Grand Pacific Hotel (Chicago)
| Grand Pacific Hotel (Chicago) | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Grand Pacific Hotel (Chicago) | |
| General information | |
| Opened | 1873 |
| Demolished | 1895 (partial demolition) 1925 (complete demolition) |
The Grand Pacific Hotel was one of the first two prominent hotels built in Chicago, Illinois, after the Great Chicago Fire.[1] The hotel, designed by William W. Boyington and managed for more than 20 years by John Drake, was located on the block bounded by Clark Street, LaSalle, Quincy and Jackson.[2] It was a replacement for the Pacific Hotel, which had been built in 1871 (also designed by Boyington), only to burn in the fire later that year.[3]
Drake hosted "Great Game Dinners" featuring exotic cuisines at this hotel.[2] These dinners were a Chicago social institution for more than 50 years.[2] Newspapers devoted 4 inches to its menu and guests.[2]
Along with contemporary Chicago luxury hotels such as the Palmer House, Tremont House, and Sherman House, it was built in the palazzo architectural style of the day.[4] The hotel also accommodated wealthy permanent residents in addition to transient guests who enjoyed the palace hotel.[4]
Many notable celebrities stayed here, including Oscar Wilde on his first visit to Chicago as part of his 1882 lecture tour of America.[5] James A. Garfield stayed at the hotel during the 1880 Republican National Convention, during which time he was nominated on the 36th[6] ballot to represent the party in the election for President of the United States.[7] The hotel was the site where Standard time was adopted on October 11, 1883.[8]
The western half of the 1873 structure was demolished in 1895 in order to make way for the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank building.[8] The remaining eastern half was remodeled by the architectural firm Jenney and Mundie.[8] It reopened March 12, 1898, with 188 rooms, and remained open until 1921.[2] In 1921, it was demolished to make way for the Continental Illinois Bank building.[8]
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The preceding Pacific Hotel after the 1871 Great Chicago Fire
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in 1912
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Empire Room one of 15 dining rooms in 1913
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Illustration of the New York delegation's headquarters at the hotel during the 1888 Republican National Convention
Notes
- ^ Host, William R. and Brooke Ahne Portmann, "Early Chicago Hotels," Arcadia Publishing, 2006, p. 12., ISBN 0-7385-4041-2.
- ^ a b c d e Host, William R. and Brooke Ahne Portmann, "Early Chicago Hotels," Arcadia Publishing, 2006, p. 46, ISBN 0-7385-4041-2.
- ^ "Pacific Hotel I". Chicagology. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Berger, Molly (2005). "Hotels". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- ^ "Oscar Wilde's 1882 Lecture Tour of America". Oscar Wilde in America. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- ^ Proceedings of the Republican National Convention held at ... S.l.: s.n. 1876.
- ^ Millard, Candice (2011). Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. ISBN 978-0767929714.
- ^ a b c d "Grand Pacific Hotel II". Chicagology. Retrieved November 7, 2021.