Ghost Signs of NYC: Horn & Hardart Automat

Book Excerpt

Horn & Hardart Automat, 977 Eighth Avenue, 1936. Courtesy of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, New York Public Library

Ghost signs hold the secrets of businesses and products that vanished decades ago. Clues to our jobs, schools, places of worship, cafes, and concert halls are hidden in their stories. Forgotten brands, obsolete technologies, and surprising discoveries revealed during renovations are featured in the new book, Ghost Signs 2: Clues to Uptown New York’s Past.

In this excerpt, a reminder of one of New York’s most famous restaurant chains in hiding in plain sight in Midtown. Just be sure to look up.

Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened their first Automat in Philadelphia in 1902; ten years later, Times Square was the site of the first Automat in New York. Automats featured walls of small glass windows displaying prepared food. Customers fed a few nickels into a slot to enjoy favorites like macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and creamed spinach.

146 West 38th Street. ©Frank Mastropolo

“For all the good food, the Automat’s real secret weapon was its coffee,” noted Smithsonian magazine. “The Automat’s smooth aromatic brew flowed regally from ornate brass spigots in the shape of dolphin heads.”