Old London Inc. facts for kids

Old London Inc. was the name of a new restaurant idea started by a famous restaurant owner named William Childs. He had been the leader of the very successful Childs Restaurants chain, but he left that company in 1929. In the 1930s, William Childs tried to start this new business. However, it became difficult to succeed during the Great Depression, a time when many people had little money. This new company is important because William Childs was one of the two brothers who first created the famous Childs Restaurants many years before.

A New Restaurant Idea

After leaving his old company, William Childs wanted to try something different. He planned to open a new type of restaurant chain.

Old Algiers: The First Step

On April 29, 1930, William Childs opened his first new restaurant. It was located in New York City at Broadway and 102nd Street. This restaurant was called Old Algiers. It was designed to look like a village from Algeria, a country in North Africa.

Childs wanted his new restaurants to be special. He called them unstandardized. This meant each restaurant would have its own unique look and feel. This was different from the Childs Restaurants he had started earlier, which all looked very similar. William Childs hoped to open ten to twelve new restaurants like this every year.

World Themes for Eateries

Each new restaurant was meant to have a theme from an old city or country around the world. Some ideas included:

• Old Normandy
• Old Paris, France
• Old London, England

William Childs' three nephews, Ellsworth, William, and Wallace, helped him with this new business. They worked as vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.

The Old London Restaurant

The second restaurant in William Childs' plan was called Old London.

Location and Design

This restaurant opened in a former Chase National Bank building. It was inside the Bush Tower at 130 West 42nd Street, very close to Times Square in New York City. William Childs rented the first two floors and the basement of this building in March 1931. By this time, his new company was officially named Old London Inc.

Architects Pruitt & Brown were hired to change the bank space into an "old London style" restaurant. It was planned to be very large, with space for 1,000 diners. The old bank counter was even going to be used as a special bar for quick lunch service.

The End of the Venture

William Childs' dream of a big new restaurant chain did not come true. The company did not grow as he had hoped. Before he passed away on May 22, 1938, he operated another restaurant called the Old Mill Inn. This inn was located near his family farm in Franklin Corners, New Jersey, which is north of Bernardsville.