A few days ago, workers renovating the exterior of a corner building at Eighth Avenue and 25th Street uncovered a relic of old New York.
It’s the faint letters spelling out an old sign for Utah House, a hotel that existed as early as the 1850s and served as a meeting place for political conventions and trade groups.
But Utah House’s most dramatic moment came during the Orange Riots of 1871.
On July 12, crowds of Irish Catholics clashed with a group of Irish Protestants (“Orangemen”), who were marching down Eighth Avenue on the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, which established Protestant rule in Ireland in 1690.
More than 60 people died. Spectators watched the carnage from the hotel’s front steps.
“The Utah House, on the north-east corner of Eighth-Avenue and Twenty-fifth-street, is among the buildings which bear conspicuous evidence of having been chipped by the musket balls,” wrote The New York Times on July 13 in a chronicle of the violence.
[Thanks to the Ephemeral readers who tipped me off about the sign and Joe R. for the link to the illustration]
Tags: Eighth Avenue riot, famous riots 19th century, Irish in New York, Old hotels New York City, old New York signs, Orange Riots 1871, Utah House hotel sign
Ephemeral New York 
May 25, 2013 at 12:49 pm |
Great care should be taken in describing “Orangemen” as “Irish Protestants”. That is like describing the KKK as American Protestants. Indeed, many Irish Protestants of good will revile the Orangemen.
The Orange Order is a fraternal, sectarian, anti-Catholic organization, which often uses violence to further its goals of “keeping the Taigs in their place.”
E.g., when Irish nationalists at the turn of the last century sought independence from England, Randolph Churchill, Winston’s father, famously used the phrase, “It’s time to play the Orange card”, meaning its time to turn the violent bigots loose on the nationalists.
Incidentally, this phrase led to the use of “playing the … card”, as in “playing the race card”, etc.
May 25, 2013 at 1:13 pm |
In fact, if you want to see the Orangemen in action today, view this news video, where thousands of them attempted to storm a Catholic Church in Northern Ireland that was being protected by the police and British army. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I55Oph8eMFU
Although nominally claiming to be pro-British, the Orangemen had no problem throwing nail bombs and bricks at the security forces.
The Orange Order is still also strong in Scotland, and my parents local Catholic Chuch is regularly the victim of graffiti and broken windows by Orange fanatics.
So, the 19th century Orange Riots in NYC should not be mistaken as a riot between a bunch of mad Irish, but, rather, oppressed people defending themselves against sectarian racists.
I noticed that a similar post here last year on the Orange Riots described them as “Irish Protestants”, and there were comments correcting that error. I am surprised it is still being repeated.
Next time, “sectarian bigots” might be a better choice.
May 25, 2013 at 2:15 pm |
What a very, very cool find. Let’s hope it doesn’t get ripped off the facade with this current storefront work.
May 25, 2013 at 3:02 pm |
Fantastic! Anyone have any idea when the Utah House closed, and therefore how long the sign has been covered up?
May 25, 2013 at 4:16 pm |
Judging by the off-center/justified right location of the newly found sign, it looks like it’s the same sign in the 1871 illustration. Wow, I wonder how long that’s been covered up?
May 25, 2013 at 9:16 pm |
IMO, this is the best sign reveal you’ve ever posted!
May 26, 2013 at 2:59 am |
This is incredible. I’ve got to see this for myself.
May 26, 2013 at 7:11 am |
[…] of! [NYT] · Ben Shaoul’s Cabrini Center rental conversion launches website [EVG] · Renovation reveals historic hotel sign [ENY] · Cooper Union students are still occupying the president’s office [NYT] · A […]
May 26, 2013 at 11:25 pm |
I am working on some research on a damaged label on an old steamer trunk. I am confident it is an old hotel that was at 14 east 60th street, probably in the 1920’s. Do you happen to know what hotel that could be?
I am so glad I found your blog in my search for info on the truck. I look forward to future posts.
May 29, 2013 at 3:44 pm |
Hope they don’t destroy it with the planned remodelling.
June 24, 2013 at 5:47 pm |
This is cool!
July 23, 2013 at 10:11 am |
AWESOME!!! Traveling to NYC in a couple days and staying right down the street at the Sheraton 4 Points.on 25th. A very quick walk will have me there. Can’t wait to check it out.
July 23, 2013 at 1:44 pm |
Unfortunately, they’ve covered it up with plywood.
August 22, 2013 at 12:20 am |
[…] some vintage signs near Eighth Avenue have returned into view, serving as unexpected glimpses of this once not-so-hot neighborhood’s small-business […]
September 25, 2017 at 4:47 am |
[…] lettering reminded me of the faded outline of the old sign for Utah House, a hotel from the 1850s at Eighth Avenue and 25th Street—which came back into view briefly in […]