Legion (pronounced lee-juhn)
(1) In the army of Ancient Rome, a military formation
which numbered between 3000-6000 soldiers, made up of infantry with supporting
cavalry.
(2) A description applied to some large military and paramilitary
forces.
(3) Any great number of things or (especially) as persons;
a multitude; very great in number (usually postpositive).
(4) A description applied to some associations of
ex-servicemen (usually initial capital).
(5) In biology, a taxonomic rank; a group of orders
inferior to a class; in scientific classification, a term occasionally used to
express an assemblage of objects intermediate between an order and a class.
1175–1225: From the Middle English legi(o)un, from the Old French legion (squad, band, company, Roman military unit), from the Latin legiōnem & legiōn- (nominative legiō) (picked body of soldiers; a levy of troops), the construct being leg(ere) (to gather, choose, read; pick out, select), from the primitive Indo-European root leg- (to gather; to collect) + -iōn The suffix –ion was from the Middle English -ioun, from the Old French -ion, from the Latin -iō (genitive iōnis). It was appended to a perfect passive participle to form a noun of action or process, or the result of an action or process. Legion is a nou, adjective & verb and legionnaire & legionary are nouns; the noun plural is legions.
The Bellevue Stratford and Legionella pneumophilia
The origin of Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella pneumophilia) was in the bacterium resident in the air-conditioning
cooling towers of the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia which in July
1976 was hosting the Bicentennial convention of the American Legion, an
association of service veterans; the bacterium was subsequently named Legionella.
The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, 1905.
The Legionella bacterium occurs
naturally and there had before been outbreaks of what came to be called Legionella pneumophilia,(a pneumonia-like
condition) most notably in 1968 but what
made the 1976 event different was the scale and severity which attracted investigation
and a review of the records which suggested the first known case in the United
States dated from 1957. Like HIV/AIDS,
it was only when critical mass was reached that it became identified as
something specific and there’s little doubt there may have been instances of Legionella pneumophilia for decades or
even centuries prior to 1957. The
increasing instance of the condition in the late twentieth century is most
associated with the growth in deployment of a particular vector of
transmission: large, distributed air-conditioning systems. Until the Philadelphia outbreak, the cleaning
routines required to maintain these systems wasn’t well-understood and indeed, the
1976 event wasn’t even the first time the Bellevue Stratford had been the
source two years earlier when it was the site of a meeting of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows but in that case, fewer than two-dozen were infected and
only two fatalities whereas over two-hundred Legionnaires became ill thirty-four
died. Had the 1976 outbreak claimed only
a handful, it’s quite likely it too would have passed unnoticed.
Winter Evening, Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, circa 1910 by Charles Cushing (b 1959).
That the 1976 outbreak was on the scale it was certainly affected the Bellevue-Stratford. Built in the Philadelphia CBD on the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets in 1904, it was enlarged in 1912 and, at the time, was among the most impressive and luxurious hotels in the world. Noted especially for a splendid ballroom and the fine fittings in its thousand-odd guest rooms, it instantly became the city’s leading hotel and a centre for the cultural and social interactions of its richer citizens. Its eminence continued until during the depression of the 1930s, it suffered the fate of many institutions associated with wealth and conspicuous consumption, its elaborate form not appropriate in a more austere age. As business suffered, the lack of revenue meant it was no longer possible to maintain the building and the tarnish began to overtake the glittering structure.
The Bellevue Hotel Ballroom.
Although the ostentation of old never quite returned, in the post-war years, the Bellevue-Stratford did continue to operate as a profitable hotel until an international notoriety was gained in July 1976 with the outbreak of the disease which would afflict over two-hundred and, ultimately, strike down almost three dozen of the conventioneers who had been guests. Once the association with the hotel’s air-conditioning became known, bookings plummeted precipitously and before the year was out, the Stratford ceased operations although there was a nod to the architectural significance, the now deserted building was in 1977 listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
The Bellevue Hotel XIX Restaurant.
The lure of past glories was however strong and in
1978-1979, after being sold, a programme described as a restoration rather than
a refurbishment was undertaken, reputedly costing a then impressive US$25 million,
the press releases at the time emphasizing the attention devoted to the air-conditioning
system. The guest rooms were entirely
re-created, the re-configuration of the floors reducing their number to under
six-hundred and the public areas were restored to their original appearance. However, for a number of reasons, business
never reached the projected volume and not in one year since re-opening did the
place prove profitable, the long-delayed but inevitable closure finally
happening in March 1986.
The Bellevue Hotel Lobby.
But, either because or in spite of the building being listed as
a historic place, it still attracted interest and, after being bought at a knock-down
price, another re-configuration was commenced, this time to convert it to the
now fashionable multi-function space, a mix of retail, hotel and office space, now
with the inevitable fitness centre and food court. Tellingly, the number of hotel rooms was
reduced fewer than two-hundred but even this proved a challenge for operators
profitably to run and in 1996, Hyatt took over.
Hyatt, although for internal reasons shuffling the property within their
divisions and rebranding it to avoid any reference to the now troublesome Stratford
name, benefited from the decision by the city administration to re-locate Philadelphia’s
convention centre from the outskirts to the centre and, like other hotels in
the region, enjoyed a notable, and profitable, increase in demand. It’s now called simply: The Bellevue Hotel.
The Bellevue Hotel.
Understandably, the Bellevue’s page on Hyatt’s website, although discussing some aspects of the building’s history such as having enjoyed a visit from every president since Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919; US president 1901-1909) and the exquisitely intricate lighting system designed by Thomas Edison (1847-1931) himself, neglects even to allude to the two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the 1970s, the sale in 1976 noted on the time-line without comment. In a nice touch, guests may check in with up to two dogs, provided they don't exceed the weight limit 50 lb (22.67 kg) pounds individually or 75 lb (34 kg) combined. Part of the deal includes a “Dog on Vacation” sign which will be provided when registering; it's to hang on the doorknob so staff know what's inside and there's a dog run at Seger Park, a green space about a ½ mile (¾ km) from the hotel. Three days notice is required if staying with one or two dogs and, if on a leash, they can tour the Bellevue's halls but they're not allowed on either the ballroom level or the 19th floor where the XIX restaurant is located. A cleaning fee (US$100) is added for stays of up to six nights, with an additional deep-cleaning charge applicable for 7-30 nights.
Lindsay Lohan with some of the legion of paparazzi who, despite technical progress which has disrupted the primacy of their role as content providers in the celebrity ecosystem, remain still a significant and symbiotic part of the process.
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