The Seelbach Hilton Louisville

This reproduction of an authentic German Rathskeller is the only surviving complete Rookwood pottery room in the world. This room modeled after the social halls of Germany found in the cellars of the Rathaus or city hall, hence its name, was added to the hotel during the addition of 1907 at a cost of $80,000.All the tile work was made by hand at the famed Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati. The designs on each tile are drawn by hand and fired. Then each color is added and fired again; requiring an additional firing for each color. The final product is the beautiful and durable tiles that adorn this room.The designs on the walls depict the walled cities common in the Rhein region of Germany where the Seelbach brothers were born. The pelicans which adorn the columns around the room are a sign of good luck; thus surrounding guests in this room with good luck. The ceilings in the back of the room by the bar are made of fine tooled leather painted in a heraldic design with the twelve signs of the zodiac. The open medallions in the ceiling and side walls of the room were for its heating and cooling system. When the room opened in 1907, the hotel used 40 tons of steam power to air condition the room. This allowed the Seelbach brothers to claim that they could keep the room 10 degrees cooler than it was outside at all times and that it was replaced with fresh air every 5 minutes.The clock in the foyer as you enter the Rathskeller cost $10,000 and was a gift to the hotel by the President of The Seelbach Realty Company which built and owned the hotel until 1929. The Clock was designed by long term Rookwood designer John Delaney Wareham. It Depicts three different methods of telling time; the clock face, which continues the Zodiac theme from the Rathskeller ceiling is flanked by two medieval women, one holding a sundial and one an hourglass.