Frank Case
Encyclopedia
Frank Case was an American hotelier and author. He owned and managed the Algonquin Hotel
during the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table
and wrote a number of books about his experiences with the hotel and the Round Tablers.
Case worked at the Algonquin from the time it opened in 1902. It was Case who came up with the hotel's name. The original owner had wanted to call it "The Puritan." In 1907 Case took over the lease and became manager, eventually buying the hotel in 1927 for $1,000,000. He remained owner and manager of the Algonquin until his death in 1946.
and learned his hotelier skills at the Genesee Hotel there: he had to stay up all night by roaming the hotel on roller skates.
Case was married twice. His first wife, Caroline Eckert Case, died in 1908 giving birth to the couple's second child, a boy named Carroll. Nine years following Caroline's death, Case married a woman he referred to as "Hebe" in his books. Case's elder child was the author Margaret Case Harriman, who among other books wrote a memoir of the Algonquin Round Table entitled The Vicious Circle. His son Carroll married actress Josephine Dunn
, with whom he would remain until his death in 1978.
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
during the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table
Algonquin Round Table
The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel from 1919 until roughly 1929...
and wrote a number of books about his experiences with the hotel and the Round Tablers.
Case worked at the Algonquin from the time it opened in 1902. It was Case who came up with the hotel's name. The original owner had wanted to call it "The Puritan." In 1907 Case took over the lease and became manager, eventually buying the hotel in 1927 for $1,000,000. He remained owner and manager of the Algonquin until his death in 1946.
Personal life
In a live appearance on the Royal Gelatine Hour radio show on June 17, 1937, Case told Rudy Valee that he grew up in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and learned his hotelier skills at the Genesee Hotel there: he had to stay up all night by roaming the hotel on roller skates.
Case was married twice. His first wife, Caroline Eckert Case, died in 1908 giving birth to the couple's second child, a boy named Carroll. Nine years following Caroline's death, Case married a woman he referred to as "Hebe" in his books. Case's elder child was the author Margaret Case Harriman, who among other books wrote a memoir of the Algonquin Round Table entitled The Vicious Circle. His son Carroll married actress Josephine Dunn
Josephine Dunn
Josephine Dunn was an early American film actress of the 1920s and 1930s.Born in New York City, Dunn began her career in Hollywood with a small role alongside Thelma Todd in the 1926 film Fascinating Youth. Dunn became associated with what would become known as the "Algonquin Round Table", which...
, with whom he would remain until his death in 1978.