Local historian and professional photographer John Ellis Kordes, was recently engaged by the Garden City Hotel, in addition to his "usual" photography work for the Hotel, to create a special Heritage Tour Map of the heart of the Incorporated Village of Garden City. Kordes commented in an interview with Garden City Life that the Garden City Hotel has been working to "embrace their heritage and this effort, which utilized my knowledge of the Village, is another example of that. It's also a continuation of my personal efforts to take the history of this Village off the shelves, dust it off, and put it into the hands of residents. That's what I tried to do with projects I've done in the past like the full length film on the history of the Village, the poster, post cards, and the Garden City Room at Sears -- this map is a continuation of that effort." He added, "The Hotel is well aware of its heritage, being the fourth Garden City Hotel on that site since 1874. This hotel has been here since 1983 and has been extremely successful since it opened. This hotel wishes to celebrate the Village's history, of which it is proud to be a part."

Kordes commented that he sees history as "A huge jigsaw puzzle and the more pieces one collects, the clearer the picture gets. One has to choose which pieces to use and which to reject -- not everything one reads is accurate" and he noted that he has worked to study the history of Garden City and piece together an accurate and fascinating picture for the residents of the community to not only examine for themselves, but enjoy. "It's my view that the more we celebrate history, the more we can preserve it," Kordes stated.

He explained that his personal love of the Village's history has come from a lifelong relationship with the community. He was born and raised in Garden City, graduating from Garden City High School and then Adelphi University. He added, "Part of my knowledge comes from growing up in my father's business, which has been in Garden City for 50 years! I was raised around Arista Furs and watched my father perfect his art and saw how he and the business were truly part of the fabric of the community. I got to know the Village and became interested in what was going on in the community." "Also," he noted, "I've always had a love of American history and as a photographer I've had the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of this Village."

The Heritage Tour Map was intially intended to be a service to the guests of the hotel who frequently enjoy walks through the center of the Village around the Hotel and return with questions for concierge about the sites of Garden City. Kordes commented that as the map was being developed the Hotel saw this as an opportunity to further their recent efforts to reach out to the community by making the map available to the public as well. "The Hotel wants to be involved in the community more," Kordes noted.

Kordes added, "They want to inform the community about exciting things happening there. Last year, for example, the annual tree lighting was bigger and better than ever with 400 residents turning out. These residents were then invited into Dallenger's for refreshments. WFAN NJ Jets Nights have been a huge success as well. On these nights the public is invited to Dallenger's free of charge. Each school choir in the Village was invited to sing at lunch over the holidays and then were treated to brownies and hot chocolate. Nassau Community College's hotel management students were invited to tour the facilities."

The map is printed on 110 lb. glossy stock and not only features a color map and photos from around the Village, it has 30 sites numbered on the map, followed by not only the name of the site, but a brief historical summary of the site and its significance, compiled by John Ellis Kordes. Kordes notes in a brief word from the historian on the back of the pamphlet, "In the blocks that surround the hotel, one finds 'Old' Garden City and can still feel Stewart's touch here. Although today the Village is over 5 square miles in size with over 21,000 residents, it's these blocks where the Village's heritage still lives."

Kordes noted that the map would be perfect for tours of the Village. Kordes himself has developed bus tours of the Village for fourth graders at Stewart and Stratford Schools, as well as for 50th Garden City High School Reunion groups. The elementary school tours were named by Kordes -- The Garden City Magical Mystery History Tour. Kordes himself plays tour guide, commenting on the Village's history and cracking the occasional joke over the bus communication system. He commented, "The kids and the reunion groups really have fun on these tours -- you have to have a sense of humor about it. It's really a riot to have 50 kids on a bus examining their own community's history and the reunion groups love going back and looking at where they grew up and seeing the historical side of this incredible Village."

Walking tours are also given by Kordes for groups ranging from the Boy Scouts to foreign exchange groups. "When you have an audience interested in the subject it's fantastic," he commented. He says that the tours are available for any interested group, and now residents interested in guiding themselves along the historical pathways of the Village can stop in at the Garden City Hotel and pick up a copy of the Heritage Tour Map and take themselves on a tour. Copies of the map have also been donated by the Garden City Hotel to the Garden City Public Library for research and to Village Hall for the Village's employees to learn about the community in which they work. Also, 200 copies were donated to Stewart School and 200 copies were donated to Stratford School.

It is the hope of the Hotel that residents will take the opportunity to not only pick up a copy of the map in the lobby of the hotel, but will take the time to explore the hotel and find out about the activities and events at this facility literally in the center of the Village. Kordes stated, "Working for the Hotel has been a very unique experience. There's always something happening there. Most residents drive by without knowing what's going on there and that on any given day famous celebrities like Tim Conway are staying there for various events, right here in Garden City and there are activities and events in which the whole community can participate."

Garden City resident and hotel Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Mary Dolan Grippo commented, "We are thrilled with the positive reaction we've gotten to the maps. They are beautiful and functional and we hope that residents will take the time to stop by the hotel lobby and pick one up. John did an outstanding job."

Kordes concluded, "The Heritage Tour Map is a great keepsake of a visit to Garden City and it's great for residents who wish to study their Village's history." For more information about the Garden City Heritage Tour Map, contact John Ellis Kordes Photography at 742-4113.