The Belden Stratford

The Belden Stratford Hotel, completed in 1923 during a building boom after World War I, embodies the characteristics of an apartment hotel. Built on Chicago's rapidly developing north side, including along Lake Michigan, the Belden catered both to transients and permanent residents, notably those with the financial means to afford luxuries and the daily commute to downtown Chicago. Guests enjoyed the privacy of residential units while also having maid services, a grand lobby, and a restaurant.

In 1920, the plans for Chicago's north side, set in motion by Daniel Burnham in his 1909 Plan for Chicago, finally materialized with the erection of the Michigan Ave Bridge, which allowed Chicago residents to easily move north from the downtown area to the city's modern-day north side. The limited space and influx of new residents to the north side inspired developers to design multi-dwelling apartments (Chicago experienced an annual increase in urban population during 1922-23 that chose to live in some form of multi-family dwelling). Many apartment buildings catered to the middle class and the wealthy, which speaks to a change in social views about apartments for those outside the lower class. Indeed, promoters worked diligently to sell apartments as status symbols after World War I. Thus the era of luxury apartments and apartment hotels (which mimicked aspects of high-end hotels) took shape in Chicago during America's "Roaring '20s decade. 

During the 1910s, the city's multi-decade explosive growth continued, with more than 50,000 people coming to Chicago each year. The north side development included substantial development along Lake Michigan. The city spent millions of dollars on landfill and then developing its lakefront parks, properties, and roads (the automobile's popularity grew substantially by 1920). Many of the residential properties that arose along the lake shore catered to those possessing at least moderate wealth, if not genuinely wealthy. Apartments, including apartment hotels, emerged as part of that development. Apartment hotels provided residents (routinely part of the upper-middle-class) with the privacy of private homes along with amenities similar to that of nice hotels. 

The Belden Stratford Hotel, an apartment hotel located just across Chicago's Lincoln Park West from the flower gardens and conservatory, offered single rooms, suites, and one- and two-bedroom apartments. Many rooms could be combined with kitchenette apartments to form larger units with a private dining option. Units served both short-term transients (like a hotel) or leased for long-term permanency (like an apartment complex); all guests enjoyed maid services and concierge services. The Balden's location presented guests with easy access to nearby roads (including what would become Lake Shore Drive) and public transportation, allowing middle-class residents an opportunity to live north of downtown but easily commute to work. The grand lobby spanned three stories with a mezzanine adorned with opulent decor. Akin to a hotel, the apartment's large public spaces were intended to encourage socializing. An elegant dining room located just off the lobby served residents. The architects also designed the apartment to have green space via a courtyard, a popular addition to hotels during the Progressive Era. Unlike the small, tight, crowded apartments that mainly catered to the lower classes prior to the 1890s, middle-class apartment buildings included courtyards not only for their green space but to provide apartments with ventilation and sunlight. 

Bachrach, Julia. "Chicago’s Apartment Hotels of the Roaring Twenties." Julia Bachrach Consulting, LLC. jbachrach.com. January 6, 2020. https://www.jbachrach.com/blog/2020/1/3/chicagos-apartment-hotels-of-the-roaring-twenties.

Baldwin, Susan. "Registration Form: Belden-Stratford Hotel." National Register of Historic Places. archives.gov. 1992. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891944.

The Belden Stratford. Accessed July 18, 2023. https://www.beldenstratford.com/.

Burnham, Daniel H and Edward H. Bennett.  Plan of Chicago. Chicago: The Commercial Club of Chicago. 1909.

McClendon, Dennis. "Chicago's Lakefront Landfill." The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. 2005. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3713.html.

Pedersen, Laura. "Home Sweet Hotel." The New York Times. Aug. 6, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/06/nyregion/home-sweet-hotel.html.

Stamper, John W. Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue Planning and Development, 1900 - 1930. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.