Our History
Table Of Content
By the turn of the century, the Palmer House had become Chicago’s liveliest social center, hosting a long list of prominent figures—including those ranging from U.S. presidents to Charles Dickens to Oscar Wilde. In 1933, the Empire Dining Room of Palmer House was converted into an entertainment epicenter and supper club. It hosted legendary entertainers, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte, Louis Armstrong, and Liberace. The Italian marble staircase that takes you to the Empire Room is one of only two constructed in this particular manner; the other is in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. Louis Comfort Tiffany designed the 24-karat gold-dipped chandeliers that grace the ceiling, as well as the majestic Winged Angels, at 1.25 tons they were the largest bronze statues he’d ever produced. Shortly after befriending the famous artist Claude Monet in France, Bertha began decorating the Palmer House with paintings and other pieces inspired by her French heritage.
Fitness Center
Perhaps one of Palmer House’s greatest and most recognizable culinary contributions was the invention of the brownie. This year, the hotel will be celebrating the brownie’s 130th anniversary on December 8th, National Brownie Day.
Magical Stays
Originating as a grand wedding gift from Potter Palmer to Bertha Honore Palmer, Palmer House eventually became known as North America’s longest-operating hotel with a notable history of innovation. It was the first hotel to incorporate the light bulb, the telephone, and the vertical steam lift (elevator) as well as being the creator of one of the world’s most adored confection, the brownie. The Rosslyn Hotel Apartments is a historic site and consists of a 264 studio apartment complex.
Timeline
Designed by the firm Holabird & Roche and built during 1923–25, its twenty-five stories housed 2,268 rooms and for a very short time held the record as the world’s largest hotel. Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America®, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels across America. However, only 13 days after its grand opening, the Palmer House fell victim to the Great Chicago Fire. Determined to rebuild his hotel, Potter secured a $1.7 million loan–negotiated on his signature alone. On November 8, 1873, the new Palmer House welcomed its first guests, marking the opening of what would become the nation’s longest continually operating hotel. I actually had to walk through the lounge to get to and from the elevators, which was fine most of the time, except when the space was packed for Sunday breakfast (not pictured).
The New Terminal is a 40-unit studio apartment complex. All units have individual bathrooms and kitchens in every unit, come fully furnished and receive rental subsidies. The building has an elevator, community room with community kitchen, conference/computer room, case management offices, center courtyard and a laundry facility. The Rivers Hotel is a 76-unit studio apartment complex. The building has an elevator, community room with community kitchen, conference / computer room, case management offices, center courtyard and a laundry facility.
And historic it is — in fact, in the case of some of the public areas and ballrooms, I doubt much has changed since Hilton took over the property way back in 1945. Aside from the lightbulbs, perhaps, and property-wide Wi-Fi. The story of downtown Chicago’s Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel is one of romance and undeniable charm.
The brownie was invented in Chicago 130 years ago - Chicago Sun-Times
The brownie was invented in Chicago 130 years ago.
Posted: Fri, 08 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Historic & Heritage Sites
Single Room Occupancy Housing Company completed renovation in 1993. Gateways Apartments is a 108-unit, 6-story studio apartment complex. All units have separate bathrooms along with individual living, dining and cooking areas, double-glazed windows, linoleum flooring in the bedroom/living areas, air conditioning, closets and cabinet space. The building has 2 elevators, community room with community kitchen, conference room, computer room, laundry facility, subterranean parking and solar panels on the roof. This is SRO Housing’s first certified LEED Gold building. The Carlton Hotel is a 44-unit single room occupancy housing facility.
While I was all prepared to have to check in the hip and historic way — in person at the front desk — a mobile key magically appeared on my day of arrival. The failed mobile check-in ended up working out in my favor, though, since I then used the chat tool to request an upgrade, landing myself an executive-level king room, free of charge. The hotel offered an upgrade to a Hip & Historic Suite for $100, and wouldn't budge on the price, despite some Hilton properties offering suites to Diamond members without an upgrade charge. Next, I attempted to use Hilton's superslick floor-plan tool to choose the largest, quietest room in my base Hip & Historic King category. Ideally, I'd avoid parking a car if you can, though, given the sky-high parking fees — $55 for self-parking, or a whopping $82 per night for valet. With my Honors number attached, I did have access to my usual Diamond benefits, though, which was a very nice surprise!
The grand staircase catches the eye when entering the hotel, a sign that something extraordinary is taking place in the room. Originally the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, The Empire Room added dancing in 1933 during the World’s Fair and it was a quick crowd-pleaser. When Conrad Hilton purchased the hotel in 1945, he suggested entertainment be escalated to full cabaret reviews, with as many as three opening acts, including the Merriel Abbott dancers.
Experienced and trained security staff monitor all sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you’re looking to have the most haunted experience possible, be sure to book your stay in rooms 11 or 17. Would you ever stay in this potentially haunted hotel? For more information about the Palmer House Hotel, including booking your stay, visit their website and Facebook page. If you love haunted things, you may also be interested in our haunted road trip through Minnesota.
The Brownstone Apartments is a 48-unit studio apartment complex, including a property manager’s unit. All units have individual bathrooms and kitchens in every unit, a community kitchen and lounge space/computer lab, property manager/security office, case management offices and laundry facility. There is an ‘alcohol-free’ grocery market called Best Market on the first floor. All units at the Brownstone Apartments receive rental subsidies. The Florence is a 61-unit single room occupancy housing facility.
While today a destination for weddings and gala events, the Empire Room has hosted several legendary entertainers. The Second Palmer House (1873–1923)Palmer quickly rebuilt on the same site, employing calcium lights so workers could press on through the night. The resulting seven-story, $13 million hotel designed by architect John M. Van Osdel opened on November 8, 1873, marking the start of what became known as the nation’s longest continually operating hotel. The Empire Room at the Palmer House became the showplace in Chicago. During the World's Fair of 1933, an unknown ballroom team, Veloz and Yolanda won the hearts of the city and performed for more than a year. For fifty years, the hotel was a mecca for Chicago society and visiting luminaries such as Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Oscar Wilde.
The Ellis is a 58-unit single room occupancy housing facility for at-risk elderly. 14 of these units are for individuals with special needs and receive rental subsidies. The building has shared bathrooms, showers, community kitchen, community lounge, laundry facilities and an elevator.
That meant executive-lounge access (or free breakfast downstairs), free Wi-Fi and a modest upgrade. While its hotel rooms are standard upscale fare, the Palmer House’s palatial lobby, conceived as a European drawing room, remains one of the most magnificent in the world. The Palmer House not only served transient visitors but also appealed to wealthy permanent residents who found in the palace hotel a convenient way to set up trouble-free, elegant households. The hotel was filled with Italian marble and rare mosaics and was so ornate that it was alternately mocked and praised. Like many Chicago buildings in the late nineteenth century, the Palmer House claimed to be fireproof. Book the Best Available Rate at this property on HistoricHotels.org and receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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