Palmer House Hilton- Chicago, IL

I love historic hotels with grand lobbies. Ornate architecture, soaring ceilings, and massive murals make for stunning spaces you just don’t want to leave. All of these things apply to the lobby at Palmer House Hilton; it is a feast for the eyes, filled with treasures waiting to be discovered. A Beaux Arts beauty, with Art Deco details, it is absolutely not to be missed.

The current hotel, considered by some the longest continually operating hotel in America, is actually the third to bear the Palmer House name. The first, an extravagant wedding gift from Potter Palmer to his wife Bertha Honore, was constructed in 1871. It was open for just 13 days before it burned down in the Great Chicago Fire. Undeterred, Palmer then secured a $1.7 million dollar signature loan, unheard of at the time, and proceeded to rebuild his grand hotel. Just two years later, on November 18, 1873, the second Palmer House opened to great fanfare.

Designed by renowned Chicago architect John M. Van Osdel, the second Palmer House was built to impress; it was also built of iron and brick, to withstand any future fires. Considered the city’s most luxurious and technologically advanced hotel, it was the first property to offer its guests elevators, electricity and telephones. Costing over $3.5 million to construct, the 850 room hotel included Italian marble, rare mosaics, and a barber shop with a silver dollar inlaid floor. The walls were decorated with paintings by Monet; indeed, Bertha Palmer owned the largest collection of Impressionist art outside of France, which she later donated to the Art Institute of Chicago. Incidentally, we also have Bertha and the Palmer House to thank for the brownie, which was developed for the 1893 World’s Fair. They are still made at the hotel to this day, using the original recipe.

Undeniably opulent, the Palmer House was THE place to entertain in Chicago, and as such hosted several legendary fêtes, including an 1879 party for Ulysses S. Grant, with Mark Twain as Master of Ceremonies. Twain apparently jumped upon a table and delivered a rousing late night speech that brought the room to its feet. Which sounds about right. The gold-trimmed Haviland bone china used during the party, valued at over $27,000 a set today, is still stored in the hotel’s vault. I am guessing it is not used frequently.

Indeed, business was so good, by the 1920s it was time to expand. Built on the same site between 1924 and 1927, by the Chicago architectural firm of Holabird & Roche, it was constructed in stages, and remained open throughout the expansion. It was during this time Louis Pierre Rigal magnificently covered the entire lobby ceiling with 21 Greek frescoes. The update also added two stunning bronze Art Deco candelabra statues to the space, Winged Angels, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The stylish pair still stand watch over the famous Empire Room, a space which once hosted legendary performers like Frank Sinatra and Liberace.

The new and improved Parker House boasted 25 stories, 2000 rooms, and the most luxurious accommodations in the city. Thankfully, unlike so many other hotels of the era, it was able to weather the Great Depression and emerge on the other side intact. In 1945, it caught the eye of hotelier Conrad Hilton, who purchased the grand dame, and added it to his growing portfolio of properties.

Over the years, the Palmer House has gone through several renovations, including a recent $215 million dollar refresh that updated all 1641 guest rooms, and restored the hotel’s one-ton chandeliers. The standard rooms are comfortable, but fairly plain. This is definitely a hotel where the public spaces outshine the guest rooms. There is a lovely lobby bar, which is the perfect perch, if you can snag a seat. The lobby is very busy, and crowded until the bar closes. Sadly, the Empire Room is now an event space, and no longer open to the public; however, it can be accessed via the “History is Hott” tour, which any fan of historic hotels should consider. Nevertheless, the hotel remains a rare beauty, full of treasures, and the perfect place to stay in Chicago.

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