Chieftain Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hotel Chieftain
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 38 Pearl St. Council Bluffs, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1927 |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000286 |
| Added to NRHP | June 6, 2014 |
The Chieftain Hotel is a historic building in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It first opened in 1927. This grand hotel was built with help from the Eppley Hotel Company and local people. It was built on the same spot where the Grand Hotel once stood. That hotel burned down in 1925. The Chieftain Hotel was eight stories tall and had 153 rooms for guests.
Contents
The Chieftain Hotel: A Historic Building
The Chieftain Hotel has a long and interesting history. It was a popular place for many years. Today, it serves a new purpose for the community.
Early Days and Grand Opening
The Eppley Hotel Company owned and ran the Chieftain Hotel for many years. In 1956, a company called Sheraton bought the hotel. After that, the hotel changed owners and managers several times. It finally closed its doors in 1970.
Inside the Hotel: Cool Features
The Chieftain Hotel had many special areas for its guests. These included restaurants, a lounge, and grand ballrooms.
Dining and Fun Spots
The hotel originally had two restaurants. These were called The Terrace Cafe and the Java Room. There was also a cocktail lounge called The Ruby Room. All these places were on the main floor, near the lobby. The Java Room and Ruby Room could also be entered from the street.
The Terrace Cafe had a special covered walkway called a Loggia. This walkway looked out over Bayliss Park, which was across the street. During tough times like the Great Depression, The Terrace Cafe became a large banquet room. It stayed a banquet room for the rest of the hotel's operating years.
The main lobby was a very tall space. It was two stories high and open to the floor above.
Special Rooms and Art
On the second floor, there were four private dining rooms. These were named the Corn Room, State Suite, Pioneer Room, and The Beaux Arts Room. Also on this floor was the Trianon Ballroom. A U-shaped area next to the ballroom looked down onto the lobby below.
Two of these rooms, the Corn Room and the Pioneer Room, had special art. They were decorated with amazing paintings called murals. These murals were created by a famous Iowa artist named Grant Wood.
The Trianon Ballroom was named after a palace in France. It was a very large room that could hold over 500 guests. This ballroom was one of the first places where the Chanticleer Community Theatre in Council Bluffs performed their shows.
What Happened Next?
After the hotel closed, parts of the building were used for new things. The lobby and the old Terrace Cafe became the Council Bluffs Elk's Club for many years. The Java Room turned into a Godfather's Pizza restaurant. The Ruby Room, which used to be a lounge, was used for many different purposes, including offices for government leaders. The private dining rooms on the second floor were changed into apartments. However, the Trianon Ballroom is still mostly the same as it was.
Today: Bluffs Towers
Today, the building is known as Bluffs Towers. It is now an apartment building. It mainly provides homes for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. This means it is recognized as an important historic site.
