Shoreland Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Shoreland |
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The Shoreland
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| Former names |
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Town or city | Hyde Park, Chicago |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°47′46″N 87°34′53″W / 41.7962°N 87.5815°W |
| Opened | 1926 |
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The Shoreland
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| NRHP reference No. | 86001201 |
| Added to NRHP | 1986 |
The Shoreland is a famous building in the Hyde Park area of Chicago, Illinois. It was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1986. This means it's an important place worth protecting.
The building first opened in 1926 as a fancy hotel. It offered very luxurious rooms to its guests. Later, it became a residence hall for students at the University of Chicago for many years. In 2013, it was changed into an apartment building where people now live.
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The Shoreland's Early Days as a Hotel
The Shoreland Hotel first opened its doors in 1926. A man named Harry Fawcett was the owner. He spent a lot of money, about $2 million, just on the furniture and decorations!
Hotel Features and Design
The Shoreland Hotel was huge. It had 1,000 guest rooms spread out over 13 floors. There was a beautiful crystal ballroom and a large banquet hall. The hotel also had a top-notch restaurant. The lobby was very grand with ceilings that were 30 feet high.
The outside of the building was made of terra-cotta. This is a type of baked clay. It also had cool stone carvings, including gargoyles.
Famous Guests and Events
The Shoreland Hotel was a popular spot for Chicago's rich and famous. Many wedding parties and other big events were held there.
- In 1928, a huge party was thrown for Amelia Earhart. She was a famous pilot who had just returned to the Hyde Park area. She had gone to high school there.
- Later, a famous economist named Milton Friedman lived in the Shoreland.
- Even the famous singer Elvis Presley spent some nights at the Shoreland.
From Hotel to Dorm: The University Years
Over time, the Shoreland Hotel started to lose some of its fancy appeal. In the 1970s, it was sold to the University of Chicago for $750,000.
Becoming Shoreland Hall
After the university bought it, the building became a dormitory. It was known as Shoreland Hall. About 650 college students lived there.
However, by 2004, the university decided to stop using the Shoreland as a dorm. This was because it cost a lot to keep it in good shape. Also, fewer new students wanted to live there. The university continued to use it until the spring of 2009. After that, it was given to a company that works on old buildings.
New Plans and Future Life
The University sold the Shoreland building several times to different companies. Each company had plans to change it.
Plans for Condominiums
First, the University sold the Shoreland for $6 million to Kenard Corporation. This company planned to turn the building into 260 condominiums. Condominiums are apartments that people own. The president of the company, Hal Lichterman, hoped to put a restaurant in the old banquet hall.
After Hal Lichterman passed away, Kenard sold the Shoreland again in 2006. This time, it sold for $10 million to R.D. Horner & Associates. This company planned to continue with the idea of turning it into condominiums. They hoped to open the building by late 2009. But the University decided to keep it as a dorm for one more school year, until 2009.
Becoming Apartments
The Shoreland was sold one more time in August 2008 for $16 million. A company called Antheus Capital bought it. Antheus Capital and another company, MAC Property Management, decided to make their own plans for the building. They took over the agreement with the University of Chicago, which ended in 2009.
Finally, the Shoreland was changed into apartments. It reopened in 2013. Today, it has 330 apartment units where people live.
