rare c. 1930's original and intact ceiling mount interior hotel st. george lobby illuminated informational and/or directional sign designed and patented by victor weidner for the viking products corp., new york city, ny. the double-sided sign consists of a black enameled oblong box equipped with standard light bulbs. each side carries interchangeable molded glass letters. the surrounding crown or headed is comprised of brass. the embossed letters are surrounded by thin metal panels containing an old red (possibly original) paint finish. hotel st. george, once the largest hotel in new york city, was located in brooklyn heights. today, it is a landmarked building in the first historically landmarked neighborhood in new york. its various constituent buildings, mostly surviving, were built between 1885 and 1929, although it no longer operates as a hotel. the building was located just one stop from manhattan, atop the clark street subway station, on the irt broadway – seventh avenue line. the subway entrance still operates inside the hotel itself, right before the main door leading to the no longer operating ballroom and check-in. in the pre-world-war-ii era, the st. george was a popular venue for society gatherings, weddings and celebrations, and a stomping ground for such celebrities as f. scott fitzgerald, johnny weismuller, the olympic swimmer and star of tarzan movies, and others who ventured over the east river to dine at the hotel's restaurants, to dance and socialize in its ballroom, and to take in the unrivalled view of manhattan from its upper floors and roof terrace. the hotel boasted an enormous ballroom and a 120-foot natural salt water swimming pool. in its heyday, the hotel had 2,632 guest rooms, one thousand full-time employees, could accommodate nearly three thousand people for a dance, and could provide food for seven thousand guests at any one time. as a hotel, and as a venue for meetings and celebrations, the st. george thrived in the 1920s and 1930s and into and beyond world war ii. during and after the war, and during the korean war, the hotel provided lodging for troops and their families en route to or returning from military assignments. the need for this type of lodging declined after the war and declined further with the loss of army and navy stations in brooklyn during the late 1940s and 1950s. concomitant with this was a decline in the popularity of the hotel, particularly as a site for weddings and social functions in the 1950s and 1960s as venues in manhattan and the suburbs become more popular. between 1963 and 1968, the hotel was sold several times, often with difficulty and under threat of foreclosure, sometimes involving complex lawsuits and bankruptcy proceedings. its occupancy rates continued to dwindle and, by 1975, only about one-third of its 2,000 rooms were occupied, some sections or whole floors were unused and in poor repair, and the hotel employed only 40 full-time staff. the last remaining portion of the hotel operating as such was burnt down in a fire in august, 1995 although its signage remains for historical purposes. the st. george is not a single building but a collection of structures built during phases. the st. george occupied a full city block bounded by clark street, pineapple street, hicks street and henry street. the main building, st. george tower is the most visible portion of the complex at over 30 stories tall. this section of the structure is now a residential cooperative building.