Color postcard of the Peacock Room (now the site of the Nob Hill Spa in the Huntington Hotel)
Here’s a copy/paste of an email from Peter Mintun, pianist.
Dear Ron,
In case these have disappeared from Huntington files, I had copy negatives made of a few things Newton lent me years ago. I also had the original magazine ads that featured the Zebra Room, which offered, for a time, a Hammond organist named George Stuart Veach or Veitch at the keyboard. The Zebra Room was narrow and had a small entrance from the Hotel lobby, and probably a larger entrance where L'Etoile's big glass door was next to the driveway. "Zebra Room" had a great sort of panache to the name. I'm told that soldiers frequented it during the War, and that it was a place where discreet arrangements could be made between young men. It's interesting how little information is included in the old ad copy. Not even so much as a street address or telephone number! Of course we all know the phone number was GRaystone 4-5400.
Anyway, I am scanning my collections of paper things and thought I should send these off to you.
Best wishes,
Peter Mintun
P.S. The Zebra Room and Huntington Hotel advertisements date from the issue of December 1942 of San Francisco Life, a tourist/society magazine that often featured the artwork of Tony Sotomayor on the covers. I believe Sotomayor's murals are to be found inside Grace Cathedral.
PM

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