diff --git a/docs/crowd/notes.txt b/docs/crowd/notes.txt
index ab2257325..8c6cbeac9 100644
--- a/docs/crowd/notes.txt
+++ b/docs/crowd/notes.txt
@@ -3,3 +3,6 @@ Party Notes -*- outline -*-
 * TODO
 Wire up PlaceRegistry code to remove registrations when place objects are
 destroyed.
+
+Flesh out the mechanism for passing config information to place managers.
+Make it easy to build an inheriting chain of configuration properties.
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceConfig.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..99510beb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+//
+// $Id: PlaceConfig.java,v 1.1 2001/08/01 20:37:35 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.cocktail.party.server;
+
+/**
+ * <code>PlaceConfig</code> acts as a central location and means for
+ * documenting the various standard configuration properties that can be
+ * provided to the place manager via its config properties object.
+ */
+public class PlaceConfig
+{
+    /**
+     * This configuration parameter specifies the classname of the place
+     * object derived class to be used when creating a new place.
+     */
+    public static final String PLACEOBJ_CLASS = "pobj";
+
+    /**
+     * This configuration parameter specifies the classname of the place
+     * manager derived class to be used when creating a new place.
+     */
+    public static final String PLACEMGR_CLASS = "pmgr";
+}
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
index d9dad324a..0a7fbb40c 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceManager.java
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 //
-// $Id: PlaceManager.java,v 1.4 2001/08/01 17:00:58 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: PlaceManager.java,v 1.5 2001/08/01 20:37:35 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.server;
 
+import java.util.Properties;
+
 import com.threerings.cocktail.cher.dobj.*;
 import com.threerings.cocktail.party.data.PlaceObject;
 
@@ -35,12 +37,13 @@ public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
 {
     /**
      * Called by the place registry after creating this place manager.
-     * Initialization is followed by startup which happens when the place
-     * object that this manager will manage is available.
+     * Initialization is followed by startup which will happen when the
+     * place object to be managed is available.
      */
-    public void init (PlaceRegistry registry)
+    public void init (PlaceRegistry registry, Properties config)
     {
         _registry = registry;
+        _config = config;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -104,4 +107,7 @@ public class PlaceManager implements Subscriber
 
     /** A reference to the place registry with which we're registered. */
     protected PlaceRegistry _registry;
+
+    /** The configuration provided for this place manager. */
+    protected Properties _config;
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceRegistry.java b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceRegistry.java
index 48c11cff4..e36ad3bb4 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceRegistry.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/crowd/server/PlaceRegistry.java
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 //
-// $Id: PlaceRegistry.java,v 1.2 2001/08/01 17:00:59 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: PlaceRegistry.java,v 1.3 2001/08/01 20:37:35 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cocktail.party.server;
 
 import java.util.Enumeration;
+import java.util.Properties;
+
 import com.samskivert.util.Config;
 import com.samskivert.util.Queue;
 
@@ -29,6 +31,41 @@ public class PlaceRegistry implements Subscriber
     {
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Creates and registers a new place along with a manager to manage
+     * that place. The place object class and place manager class are
+     * determined from the configuration information provided in the
+     * supplied properties instance.
+     *
+     * @param config the configuration information for this place manager.
+     *
+     * @see PlaceConfig#PLACEOBJ_CLASS
+     * @see PlaceConfig#PLACEMGR_CLASS
+     */
+    public void createPlace (Properties config)
+    {
+        String pobjcl = config.getProperty(PlaceConfig.PLACEOBJ_CLASS);
+        if (pobjcl == null) {
+            Log.warning("No place object classname specified in " +
+                        "place config [config=" + config + "].");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        String pmgrcl = config.getProperty(PlaceConfig.PLACEMGR_CLASS);
+        if (pobjcl == null) {
+            Log.warning("No place manager classname specified in " +
+                        "place config [config=" + config + "].");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            createPlace(Class.forName(pobjcl), Class.forName(pmgrcl), config);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Log.warning("Unable to instantiate place object or " +
+                        "manager class [error=" + e + "].");
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Creates and registers a new place along with a manager to manage
      * that place. The registry takes care of tracking the creation of the
@@ -38,14 +75,16 @@ public class PlaceRegistry implements Subscriber
      * should be instantiated to create the place object.
      * @param pmgrClass the <code>PlaceManager</code> derived class that
      * should be instantiated to manage the place.
+     * @param config the configuration information for this place manager.
      */
-    public void createPlace (Class pobjClass, Class pmgrClass)
+    public void createPlace (Class pobjClass, Class pmgrClass,
+                             Properties config)
     {
         // create a place manager for this place
         try {
             PlaceManager pmgr = (PlaceManager)pmgrClass.newInstance();
             // let the pmgr know about us
-            pmgr.init(this);
+            pmgr.init(this, config);
             // stick the manager on the creation queue because we know
             // we'll get our calls to objectAvailable()/requestFailed() in
             // the order that we call createObject()