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Humana Festival of New American Plays

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Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville , this festival showcases new theatrical works and draws producers, critics, playwrights, and theatre lovers from around the world. The festival was founded in 1976 by Jon Jory , who was Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville from 1969 to 2000. Since 1979 The Humana Festival has been sponsored by the Humana Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Humana .

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59-561: The Humana Festival was shut down permanently in 2022 after holding its final festival in 2021. The Actor's Theater of Louisville hosted the first Festival of New American Plays in March 1977. It was founded by the former artistic director of the Actor's Theater, Jon Jory . The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn , one of the plays presented that year, went on to open on Broadway later that year and would win

118-616: A Native American tribe not local to the region. The name was chosen by American colonists from Indiana who would later move to the area. The Spanish first colonized the Los Angeles Basin in the 1770s as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain , building the San Gabriel Mission and renaming the local Tongva people "Gabrielino Indians", after the name of the mission. Today, several bands of Tongva people live in

177-486: A Sunday). The first parade was held in 1890 and was originally sponsored by the Valley Hunt Club , a Pasadena social club . The motivation for having the parade was, as member Professor Charles F. Holder said, "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise." By 1895, the festivities had outgrown

236-630: A boon to Pasadena as Southern California became a major staging area for the Pacific War . High tech manufacturing and scientific companies made the city their home, a trend which continued in the decades following the war, notably with NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Tetra Tech and Ameron International. In the 1950s, Pasadena saw a steady influx of people from the Southern United States , especially African-Americans from Texas and Louisiana . Pasadena also began hosting

295-643: A decade. A year later, the 210 Freeway was built along a newly chosen route. The freeway's construction was controversial, as it caused the demolition of over a thousand homes, many historic, and many claimed that the route was designed to cut off the city's less wealthy neighborhoods. Downtown Pasadena became dangerous in some parts and deserted in others, and incidences of murder and arson skyrocketed. Old Pasadena faced destruction as plans for new high-rise developments were drawn up, though they were mostly stopped by increasingly active preservation advocates. Pasadena suffered demographically as many residents moved for

354-402: A female householder with no husband present, 2,460 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,016 (5.5%) unmarried partnerships . 18,838 households (34.1%) were made up of individuals, and 5,748 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 30,876 families (55.9% of all households); the average family size

413-524: A float, going through the parade together with the line of parades. The Rose Courts also represent their own local communities and their high school that they attend. The Rose Bowl , a National Historic Landmark , is host of the first and most famous college football postseason bowl game , the Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl Game, every New Year's Day. In 1895, the Tournament of Roses Association

472-485: A gesture of good will, Wilson added 2,000 acres (8 km ) of then-useless highland property, part of which would become Altadena . Colonel Jabez Banbury opened the first school on South Orange Grove Avenue. Banbury had twin daughters, named Jennie and Jessie. The two became the first students to attend Pasadena's first school on Orange Grove. At the time, the Indiana Colony was a narrow strip of land between

531-456: A large immigrant community, particularly from China , Japan , Philippines , Mexico , Guatemala , El Salvador , Italy , Armenia , and India . The American Academy of Dramatic Arts , founded in 1884 in New York, opened its Pasadena campus in 1974. However, in 2001 the conservatory moved from Pasadena to Hollywood. Training actors for the stage in a two year program, the conservatory

590-671: A number of outstanding plays including The Gin Game (1978), Crimes of the Heart (1981), Cementville (1991) and Dinner with Friends (1998), not to mention almost everything Jane Martin has ever written. In 2017, Jory began teaching at the UCLA Department of Theater as a Visiting Professor. Jory retired from Actors Theatre in 2000. That fall, he joined the faculty at the University of Washington School of Drama as Professor of Acting and Directing. Also, in 2000, Jory

649-538: A real estate boom. Tourist hotels were developed in the city. Pasadena became a winter resort for wealthy Easterners, spurring the development of new neighborhoods and business districts, and increased road and transit connections with Los Angeles. In 1940, when the Arroyo Seco Parkway , California's first freeway, connected Pad. By that time, Pasadena had become the eighth-largest city in California and

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708-463: A wide variety of restaurants, nightclubs, outdoor cafés, pubs, and comedy clubs. "One Colorado" features renovated historic architecture that attracted the new retail stores and restaurants. This development filled vacant buildings and was the impetus of the revitalization of Old Town on Colorado Boulevard . Paseo Colorado is an open-air mall that covers three city blocks, anchored on the west end by upscale grocery store Gelson's (recently closed), on

767-514: Is a large swap meet that involves thousands of dealers and tens of thousands of visitors in and around the grounds of the Rose Bowl. The merchandise on display ranges from old world antiques to California pottery to vintage clothing. The flea market has been held every second Sunday of the month since 1967. According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in

826-460: Is a theatrical director instrumental in the development of Actors Theatre of Louisville ; he is also widely rumored to be the writer behind the pseudonym Jane Martin . Jory is a child of Hollywood character actors, namely his father Victor Jory , who played Jonas Wilkerson, the scheming overseer in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind , and his mother Jean Inness , who played nurse Beatrice Fain in

885-775: Is also home to many scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , Pasadena City College , Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine , Fuller Theological Seminary , Theosophical Society , Parsons Corporation , Art Center College of Design , the Planetary Society , the Pasadena Playhouse , the Ambassador Auditorium , the Norton Simon Museum , and

944-755: Is bounded by the Raymond Fault line, the San Rafael Hills , and the San Gabriel Mountains . The Arroyo Seco , a major geographic feature and home of the Rose Bowl, flows from headwaters in Pasadena's towering Angeles National Forest greenbelt in the San Gabriel Mountains . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.1 square miles (60 km ), over 99% of it land; 0.68%

1003-414: Is typically sparse, but the marine layer becomes more persistent. Locals have dubbed June " June Gloom " as it is the cloudiest month despite being the 3rd driest month. By July, the marine layer subsides as inland areas cool due to an increased monsoon flow. Heatwaves from July through October can be oppressive and lengthy. In addition, it rarely rains during the summer and fall months, and only does when

1062-663: Is water. Pasadena has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ), with typically hotter summers and slightly cooler winters than nearby coastal areas. Its location relative to the San Gabriel mountains allows the orographic lift to add several more inches of rainfall per year than nearby areas. During the first few months of the year, Pasadena experiences cool to warm highs, typically in the upper 60s (16–18 °C) to lower 70s (21–24 °C). Colder days are usually accompanied by heavier rain. By April, temperatures warm further, and rain tapers off significantly. By May and June, rain

1121-487: Is well represented in Pasadena. The architectural firm Greene and Greene developed the style; many of its residences still stand. Two examples of their Ultimate bungalow are the masterpiece Gamble House , of which public tours are available, and the Robert R. Blacker House , both designated California Historical Landmarks and enrolled on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . The Second World War proved to be

1180-616: The Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1978. The 1978 festival line up included Marsha Norman's Getting Out, and in 1979, Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley . It was also the first year that the festival was sponsored by the Humana Festival. Over the 400 plays (short pieces, ten-minute plays, one-acts, and full-lengths) the festival has produced, many have gone on to win several awards. Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies , The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn , and, Crimes of

1239-846: The USC Pacific Asia Museum . The earliest known inhabitants of Pasadena and its surroundings were members of the Native American Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva Nation. They spoke the Tongva language , part of the Uto-Aztecan language group. Native Americans had lived in the Los Angeles Basin for thousands of years. Pasadena means "valley" in the language of the Ojibwe ,

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1298-689: The American medical drama television series Dr. Kildare . Jory received his Actor's Equity card as a young child. Jory was at the forefront of the regional theater movement of the 1960s, which began with the opening of the Guthrie Theater in 1963, showing that not all theater talent was centralized in New York City and Los Angeles. Jory served as artistic director of the Long Wharf Theatre from 1965 to 1966; his contract

1357-624: The Arroyo Seco and Fair Oaks Avenue . On the other side of the street was Wilson's Lake Vineyard development. After more than a decade of parallel development on both sides, the two settlements merged into the City of Pasadena. The region drew people from across the country. In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened its Second District and began making stops at the Santa Fe Depot in downtown Pasadena. This triggered

1416-532: The Arroyo Seco area. The new stadium hosted its first New Year's Day football game in 1923. It was soon christened "The Rose Bowl", as was the game itself . The Rose Bowl , also holds annual Fourth of July events in its stadium. Since fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles County. Due to fireworks being banned or illegal, people gather together at the Rose Bowl to watch the night sky light up with colorful fireworks. The legendary Pasadena Playhouse ,

1475-582: The Barrie and Bernice Stavis Award, given by the National Theatre Conference to outstanding emerging playwrights. Source: The Ten-Minute Plays: The Ten-Minute Plays: The Ten-Minute Plays: The Ten-Minute Plays: The Ten-Minute Plays: The Phone Plays Phone Plays Shorts Shorts Shorts Shorts Solo : a compendium of one-person plays: Shorts Jon Jory Jon Victor Jory (born June 1, 1938, Pasadena, California )

1534-748: The Heart by Beth Henley have all won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama . Keely and Du by Jane Martin , Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo , and Omnium-Gatherum b y Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros and Theresa Rebeck have all been finalists for the prize. Lucas Hnath's The Christians, Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins , Big Love by Charles Mee , Slavs! by Tony Kushner , My Left Breast by Susan Miller , Marisol by José Rivera and One Flea Spare by Naomi Wallace have all won Obie Awards. How to Say Goodbye by Mary Gallagher , My Sister in this House by Wendy Kesselman , A Narrow Bed by Ellen McLaughlin , My Left Breast by Susan Miller and One Flea Spare by Naomi Wallace have won

1593-520: The Los Angeles area. In 1821, Mexico became independent of Spain, and California came under control of the Mexican government. In 1833, the mission lands were secularized and most of the lands in California were granted to private Mexican citizens in the form of ranchos. Present-day Pasadena was divided between Rancho San Rafael (lands west of the Arroyo Seco extending to present-day Burbank in

1652-613: The Mexican owners of Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual was Manuel Garfias , who retained title to the property through the American conquest of California in 1848 and statehood in 1850. Garfias sold sections of the property to the first Anglo settlers to come into the area: Dr. Benjamin Eaton , the father of Fred Eaton ; and Dr. S. Griffin. Much of the property was purchased by Benjamin Wilson , who established his Lake Vineyard property in

1711-672: The Rose Court. There are total 7 candidates that advances to the Rose Court and one is chosen to be the Rose Queen and the others to be the Rose Princess. The Rose Court's main goal is to support local communities and local stores. They visit small stores owned by local residents to boost the activity of the area and to keep them in the current flow of the economics. During the Rose Parade, the Rose Court members are also on

1770-565: The Santa Ana winds. The Santa Ana winds can produce heat, high winds, power outages, tree damage and an increased wildfire threat whenever they strike. By December, lows typically drop into the 40s (below 10 °C) with the occasional reading in the 30s (under 5 °C and down to freezing). Highs remain around 68 °F (20 °C) with heatwaves pushing temperatures into the mid-80s (around 30 °C). A high temperature of at least 85 °F (29 °C) has been recorded on all 365 days of

1829-684: The State Theater of California, is a member supported theater company that celebrated their centennial season in 2018. The theater puts on five shows a year. In 1937, the Pasadena Playhouse established a record as the only theatre in the United States to have staged the entire Shakespearean canon. Today, the Playhouse is known for their innovative productions. The Pasadena Symphony , founded in 1928, offers several concerts

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1888-1185: The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and nine other plays produced at the festival have been finalists. 2 by Romulus Linney , Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies , Getting Out by Marsha Norman , and Jane Martin's Talking With… , Keely and Du, Jack and Jill, and Anton in Show Business have won the Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, and Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies , Big Love by Charles Mee , After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo , Great Falls by Lee Blessing , Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A.Rey Pamatmat, and Lucas Hnath's Death Tax and The Christians have won Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award Citations. Jeff Augustin's and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’ s plays, Cry Old Kingdom and BOB: A Life in Five Acts respectively, have won

1947-523: The Valley Hunt Club, and the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to take charge of the parade. The Rose Parade, as it is familiarly known, traditionally features elaborate floats, bands and equestrian units. According to the organizers, "Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers, or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds, or bark. On average a float requires about 100,000 flowers and greenery. Volunteer workers swarm over

2006-543: The best view along the parade route. The Rose Parade is satirized by the popular Doo Dah Parade , an annual event that originated in Old Pasadena in 1978, and soon gained national notoriety. Reader's Digest named the Doo Dah Parade "America's Best Parade", and was a recent feature in 50 Places You Must Visit Before You Die! . It was formerly held around Thanksgiving, a month before the Rose Parade, but

2065-410: The city are: Other companies based in Pasadena include Idealab , Inter-Con Security , Green Dot Corporation , Tetra Tech , Wesco Financial , OpenX , Stark Spirits Distillery, and Wetzel's Pretzels . The Los Angeles office of China Eastern Airlines is also located in Pasadena. Pasadena is home to the Tournament of Roses Parade, held each year on January 1 (or on January 2, if the 1st falls on

2124-656: The city is located just north-west of the townhall on the other side of Garfield Avenue. The 2010 United States Census reported that Pasadena had a population of 137,122. The population density was 5,928.8 inhabitants per square mile (2,289.1/km ). The racial makeup of Pasadena was 76,550 (55.8%) White , 14,650 (10.7%) African American , down from 19.0% in 1990, 827 (0.6%) Native American , 19,595 (14.3%) Asian , 134 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 18,675 (13.6%) from other races , and 6,691 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 46,174 persons (33.7%). Non-Hispanic White residents were 38.8% of

2183-614: The early 1900s and was demolished in 1934. The world-famous Mount Lowe Railway and associated mountain hotels shut down four years later due to fire damage. Three hotel structures have survived, the Green Hotel (a co-op since 1926), the Vista Del Arroyo (now used as a Federal courthouse), and a residential tower of the Maryland at 80 North Euclid Avenue (a co-op since 1953). The American Craftsman era in art and design

2242-543: The east end by Macy's (also closed) and Arclight Cinemas centers the middle portion of the mall. Another shopping district is located in the South Lake Avenue neighborhood. On Lake Avenue, a Macy's department store and furniture gallery is in a registered California historical landmark. The building was originally designed and built as the fourth Bullock's department store in the mid-1950s (the last freestanding store they constructed). The Rose Bowl Flea Market

2301-635: The eastern Pacific and dry years with La Niña cold water conditions. The most rainfall in one month was 19.70 inches (500.4 mm) in February 1980. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 7.70 inches (195.6 mm) on March 2, 1938. Situated at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, snow is known to fall occasionally in Pasadena. The heaviest snowfall in Pasadena history occurred on January 11, 1949; 8 inches (20.3 cm) fell at Pasadena's city hall and more than 14 inches (35.6 cm) fell in

2360-548: The find a secret, Berry code-named the area "Muscat" after the grape that Wilson grew. To raise funds to bring the company of people to San Pascual, Berry formed the Southern California Orange and Citrus Growers Association and sold stock in it. The newcomers were able to purchase a large portion of the property along the Arroyo Seco and on January 31, 1874, they incorporated the Indiana Colony . As

2419-399: The floats in the days after Christmas, their hands and clothes covered with glue and petals." The most perishable flowers are placed in small vials of water, which are placed onto the float individually. Over the almost 3 hours of the parade, floats, and participants travel over five miles (8.0 km) and pass by over one million viewers who traditionally camp out over New Year's Eve to have

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2478-413: The foothills above the city. The most recent snowfall in Pasadena was 1 inch (2.5 cm) on February 21, 2019. On November 30 and December 1, 2011, Pasadena, along with surrounding communities, was struck by a major windstorm caused by Santa Ana winds. The city suffered heavy damage with trees toppled, buildings damaged and even the roof of a gas station torn off. The official NOAA weather station for

2537-579: The nearby suburbs or the Inland Empire , causing an overall decrease in population. Despite these setbacks, many local artists and hipsters moved in to take advantage of low property values. Their legacy can be seen today in the Doo Dah Parade which began in 1976. In 2014, several arrests were made involving an embezzlement scheme which stole an estimated $ 6.4 million from the city's Underground Utility Program. The greater Pasadena area

2596-403: The northwest to Glassell Park in the southwest), Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual , (present-day central Pasadena, Altadena , and South Pasadena ), and Rancho Santa Anita (present-day east Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia). Rancho del Rincon de San Pascual was so named because it was deeded on Easter Sunday to Eulalia Perez de Guillén Mariné of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel . The last of

2655-675: The parade is now held in January. In 2011, after 33 years in Pasadena, the parade moved to East Pasadena for the first time. It features unusual and absurd entrants such as the BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, the Men of Leisure, and the Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin. Proceeds from the parade's pancake breakfast, T-shirts, and after-party are donated to charity. The Tournament of Roses also auditions local female high school students to be part of

2714-498: The population living below the federal poverty line. For people ages 25 and over, 88.3% had a high school degree or higher while 52.3% had a Bachelor's degree or higher. According to Mapping L.A. , Mexican and English were the most common ethnic ancestries cited by residents in 2000. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth. Old Town Pasadena spans 21 blocks downtown. It boasts shops and

2773-414: The population, down from 70.4% in 1970. The Census reported that 133,629 people (97.5% of the population) lived in households, 2,472 (1.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,021 (0.7%) were institutionalized. There were 55,270 households, out of which 14,459 (26.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 22,285 (40.3%) were married couples living together, 6,131 (11.1%) had

2832-535: The remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms pass by. In fact, some days in both July and August have never recorded rainfall. It is not impossible to go 6 months without measurable precipitation. The average highest temperature recorded each year is around 106 °F (41 °C). The hottest heatwaves of the year usually occur in mid to late September. By late October, temperatures drop off. By November, Pacific storms return to Pasadena, bringing increasingly heavy rain and cooler weather. Along with them, however, are

2891-576: The time I die, no one will care anyway." Pasadena, California Pasadena ( / ˌ p æ s ə ˈ d iː n ə / PAS -ə- DEE -nə ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California , United States, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles . It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley . Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its population

2950-625: The vicinity. Wilson, known as Don Benito to the local Indians, also owned the Rancho Jurupa ( Riverside, California ) and was mayor of Los Angeles . He was the grandfather of WWII General George S. Patton, Jr. and the namesake of Mount Wilson . In 1873, Wilson was visited by Dr. Daniel M. Berry of Indiana, who was looking for a place in the country that could offer a mild climate for his patients, most of whom suffered from respiratory ailments. Berry, an asthmatic, concluded that he had his best three nights' sleep at Rancho San Pascual. To keep

3009-530: The year, with temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C) possible April through early November. Pasadena averages 20.08 inches (510.0 mm) of rain a year, about 6 inches (150 mm) more than nearby Los Angeles due to the orographic effect created by the San Gabriel Mountains . The wettest "rain year" was from July 1940 to June 1941 with 46.32 inches (1,176.5 mm) and the driest from July 1960 to June 1961 with 7.18 inches (182.4 mm). Wet years are commonly associated with El Niño warm surface water in

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3068-426: Was 138,699 at the 2020 census , making it the 45th largest city in California and the ninth-largest city in Los Angeles County. Pasadena was incorporated on June 19, 1886, becoming one of the first cities to be incorporated in what is now Los Angeles County, following the city of Los Angeles (April 4, 1850). Pasadena is known for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade . It

3127-438: Was 2.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%. 64,306 people (46.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 69,323 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units . According to the 2010 United States Census, Pasadena had a median household income of $ 69,302, with 13.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line . During 2015–2019, Pasadena had a median household income of $ 83,068, with 14.5% of

3186-654: Was 3.18. The age distribution of the population was as follows: 26,507 people (19.3%) were under the age of 18, 12,609 people (9.2%) aged 18 to 24, 45,371 people (33.1%) aged 25 to 44, 34,073 people (24.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 18,562 people (13.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. There were 59,551 housing units at an average density of 2,574.8 units per square mile (994.1 units/km ), of which 24,863 (45.0%) were owner-occupied, and 30,407 (55.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate

3245-401: Was formed to take charge of the parade. In 1902, the association declared that a football game would be added to the day's events. This was the first post-season college football game to be played on New Year's Day and is known as, "The Grandaddy of Them All"; many other football stadiums followed suit. After two decades, the game outgrew its original facility, and a new stadium was constructed in

3304-642: Was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame . He is the President's Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design . He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Utah , the University of Louisville , and Bellarmine University . Asked if Jane Martin's identity will be revealed after her death, Jory has stated with a laugh, "That's a press conference no one will come to. By

3363-487: Was terminated once the fledgling theater hit rough financial waters. In 1969, Jory took over the helm of Actors Theatre of Louisville , a small regional theater just five years old. Under his leadership, it became one of the top theaters in the country. Jory's major accomplishment was the foundation and cultivation of the annual Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, beginning in 1976. It has since produced

3422-488: Was the first school in the United States to offer professional education in the field of acting. Point Loma Nazarene University was located in Pasadena for many years before relocating to San Diego County , and retained the names Pasadena University and Pasadena College. In 1969, the Pasadena Unified School District was desegregated, though the issue would continue to be fought in court for

3481-530: Was widely considered a twin city to Los Angeles. The first of the hotels to be established in Pasadena was the Raymond (1886) atop Bacon Hill, renamed Raymond Hill after construction.The original Mansard Victorian 200-room facility burned down on Easter morning of 1895, was rebuilt in 1903, and razed during the Great Depression to make way for residential development. The Maryland Hotel existed from

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