Back in the day, heisting a wooden hotel or motel hanger printed with the name of the hotel to remind you of your stay was an almost impossible temptation to resist. Hotels didn’t encourage you to slip one into your suitcase, but it was an anticipated loss line in the budget. Hotel owners knew that heisted hangers were brand ambassadors in the heister’s closet. Every time you used the hanger, you remembered what a nice time you had during your stay. And since vintage wooden hotel hangers were built to last, they continue to be brand ambassadors for new generations, even if the hotel itself is no more.
The classic “wishbone” hanger, with sloped arms replicating the job your shoulders do, was invented around 1906 and became a standard amenity in hotel rooms. Hotels loved them because they were strong enough to hold a winter coat, could be printed with the hotel name as an advertisement and lasted virtually forever, unless they fell into someone’s suitcase.
The golden era for vintage wooden hotel hangers was the 1930s-1960s when practically every hotel and motor court had them. It was a symbol of a prosperous business, like branded stationery in the drawer and brand printed matches in a possibly brand printed ashtray.
Nothing gold can stay. And so it was that plastic brought about the end of wooden hangers in moderate and budget priced hotels. Early 1950s plastic hangers were brittle and largely used for kids clothing. By the mid 60s, plastic hangers were as durable and sturdy as wood at a fraction of the cost.
Some hotels continued to use wood, but changed to hookless hangers. Instead of a curved hook to rest on the closet pole, these hangers had a stick with a ball that fit into a sliding ring on the closet pole. Hookless hangers were useless at home. Another version of that are hooks that are so tiny they only fit the hotel closet pole and not your closet pole at home.
One place wooden hangers never left and continue to thrive are luxury hotels, where they’re a symbol of exclusive status.
Why Collect Vintage Wooden Hotel Hangers?
Because they’re a collection you can use. The hotel owners who thought them a wise business investment for their durability were right. Made of hardwoods like maple and beech, with a sturdy metal hook, there are many available on the vintage market, some 80 or 90 years old and still going strong. I have a hanger from the Hotel Manger, once adjacent to Boston’s North Station, a family relic from the days when my dad worked teaching train engineers how to drive diesel locomotives and my mom traveled with him. It can’t be any younger than just after WWII.
Vintage Wooden Hotel Hangers as Historical Artifacts
With hangers hanging around from nearly the entire 20th century, some of them are going to be from places that don’t exist anymore. Some have clues as to age if they have phone numbers with old area codes or no area codes and letters in the exchange. Others can be investigated on the internet.
The Drake New York hanger came from the legendary hotel, built in 1926 and located at 440 Park Ave and 56th Street. The hanger dates from 1960-1975, based on the name and the script writing. During the time this hanger hung in one of its closets, the The Drake’s nightclub, Shepheard’s, was New York’s first discotheque, made fashionable by the celebrities it attracted. In the 70s, it was the hotel of choice for The Who and Led Zeppelin, The latter had $203,000 in cash stolen from the hotel safe deposit box (it was never recovered). The Drake was demolished in 2007. Pix here.
The Mayflower Inn was a landmark grande dame in Plymouth, MA, hosting high society, politicians and presidents. It was a formal establishment, with guest strutting about in furs even during the summer. It lost some of it’s luster in the 1960s, when highways made road trips more appealing. Damaged by fire in 1973, a second fire in 1977 led to the hotel being razed. Pix here.
The Versailles Hotel in Miami Beach was built in 1940 as a tower. A 132 room wing was added in 1955. The hotel closed in 2013, the wing was demolished in 2015 as part of a plan to restore the tower. Although permission to restore the tower and build a second one was given in 2020, nothing has been started. Pix here.
There is no official vintage wooden hotel hanger collectors society, but there is an Old Coat Hanger public group on Facebook.
