Day 1918. Attempts by firemen to extinguish the fire were futile since unusually cold temperatures for the area caused water in the hoses to freeze. The hotel was rebuilt and resumed operating the following year. It continued until 1976 when it was closed and the building demolished.
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