The Edgewater Beach Hotel, that big pink building on the skyline near the bend at Hollywood, was once a glamorous, swinging destination.  A guest list of stars from movies to world politics vacationed, dined and danced on the marble floor that extended out to the beach.  Gandhi, Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe, Nat King Cole…  The hotel was known for its white glove service and opulent space.

From the 20’s to the early 50’s, the building was on the beach until the water rights were sold in order to extend Lake Shore Drive north of Foster.

Enter my brother-in-law’s dad, an Irish Catholic who looked handsome in his policeman’s uniform.  He and his bride, Rose, had three sons, lived on the north side and, as my in-law Michael said, enjoyed a once-a-week entertainment by splitting a quart of beer on Fridays.

On his beat that included the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Michael’s dad came upon a discarded basket. He picked it up and took it home. Over the years, the basket migrated from his parents’ apartment to Michael’s house, where he used it as a wastebasket.  He has a living room full of antiques, and I thought the basket fit right in. That’s because Michael always turned the ripped part toward the wall to hide the way his dad found it over 50 years ago. (Did that just sound like the ending to a Paul Harvey story?)

Console Table Progress

Since finding this table a few weeks ago, it’s been slow, hot going.  In a shady spot in the backyard, I ran an orbital sander over the table’s surface to rough it up.  Most of the sprayed-on varnish came off within a second of sanding.

Then I primed it with Rustoleum 2X.  Not a big fan of spray paint because so much of it goes into the air, but I used it here.  Good coverage.  Next step–what do you think of either a Chinese red color or a geranium red with a diamond stencil on the top?