Category:Windsor Hotel, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Opened in 1894, the Windsor was located at 821 Hamilton St., owned by Joseph F. Gehringer, an immigrant from Wurttemberg, Germany. The Windsor was essentially an old-fashioned saloon with a small hotel upstairs. According to its ads, the Windsor offered wine, liquor and cigars. You could get your shoes shined there, too. And there was the added attraction of bowling alleys. Gehringer operated it for twelve years before selling the property to James J. Powers in 1906. Mr Powers operated the cafe and hotel until September 1917 when it was sold. With the Windsor's closing, the property was renovated and operated as a retail store. The building, consisting of 815, 817, 819 and 821 Hamilton was used as retail storefronts and professional offices and storage for the next eighty years, going through many owners. The building was torn down around 2000 along with the Hess Brothers and H.L.Green stores. Today it is a grassy lot.