These photos from negatives from the Altoona Public Library show the elegant dining room at some time from 1889-1903. The first has an odd, paper person with a top hat looking over from swinging doors.

The second shows some apparatus on the wall, showing numbers and potentially lights (the hotel had electricity and a 6 outlet plug is on the wall as well). It could have been for keys, a system to identify which tables had orders ready, or possibly for room service.

A newspaper article the Altoona Tribune, July 27, 1889 (during the hotel’s first month of operation) shows an elaborate menu, including huckleberry pie, and reduced prices for “supper,” the evening meal.

The Altoona Tribune in August of 1889, also soon after open, mentions the addition of Chicken and Waffles.