Very interesting comment on bathroom placement, Dave.

I worked in an older bank data center designed in the 1970s. When new computer systems were purchased, new pipe pathways for cooling with chilled water had to be core drilled through the floors. Those floors have electrical conduit with live circuits within the slab pour. X-rays were used to OK an area for drilling because blueprints were unreliable. Well, so were the X-rays, at times.

Retrofitting the plumbing or electrical in a modern office building (or in this case a hotel built in the 1890s) would be a very challenging and expensive proposition ... Glad it was seen as worthwhile in this case.

It seems like the days of architects making a bold first impression, like the lobby of the Pfister here, are gone. Today's focus on minimalism and shades of gray looks brutalist in comparison.

One good reason it may be still standing is that it has more variation all combined together than most architecture today. Modern architecture is generally simpler, the modern style, but cities can make an effort to preserve older buildings, like this one, because they are visually more stimulating and interesting than most modern buildings. Just because we are 132 years later doesn't mean we can do better. Could be a Shorpy theme, later is not necessarily better.

[Sometimes the party that has to make the biggest effort to "preserve older buildings" is the owner. And with hotels this old, the deciding factor, after location, is often bathrooms. Which were usually shared or down the hall in 1890s buildings. - Dave]