Fort Dearborn Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort Dearborn Hotel
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 Location in Chicago metropolitan area
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 401 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, Illinois |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Architect | Holabird & Roche |
| Architectural style | Venetian Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000390 |
| Added to NRHP | November 12, 1982 |
The Fort Dearborn Hotel was once a busy hotel in Chicago, Illinois. It is a tall building, also known as a skyscraper. You can find it at 401 South LaSalle Street in the Loop area of Chicago.
This 17-story hotel was designed by a famous architecture firm called Holabird & Roche. It was completed in 1914. Today, the building is no longer a hotel. It is now an office building known as the LaSalle Atrium Building.
Contents
What Does the Fort Dearborn Hotel Look Like?
Venetian Renaissance Style
The Fort Dearborn Hotel was built in a special style. This style is called Venetian Renaissance. It uses design ideas from old buildings in Venice, Italy.
The hotel was built with two colors of brick. These were gray and reddish-brown. It also had fancy decorations made from terra cotta. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay.
Art Inside the Hotel
The main lobby of the hotel had beautiful artwork. There were two large paintings, called murals. A local artist named Edgar Cameron painted them. These murals showed scenes from Fort Dearborn. Fort Dearborn was an important early settlement in Chicago's history.
Why Was This Hotel Built?
A Hotel for Business Travelers
The Fort Dearborn Hotel was built during a time when many new hotels were appearing in Chicago. This hotel was special. It was made for business people. They needed a place to stay when visiting the city.
Great Location for Travelers
The hotel's spot was chosen very carefully. It was easy for travelers to get there. It was close to the LaSalle Street Station. This was a major train station. It was also near the LaSalle/Van Buren 'L' station. The 'L' is Chicago's elevated train system. This made it simple for guests to travel around the city.
Different from Other Hotels
The Fort Dearborn Hotel was owned by the Hotel Sherman Co. They also owned the nearby Hotel Sherman. Both hotels shared the same managers and kitchen staff.
However, the two hotels were quite different. The Hotel Sherman was a fancy, luxury hotel. But the Fort Dearborn Hotel focused on being practical. It offered useful things for guests at lower prices. It became a great example of a "popular, commercial hotel" for business travelers.
A Historic Landmark
The Fort Dearborn Hotel is an important part of Chicago's history. Because of its special design and history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened on November 12, 1982. Being on this list means it is recognized as a valuable historic site.
