Palmer House and Surroundings

  Entrepreneur Marshall Field introduced business partner Potter Palmer to Socialite Bertha Honore and they quickly fell in love. As a wedding gift to his new wife, Palmer built the first Palmer House Hotel, a three story edifice that opened on September 26, 1871. Unfortunately, the Great Chicago Fire occurred thirteen days later and the hotel burned down. Palmer quickly rebuilt the hotel, this time it was seven stories, with oversized rooms and luxurious decor. Constructed of iron and brick, Palmer advertised it as "the world's only fire proof hotel." This second Palmer House Hotel opened in 1875. Visitors included U.S. grant, James Garfield, Mark Twain, Grover Cleaveland, Oscar Wilde, L. Frank Baum, and Sarah Bernhardt. By 1925, a new 25 story hotel was constructed on the same location as the second Palmer House. Conrad Hilton bought the hotel in 1945. Then in 2005, it was again sold, this time to Thor Equities, and the hotel was completely renovated. Now containing 1639 rooms, the Palmer House is the second largest hotel in Chicago (after the Hyatt Regency).

The Palmer House main entrance .

One of the distinctive features of the hotel is the opulent lobby.

The lobby ceiling is amazing!

Even the stairway from the main entrance up to the lobby takes your breath away.

Exploring the neighborhood around the Palmer House, we discovered some very interesting sights;

Next to the Art Institute of Chicago is this solid steel sculpture entitled "Horse and Rider" created by Charles Ray in 2014.

Just a couple of blocks down Michigan Avenue is Grant Park.

The flower gardens of Grant Park were full of color.

In the center of Grant Park is the huge Buckingham Fountain. One of the largest fountains in the world, it was dedicated in 1927 and is supposed to represent Lake Michigan. Kate Buckingham donated the fountain to the city in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham.

Also found along Michigan Avenue is this unique 26-foot-long "Touch and Go Chess Party" created by Cecil Locke.

Cecil Locke, creator of the "Touch and Go Chess Party".

Right around the corner from the Palmer House is the beginning of the iconic Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway. Built in 1926, and running from Chicago to Santa Monica, California (2448 miles long) it was one of the original highways in America. This highway became the centerpiece of the 1960's television show of the same name. By 1985, it was replaced by the Interstate Highway System.