SALE Greenbrier Hotel china white rhododendron ash tray ca. 1950s - FREE U.S.A.POSTAGE!

Collectibles : Railroadiana : Dining Car Items : China : Ashtray : Greenbrier Hotel

 

A Rhododendron flower spray graces the center of this hotel china ashtray from the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was made by Shenango China between 1954 and 1963, and is beautiful white restaurantware or hotel weight china, 5 inches across with 4 smoking wells around the rim. Bright and beautiful, with even its original “Greenbrier Shoppe” sticker on the bottom -- it is in pristine, like new condition except for a tiny, 1/4 inch very shallow flake on the bottom rim that doesn’t show unless it’s picked up and turned over.

The Greenbrier, begun in 1778 as a curative spring, has an intriguing history. It was owned for many years by the Chesapeake & Ohio ( C&O ) Railroad, then purchased by the U. S. Army during World War II for conversion to a hospital.

After the war, noted interior designer Dorothy Draper (1889-1969) completely restyled the facility. The renovations reflected her bold, grandiose style that incorporated very bright, eyecatching colors. Included in Ms. Draper's designs was a colorful new china pattern incorporating the rhododendron, West Virginia’s state flower, which is much beloved by hotel china collectors. This ware is instantly recognizable by its intense lime green and pink on stark white china.

More recently, the CSX railroad purchased the facility and still runs it as a popular resort.

This ash tray would be a stunning addition to any collection of vintage resort hotel ware, especially RR operated facilities. It is also a good tobacciana smoking collectible.

Item ID: 2003-00445