There are six floors in the Hartman Hotel; floors two through five are pretty much uniform: two big, dusty, empty, warehouse-like rooms with pillars. Walking in them can be treacherous, though, because of the holes in the floor near the center of the building. At first I thought it was rot, but Rookie pointed out the uniformity of their positioning and we finally figured out that they are the remains of a dumbwaiter which once ran the entire height of the building. We eventually found the dumbwaiter carriage, severed and sitting in a bricked-off alcove in the basement.
The dumbwaiter, in the basement.
Up here is where Dr. Samuel J. Hartman died almost a century ago, but if his ghost is still around it didn't come out while we were there.
The sixth floor is an interesting one, especially in the south wing. This is where the ballroom used to be. There is a little room built against one wall, but it's still easy to see where the ballroom was because of the ceiling, which is domed and ornate, with angels painted on it.
The good news about the Hartman renovation is that they saved the ballroom. Check it out by clicking below.
