It was made by the Onondaga Pottery Company and retailed by hotel suppliers L. Barth & Son of New York. The center well of the plate features a beautifully tinted engraved transfer image of the hotel with trees in the foreground. The detail is exquisite with awnings, balconies, and brickwork patterns clearly visible. The colors are gorgeous. It is signed on the back with a beautiful cobalt blue backstamp that reads, The Viking, Made Expressly for the Weldon, Greenfield, Mass. Barth & Son, New York, 5-1-09, O. There is an impressed mark showing 99 in a circle that equates to a December 1911 date of production. The Weldon Hotel is a historic former hotel at 54 High Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1905 and enlarged several times, it was one of the first poured concrete buildings in the United States, and was one of Greenfield’s grandest hotels of the early 20th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The former Weldon Hotel stands in what is a mainly residential area northeast of downtown Greenfield, on the west side of High Street. It is a five-story structure, built out of poured and block concrete on a raised basement. It is framed in iron, with floors and walls of poured concrete finished in blocks of varying texture. The lower levels have rusticated finish, and the upper levels have a smooth finish. Bowed window bays project at the building corners, and there are balconies in some side-facing units. The hotel was designed by William B. Reid, an architect from Holyoke. The first part of the building was built in 1905 as an apartment house, but was converted into a hotel in 1907. Wells, the proprietor, was thought to be overly ambitious in operating such a large hotel, but his business eventually improved in the 1910s with the opening of the Mohawk Trail. It is said the name “Weldon” comes as a contraction of “Well Done”. In 1914 Wells added a dining room on the north side of the building, and in 1927 added sixty rooms above that addition. When traffic on the Mohawk Trail went into decline, the hotel also declined, and closed in 1977. The building has since been converted into a senior living facility. It is in very good antique condition, especially considering it is over a century old. There are no chips, cracks, or repairs. The surface is smooth and glossy throughout, front and back. It doesn’t look like it’s ever been in a dishwasher, there is no surface dulling or haziness. There are a few scattered light scratches/scuffs/stacking marks (photos 21 & 22 are closeup examples). I don’t see any knife cuts. It is a superb example that is ready for display, no excuses. The pictures are the best indicator as to condition, please use the zoom feature and check them out. It’s about 9-5/8 in diameter. (Note: measurements are approximate). The items we sell are vintage or antique, and as such they will show varying signs of age and wear i. Abrasions, dings, patina, etc. We do our best to describe all of our items, but often we don’t overstate the obvious signs of age that are inherent in vintage items. Please view all the photographs closely as they are important elements in the item’s description. We do not sell “on approval”. We make every attempt to provide accurate information pertaining to condition so sales are final. International Buyers – Please Note. We will be happy to provide additional information as needed. We are here to help.
