Hoeffner's East Meadow Hotel

Last week's article explored the German-American proprietors of small hotels in East Meadow, which included members of the Alsheimer and Schultze families.  Though not considerably larger than other local establishments, the East Meadow Hotel at the intersection of Prospect and Newbridge (East Meadow) avenues became the most well-known hotel in East Meadow and, partly as a result, the center of activity on the southern side of the district.  State liquor license documents from 1908 and 1914 list the address as Smithville South and West roads.  The hotel was commonly known as the Noon Inn, since that family owned and operated the property in the mid-19^th century, but was under the control of its last owners, the Hoeffner Family, for the longest.  In fact, a small sign located at the property today calls it "Hoeffner's Corner."

Heinrich (Henry) Schultze sold the property to Andrew and Elizabeth Hoeffner in January 1914.   The Hoeffners moved from Fosters Meadow, a German farming community near Elmont, and took over operations of the two-story, six-room East Meadow Hotel, selling Welz & Zerweck Beer at the impressive first-floor bar until Prohibition (1920-1933).  In 1922, hotel manager Joseph Friar was arrested with keeping a "disorderly" house.  He was released on $1,500 bail after pleading not guilty.  Since the nation turned "dry" and hotels were dependent on income from the sale of beverages to both travelers and regular customers, the Hoeffners returned full-time to farming while raising their seven boys (Edward, Andrew Jr., Ralph, Clifford, Walter, Arthur, and Raymond) and two girls (Helen and Matilda) in the historic house. 

East Meadow farmers, including the Hoeffners, were mostly "market" or "truck" farmers, regularly taking their goods by mule, horse, and later motor vehicle to the Wallabout Market in order to sell to customers in New York City.  The market was located at the site of the current Brooklyn Navy Yard on Wallabout Bay.  Like many other farmers of the Hempstead Plains area, the Hoeffners crop included an ample amount of potatoes.  Throughout the years, Andrew P. Hoeffner, Sr., worked between eight and 150 acres.  In good times, he rented part of the Barnum property to increase his yield and profits.  One of the most iconic photographs of "early" East Meadow is of a hunting party posing in front of the East Meadow Hotel during the Hoeffner years.  This oft-reproduced picture can be seen in several nearby businesses, in both original and edited forms.

The Hoeffner property was important to civic functions within the prewar community:  East Meadow Hall, used for social and political functions and strongly connected to the Methodist Episcopal Church across the street, sat on the southern edge of their lands.  This building had been the 1868 schoolhouse when it was located up the avenue at Front Street.  By the 1950s, the Hoeffner family members turned to construction with their ACE (Andrew, Clifford, Edward) Hoeffner Contracting Company and the property was used to store materials for their projects.  The family built the East Meadow Post Office on the southern edge of their property in 1952, just north of East Meadow Hall, and leased the land to the Federal Government.  Previously, mail would be delivered by Rural Free Delivery from Hempstead and Hicksville.  The branch was technically an extension of the Hempstead Post Office until 2001.

The hotel building itself began falling into disrepair.  In 1962, Clifford Hoeffner, now fully engaged in the contracting business with his brothers, looked to dispose of the hotel.  He offered it to the East Meadow Union Free School District, as long as the trustees agreed not to tear down the historic building.  Seeing educational value in the property, school district officials considered the offer, but legal experts advised against the transaction.  In October of that year, Mr. Hoeffner offered to give away the house – and give $500 in cash! – to anybody willing to move the old building and preserve it as a museum.  Ultimately, the Town of Hempstead took the land by eminent domain in 1963 and the building was moved to the Old Bethpage Village Restoration, where it serves root beer to many school children as "Noon Inn," reminiscent of 1850s East Meadow.  Veterans Memorial Park (Prospect Pool) was built in its stead.

The Hoeffners were close to their neighbors, Charles and Emma Steck and John and Anna Moskowski, and their extended families.  Dr. Raymond Hoeffner, Jr. still owns a home in East Meadow and has been instrumental in the preservation and of local history and the furtherance of genealogical research.

© Scott Eckers

Dr. Scott Eckers is the author of East Meadow (in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series). He is a trustee on the East Meadow Board of Education and serves as a teacher and administrator in a nearby school district. He is also an entertainer and recording artist.