BoothieBarn

[L Verge]

The door to the right on sidewalk level is still there, but not "available" to the public. The entrance to the current Wok 'n Roll restaurant is now on the left side of the sidewalk level.

Betty will agree with me when I say that many times a group of us Surratt "ladies" (aka Boothies) dared each other to try and sneak in the forbidden door and dash upstairs to see what was in the rooms. When we first got curious, the downstairs was a Chinese grocery story. We were sure that the upstairs was either an opium den or headquarters for a numbers running gang. We never did find out. At one point in its history, however, the old boardinghouse was raided by federal agents - for both Prohibition violations and again as part of the numbers racket, if my memory serves me correctly.

Back in the 1980s, during one of the building's transformations, a member of our crew of Boothies did get permission to go inside; but, of course, all rooms were vacant. He reported that much of the moulding, doors, and door knobs appeared original. The gentleman's name was Harold Wang, and the only way he got inside was through a phone call to the Chinese doctor who then owned the building. Not being able to see Mr. Wang, he gave permission - assuming that he was speaking to a fellow Chinese. Mr. Wang, however, is Norwegian. The permission was still granted.