LITERARY - NEW YORK CITY - Café Lafayette - POEM:  The historic Café Lafayette was located inside the Hotel Lafayette at University Place and East 9th Street in Greenwich Village. Founded in 1902 by French immigrant Raymond Orteig, it became a legendary cultural hub for French expats, artists, writers, and World War I aviators before closing in 1949 and being demolished in the 1950s.

Origins and Management

-  Raymond Orteig: Started as a busboy and waiter at the original Hotel Martin before buying it in 1902 and renaming it.

-  The Orteig Prize: Raymond Orteig is famously tied to aviation history for offering the $25,000 Orteig Prize won by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 for his nonstop New York-to-Paris flight.

-  Family Run: Orteig retired in 1929, and his sons managed the property until it closed.

Cultural Significance

-  Bohemian Hub: Writer John Reed called it the true link between the old and new Greenwich Village, serving as a cradle for early artistic life.

-  Literary Patronage: Frequented by notable figures, including writer Dawn Powell and poet E.B. White, who famously described the café as a peaceful, unmodernized sanctuary with strong chicory coffee.

-  WWI Era: Served as a primary gathering place for French and American military aviators during and after World War I.

POEM -  The Café Lafayette by Tom Towne:

"THERE'S a café down in Ninth Street,

In the center of the town—

Its atmosphere 's Parisian,

Its cuisine has renown.

The only haunt of bygone days…"

This White Border Era (1915-30) postcard is in good condition.  E. C. Kropp. Milwaukee, Wis.  No. 13016.