Introduction

Hotels were one of the main ways that entrepreneurs experimented with their bold desires during the progressive era directly resembling Martin Dressler’s character in Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer. Martin and these entrepreneurs both had an ambitious creativity that contributed to an ability to systematically integrate complex concepts. They perfectly combined old nostalgic yearnings with new technological comforts and incorporated calm natural elements to the bustling city lifestyle. Millhauser’s creation of a fictional character so distinctly embodying real New York City hoteliers represented the innovative but illusory Gilded Age.