Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Horn and Hardart Records
Hardart, Paul
Hardart, Tom
Horn and Hardart.
NMAH.AC.0922
Archival Resource Key
2.5 Cubic feet
9 boxes
1895-2002
The collection documents the Horn and Hardart chain of restaurants and retail stores.
English
.
Scope and Contents note
The collection includes the business records for the Horn and Hardart chain of restaurants and retail stores. The records include business correspondence, photographs, annual reports, operating manuals, sales materials, and printed materials, such as employee newsletters and clippings. The collection documents changes in marketing, in restaurant technology, in customer feedback and in editing habits in urban areas in the United States. Documents changes in marketing, restaurant technology and service styles, evolution of food options based on customer feedback and eating habits in urban areas in the United States.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in chronological order. The collection is arranged into 8 series.
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1895-1987
Series 2: Financial Records, 1911-1979
Series 3: Horn and Hardart Family Papers, 1901-1987
Subseries 3.1: Joseph V. Horn, 1937-1941
Subseries 3.2: Frank Hardart, Sr., 1901-1918
Subseries 3.3: Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr., 1905-1962
Sub-series 3.4: Thomas R. Hardart, 1938-1987
Series 4: Employee Materials, 1927-1972
Series 5: Company Publications, 1938-1961
Series 6: Automats and Eating Establishments, 1912-1987
Series 7: Magazine Articles and Newspaper Clippings, 1918-2002
Series 8: Miscellaneous Materials, 1957-2002
Biographical/Historical note
Horn and Hardart was co-founded by Frank Joseph Hardart, Sr. and Joseph V. Horn, who became restaurant partners in 1886. They opened the first automat in the United States in Philadelphia in 1902. It opened in New York between 1010 and 1920, eventually becoming, for a period of time, the world's largest restaurant chain. It also had retail stores. Automats were popular well into the 1960s, but they began to decline with the rise of fast-food restaurants. Horn and Hardart did expand their operations in 1981, by acquiring Bojangles' Famous Chicken n' Biscuits restaurants, but they sold it in 1990. The last Horn and Hardart automat closed in April 1991.
Joseph V. Horn was born in Philadelphia in 1861 and died in Philadelphia in 1941, aged 80.
Frank Joseph Hardart, Sr. was born in Sondernheim in 1852, and he emigrated to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, in 1858. He married Marie Bruen in 1878, and they had six children. Their eldest child Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr., born 1884, graduated from St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia in 1905, and he took over for his father at Horn and Hardart. Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr. married Evelyn Marie Roche, and they had four children. Their eldest child Thomas R. Hardart was born in New York, Queens, New York, in 1918. He was the president and chairman of Horn and Hardart from 1967 to 1972.
Frank Joseph Hardart, Sr. died in 1918, at the age of 66. Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr. died in New York, New York, on September 15, 1972, when he was 88 years old. Thomas R. Hardart died on November 1, 1988, at the age of 70.
Ownership and Custodial History
Donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History by Paul and Tom Hardart in 2006.
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Preferred Citation
Horn and Hardart Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Paul and Tom Hardart.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Bryanna Bauer, intern, 2018; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist, 2018.
Newsletters -- 20th century
Annual reports -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century
Manuals
Correspondence -- 20th century
Food industry and trade
Restaurants
Clippings -- 20th century
Retail trade
Business records -- 20th century
Administrative Files
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1895-1987
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials relating to management, including quarterly and annual reports, operating manuals, sales materials, legal documents, and business correspondence. The series documents the inner workings of the company, compliances to regulations, recipes for food items, and the desire to maintain a well-run business.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Articles of Partnership Between Joseph V. Horn and Frank Hardart
Archival Resource Key
1895
1
1
Manager's Book
Archival Resource Key
1930-1968
1
2
Manager's Book
Manager's Blue Book
Archival Resource Key
1936-1966
2
1
Manager's Blue Book
Code of Fair Competition for the Restaurant Industry
Archival Resource Key
1934
1
3
Blue Book: Telephone Directory
Archival Resource Key
1940
1
4
Maintenance Book
Archival Resource Key
1940
1
5
Printed Advertisement for Radio Program
Archival Resource Key
1942
1
6
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1952
1
7
Executive Handwritten Notes
Archival Resource Key
1953-1974
1
8
Edwin K. Daly Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1959-1961
1
9
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1961
1
10
William J. Curtis Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1961-1973
1
11
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1963
1
12
Merger with Philadelphia
Archival Resource Key
1963
1
13
Amendments to Credit Law
Archival Resource Key
1965
2
2
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1966
2
3
Special Bulletin
Archival Resource Key
1966
2
4
Interim Report
Archival Resource Key
1968-06-29
2
5
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1968-09-28
2
6
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1968
2
7
Original Annual Report
Archival Resource Key
1971
2
8
Licensing Agreement Between Horn and Hardart Company and Blue Grass Food Services
Archival Resource Key
1972
2
9
Operations Summary
Archival Resource Key
1972-1974
2
10
Board of Directors Materials
Archival Resource Key
1973-1974
2
11
Quarterly Reports
Archival Resource Key
1973-1974
3
1
Department of Labor Case Richard V. Nielson vs. Horn and Hardart Company
Archival Resource Key
1974
3
2
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1986
3
3
Annual Reports
Archival Resource Key
1987
3
4
Fifth Avenue Hospital
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
5
The Horn and Hardart Plan
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
6
Proposals to Add New Articles to the Certificate of Incorporation
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
7
Financial Records
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1911-1979
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials relating to stockholders and the company's financial records, including general expenses and balance sheets. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Rent Receipt for 316 and 317 West 47th Street
Archival Resource Key
1911
3
8
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Archival Resource Key
1912
3
9
Materials Related to Stockholders
Archival Resource Key
1912
3
10
Materials Related to Stockholders
Archival Resource Key
1925
7
1
Balance Sheets
Archival Resource Key
1938
3
11
Department of Finance Certificates
Archival Resource Key
1939-1971
3
12
Frozen Food Costs
Archival Resource Key
1963
3
13
Financial Summary
Archival Resource Key
1966-1967
3
14
Hanover House Industries--Combined Statement of Income
Archival Resource Key
1973
3
15
General Expenses
Archival Resource Key
1979
3
16
Horn and Hardart Family Papers
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1901-1987
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials belonging to the Horn and Hardart families, including photographs, personal correspondence, investments, and acknowledgements of achievement in education and in their career.
Joseph V. Horn
3.1
Archival Resource Key
1937-1941
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains materials relating to co-founder Joseph V. Horn, including a photograph, a dinner menu, and newspaper clippings related to his death. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Testimonial Dinner--Joseph V. Horn
Archival Resource Key
1937
3
17
Newspaper Clippings Related to the Death of Joseph V. Horn
Archival Resource Key
1941
3
18
Frank Hardart, Sr.
3.2
Archival Resource Key
1901-1918
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains materials relating to co-founder Frank Hardart, Sr., including photographs, correspondence, and a certificate of residency. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1901-1918
3
19
Certificate of Residency
Archival Resource Key
1908
3
20
Photographs
Archival Resource Key
undated
3
21
Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr.
3.3
Archival Resource Key
1905-1962
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains materials relating to Frank Joseph Hardart, Jr., the son who took over the business, including his college degree, his stocks, correspondence, and company acknowledgement. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Degree from Saint Joseph's College
Archival Resource Key
1905
3
22
Stocks
Archival Resource Key
1917-1920
3
23
Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1934-1962
3
24
Company Acknowledgement
Archival Resource Key
1955
3
25
Thomas R. Hardart
3.4
Archival Resource Key
1938-1987
Scope and Contents
This sub-series contains materials relating to Thomas R. Hardart, including photographs, correspondence, his office file, memorandums, and handwritten notes.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Notre Dame Class of 1938
Archival Resource Key
1938
3
26
Correspondence
Archival Resource Key
1960-1987
3
27
Photographs
Archival Resource Key
1966, undated
3
28
Office Files
Archival Resource Key
1968-1974
3
29
Memorandums
Archival Resource Key
1972-1973
4
1
Handwritten Notes
Archival Resource Key
1976
4
2
Photograph Mailed to Thomas Hardart
Archival Resource Key
undated
7
2
Employee Materials
Series 4
Archival Resource Key
1927-1972
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials relating to employment, including requirements of employment, benefits, and photographs and menus from social events.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Constitution By-Laws and Rules of Order of The Horn and Hardart Employees Relief Association
Archival Resource Key
1927
4
3
Photographs of Employees and Events
Archival Resource Key
1935-1958
4
4
Social Security and the New Pension Plan
Archival Resource Key
1937
4
5
Company Event Menus
Archival Resource Key
1950-1961
4
6
Luncheon Menus
Archival Resource Key
1955
4
7
Photograph of Annual Get-Together Dinner
Archival Resource Key
1962
7
3
Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Major Medical
Archival Resource Key
1972
4
8
Employment Information
Archival Resource Key
undated
4
9
Company Publications
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
1938-1961
Scope and Contents
This series contains company publications, such as the
Horn and Hardart Herald.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1938
4
10
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1939
4
11
'Com'n Get It'
Archival Resource Key
1940
4
12
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1953
4
13
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1955
4
14
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1956
4
15
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1959
4
16
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1960-03-1960-04
4
17
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1960-12
4
18
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1961
4
19
Horn and Hardart Herald
Archival Resource Key
1961
7
4
Automats and Eating Establishments
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
1912-1987
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials relating to the Horn and Hardart automats and lunch rooms, including a recipe book and photographs of cafeteria interiors and exteriors.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Horn and Hardart Baking Company Lunch Rooms
Archival Resource Key
1912
4
20
Recipe Book
Archival Resource Key
1921-1929
4
21
5
1-2
Recipe Book
Eating and Drinking Permits
Archival Resource Key
1959-1970
5
3
Photographs--Interiors of Automats and Lunch Rooms
Archival Resource Key
1965-1987
5
4
Eating Place Permits
Archival Resource Key
1971-1974
5
5
Liquor License
Archival Resource Key
1972
5
6
Food Service Permits Westchester County Department of Health
Archival Resource Key
1982
5
7
Photograph Album of Exteriors and Interiors of Automats
Archival Resource Key
undated
5
8
Special Occasion Cakes
Archival Resource Key
undated
5
9
Photographs--Interiors of Lunch Rooms
Archival Resource Key
undated
7
5
Magazine Articles and Newspaper Clippings
Series 7
Archival Resource Key
1918-2002
Scope and Contents
This series contains magazine articles and newspaper clippings, advertising Horn and Hardart or reporting news about recent developments in the company. The materials document the public perception of the automats and their appearance in popular culture.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1918
5
11
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1920-1929
5
12
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1930-1939
5
13
New York Evening Journal articles
Archival Resource Key
1934
5
14
Newspapers
Archival Resource Key
1937
8
1
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1946-07
5
15
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1950-1959
5
16
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1950-1959
5
17
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1954-1966
7
6
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1960-1969
5
18
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1960-1969
6
1
Newspapers
Archival Resource Key
1966-12
8
2
Newspaper Page
Archival Resource Key
1967-10
8
3
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1970-1979
6
2
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1970-1979
6
3
Newspaper
Archival Resource Key
1973-12
8
4
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
1980-1989
6
4
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1980-1989
6
5
Magazines
Archival Resource Key
1986-2001
6
6
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1991-06
6
7
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
2000-2002
6
8
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
2000-2002
6
9
Magazine Articles
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
10
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
undated
6
11
Journal of Commerce
Archival Resource Key
undated
7
7
Illustration of Automat
Archival Resource Key
undated
8
5
Miscellaneous Materials
Series 8
Archival Resource Key
1957-2002
Scope and Contents
This series contains miscellaneous materials, including a couple of gift shop items and sheet music. Materials are arranged in chronological order.
"Galway Bay" Sheet Music
Archival Resource Key
1957
6
12
Reproductions of Postcards
Archival Resource Key
2002
6
13
Automat Journal
Archival Resource Key
2002
6
14
Horn and Hardart Coffee LP
Archival Resource Key
1 Sound discs (vinyl)
undated
9
1