1972 conversation pit (aka sunkenarium) at a Holiday Inn

This postcard, mailed in 1972, showcases the the grooviness that is "The Conversation Pit" that once resided within the "fully appointed lobby" of the Holiday Inn at the corner of Routes 22 and 512 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. "Sunkenarium" is a synonym for "sunken living room" that a select groovy few of us have used over the years. And this conversation pit certainly qualifies, complete with its very 1970s carpeting that certainly saw more than its share of cigarette ash and spilled drinks. Grody.

Speaking of sunken living rooms, I stumbled across the existence of a 2000 book titled Quads, Shoeboxes and Sunken Living Rooms: A History of Los Alamos Housing. Then I learned more about this extremely niche topic via an August 2022 post on the blog "Kendra Ruminer's Two Cents of Real Estate." Kendra writes:

"In the late 1940s and early 1950s, housing was the constant social topic in Los Alamos. Norris Bradbury was very concerned about living situations for his workers at the Laboratory and there was no doubt that things were tight."

To tackle the need for housing, one neighborhood that was quickly constructed contained, Kendra notes, "13 two bedroom duplexes – 26 units – that had 'Sunken Living Rooms'. These quickly became the most sought after homes in Los Alamos thanks to this 'unique' feature!"

(To set aside sunkenariums for a moment, if the United States could once manage a mini-Manhattan Project of construction to tackle the housing needed for the actual Manhattan Project, you'd think our nation today could prioritize another construction surge to tackle the dual, crisis-level shortfalls in affordable housing and quality long-term shelter for the homeless. Just saying.)

Getting back to this particular postcard, it was published by KARDmasters of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The message is dated July 15, 1972, and it was written in Absecon, New Jersey, which is about two hours southeast of Bethlehem. It was mailed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The cursive message states:

Dear Florence, 

We are here at my sisters — one of her grands Carol is being married to-day — 3 weeks ago we were to the wedding of Carol's brother. We are hopeing to get to see you one of these days. Will give you a call before we come to see if it suits. Hope this finds you doing OK. love as always

H and Anna