Category:Metropole Cafe

The Metropole Cafe was located at 837 Hamilton Street in Allentown. It opened in 1893 as the Grand Central Cafe, part of the Grand Central Hotel, owned by J.W. Barner.

In the spring of 1902, the Grand Central Hotel was purchased by Charles and Max Hess, who had previously rented part of the hotel for their department store. The cafe, however, was not part of that sale, and Barner changed its name to the Metropole Cafe. Barner hired Harvey Oscar Hess as the main bartender of the Metropole who had much experience in running the bar and as a business manager for the Cafe. The cafe officially opened to the public on 25 August 1902. It served Nudigs, Kostenbader's and Wurtzburger Hofbrau beer on tap.

In April 1905 Barner sold the cafe to Hass. Haas was born on 29 March 1874 in Allentown, first working at a silk mill at the age of twelve in 1886. He then worked at the Yeager Furniture Company, and the American Steel and Wire Company. Hass remodeled the cafe and also began to use a large white rabbit as an advertising icon, which was placed on the sidewalk during operating hours. In addition, the cafe also had an electric sign with illuminated little white rabbits around the perimeter of it and the lights alternately flashed to give the appearance that the rabbits were hopping around the edge of the sign.

Haas was an enthusiastic sportsman, and would frequently go on hunting trips to Maine and Canada to hunt and fish. Inside the Metropole, was a vast collection of firearms owned by Haas, as well as various game animals and fish which he had taxidermied. The cafe with a large bar, also offered food at table service and pool tables for customer recreation.

The Metropole closed in April 1919 due to the upcoming Volstead Act which outlawed the sale of most alcoholic beverages. Hass sold the bar to the F. & W. Grand Silver 5 & 10 Store, which moved to the northeast corner of 9th and Hamilton Street in 1915. Haas then worked as head of the sporting goods department of the Hersh Hardware store. In 1925, he took charge of the Dorney Park Hotel, where he lived for several years until passing at age 54 in December 1928.