All aboard! Dine in style inside this 1890s parlor car in New Jersey
MORRISTOWN, New Jersey -- A unique dining experience awaits at The Madison Hotel in Morristown, New Jersey, where guests can dine in style inside a luxurious 1890s parlor car.
Inspired by the elegance of the Gilded Age and a fascination with Victorian antiques, Rod Keller Sr. purchased what were two private railroad cars, the Admetus and the Oceanic, and converted them into this lavish dining experience.
"My dad got this crazy idea back in the early 1960s of buying an authentic Pullman railroad car and converting it into a restaurant. He found the car we're in, which is called the Admetus, in a junkyard in western Pennsylvania," said Peter Keller, owner of The Madison Hotel.
The crumbling parlor cars lacked electricity or plumbing before they were restored by skilled carpenters and technicians to their original splendor.
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For guests dining inside one of these extravagant parlor cars, dinner is served with a side of rich history.
According to Keller, William McKinley is said to have used the observation deck of the Admetus as he campaigned across the country for the presidency.
The hotel itself and its two restaurants are also filled with antiques collected throughout the years from all over the world.
From a stained-glass skylight originally part of the ceiling of a famous Pittsburgh bank to chandeliers that once adorned a palace in Saudi Arabia, The Madison Hotel offers guests a glamorous and history-filled stay.
"It's a very personal business. We try to get to know each and every customer. We want people to feel as if this is their home away from home," Keller said.
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