Latest news with #Victor's
Sydney Morning Herald
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
One of the world's most beautiful art deco hotels is not where you'd expect
Shanghai may be a modern metropolis, but deep in its architectural soul it will always be an art deco city. In the 1920s and '30s, thousands of apartment buildings, offices, hotels, cinemas, clubs, department stores and civic buildings were built in what was then known as the 'modern style', part of a movement towards modernisation reflected in everything from transport to fashion, graphic design and furniture. Despite the rapid development of the past three decades, many of them are still standing. Art deco's distinctive ziggurats, speed lines and curves are everywhere. 'You just have to look up,' says Tina Kanagaratnam, co-founder of Historic Shanghai, a group devoted to recording and celebrating Shanghai's unique history. One of the most famous of all these buildings is the Peace Hotel. Commissioned by British tycoon Victor Sassoon and completed in 1929, the hotel was promoted as the most luxurious hotel in the east. As well as exquisite furnishings and interior design, it also had such radical innovations as indoor plumbing, air-conditioning and a sprung floor for dancing. The hotel lived up to the hype, immediately becoming the place to stay or be seen in Shanghai. Its jazz club was said to be the social hub of the city. Kanagaratnam takes me on an impromptu tour, pointing out some of the easily missed original stained-glass windows. In one of them you can make out the word 'Cathay', the original name of the hotel from the old European word for China. The level of detail in this space alone is extraordinary, from the sculptures and artworks reflecting the free-flowing fashion of the day to elaborate staircases and decorative ironwork, tiles and marble. It's also home to coffee shop Victor's and the Jasmine Lounge, where you can book in for afternoon tea and dine on delicate cakes and sandwiches while a pianist plays on the hotel's original Steinway. The Old Jazz Bar, behind a timber door with a grill, is an atmospheric space with a long timber bar, small stage, and clothed tables. Every night, anyone can sip a cocktail and listen to the band and guest singers. After our walk around the hotel and the local neighbourhood, where we spot many other deco masterpieces, Kanagaratnam leaves me to check in. I've been staying in the hotel equivalent of a musty cupboard for three nights and the cost of my one night in the cheapest available room at the Peace Hotel ($564) is almost double those three nights combined, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Tonight, I'll be sleeping in a building once graced by Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich and, more recently, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau. They each stayed in one of the hotel's nine original Nation Suites, and it's easy to imagine them at home in these elaborately decorated, glamorous spaces. My room is merely the standard level of uber luxury – in art deco style yet thoroughly modernised with an enormous bathroom, coffee station, walk-in closet and the elegance, light and high ceilings the era was famous for.
The Age
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
One of the world's most beautiful art deco hotels is not where you'd expect
Shanghai may be a modern metropolis, but deep in its architectural soul it will always be an art deco city. In the 1920s and '30s, thousands of apartment buildings, offices, hotels, cinemas, clubs, department stores and civic buildings were built in what was then known as the 'modern style', part of a movement towards modernisation reflected in everything from transport to fashion, graphic design and furniture. Despite the rapid development of the past three decades, many of them are still standing. Art deco's distinctive ziggurats, speed lines and curves are everywhere. 'You just have to look up,' says Tina Kanagaratnam, co-founder of Historic Shanghai, a group devoted to recording and celebrating Shanghai's unique history. One of the most famous of all these buildings is the Peace Hotel. Commissioned by British tycoon Victor Sassoon and completed in 1929, the hotel was promoted as the most luxurious hotel in the east. As well as exquisite furnishings and interior design, it also had such radical innovations as indoor plumbing, air-conditioning and a sprung floor for dancing. The hotel lived up to the hype, immediately becoming the place to stay or be seen in Shanghai. Its jazz club was said to be the social hub of the city. Kanagaratnam takes me on an impromptu tour, pointing out some of the easily missed original stained-glass windows. In one of them you can make out the word 'Cathay', the original name of the hotel from the old European word for China. The level of detail in this space alone is extraordinary, from the sculptures and artworks reflecting the free-flowing fashion of the day to elaborate staircases and decorative ironwork, tiles and marble. It's also home to coffee shop Victor's and the Jasmine Lounge, where you can book in for afternoon tea and dine on delicate cakes and sandwiches while a pianist plays on the hotel's original Steinway. The Old Jazz Bar, behind a timber door with a grill, is an atmospheric space with a long timber bar, small stage, and clothed tables. Every night, anyone can sip a cocktail and listen to the band and guest singers. After our walk around the hotel and the local neighbourhood, where we spot many other deco masterpieces, Kanagaratnam leaves me to check in. I've been staying in the hotel equivalent of a musty cupboard for three nights and the cost of my one night in the cheapest available room at the Peace Hotel ($564) is almost double those three nights combined, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Tonight, I'll be sleeping in a building once graced by Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich and, more recently, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau. They each stayed in one of the hotel's nine original Nation Suites, and it's easy to imagine them at home in these elaborately decorated, glamorous spaces. My room is merely the standard level of uber luxury – in art deco style yet thoroughly modernised with an enormous bathroom, coffee station, walk-in closet and the elegance, light and high ceilings the era was famous for.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Victor's Taco Shop to open second location in Springfield
Apr. 8—Victor's Taco Shop is opening a second location in Springfield at 10 a.m. Friday, April 11. Those who visit the restaurant during its first month of opening, will be entered into a raffle for a $500 check. The winner will be announced May 11. The fast-food, Mexican restaurant is located at 1200 N. Bechtle Ave. in the former space of Rapid Fired Pizza. The pizza shop closed in February 2024 after it had been seeking to hire a new owner operator. Jonathan Gaytan, co-owner of Victor's Taco Shop, said they wanted to open a restaurant on the other side of town that was closer to Wittenberg University and the highway. Victor's other restaurant location in Springfield is located at 1929 E. Main St. The 2,000 square foot building will feature a dine-in area with seating for around 60 people. There will not be a drive-thru, but customers will be able to place an order next month and get it brought out to them — similar to what Olive Garden does. Victor's is known for offering the same quality food as a traditional sit-down Mexican restaurant, Gaytan said. Customer favorites include Carne Asada Fries, Breakfast Burritos, Birria Tacos, Super Nachos and Taco Bowls. Victor's is now serving margaritas and domestic canned and bottle beers at its location in Washington Twp. Gaytan said he plans to apply for a liquor license for the new Springfield location and eventually offer these types of beverages at their other existing locations. Gaytan is in the midst of building a food truck to sit at their Lima store, which burnt down in February. They do have plans to rebuild, but that's expected to be done by the end of this year. The food truck will then be used for festivals or large catering orders The Springfield Victor's will be open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. This is Victor's 16th location. In the future, Victor's hopes to expand to Cincinnati and open a location in Vandalia and another in Columbus. For more information, visit or the restaurant's Facebook page.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former downtown bar Victor's sells for $1 million to group led by Poblocki Paving president
The former home of longtime downtown Milwaukee bar Victor's has been sold for $1 million to an area real estate investor. The single-story, 5,752-square-foot building, at 1230 N. Van Buren St., is now owned by a group led by Greg Kastenholz, president of New Berlin-based Poblocki Paving Corp., according to public records. Kastenholz couldn't be immediately reached for comment on his plans for the 0.44-acre property. The seller was the Mary Ann G. Jones Revocable Trust, according to a deed posted online by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. The buyer was 1230 Van Buren, which lists Kastenholz as its registered agent. The former bar and restaurant was listed at $1.7 million by Colliers, a commercial real estate services firm, at the time of its sale. Victor's ended its 60-year run with a 24-hour party that had last call on New Year's Day. Victor Jones, who died in 2021, operated the bar for several decades. It was later operated by his sons, Jim, John and Vic Jones. Victor Jones' father operated The Green Parrot bar on East State Street beginning in the 1940s. Victor Jones took over that bar in the 1960s, and renamed it after himself. It moved to Van Buren Street to make way for construction of Juneau Village apartments. Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@ and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Milwaukee bar Victor's sells for $1 million to local investor
