Congress Plaza Hotel
Introduction
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Completed in 1983, the Congress Plaza Hotel was built to accommodate the many people from around the world visiting Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition. Louis Sullivan assisted in the design of the hotel's exterior. The hotel boasted the first air-conditioned ballroom in America, and following the completion of the second tower, the hotel offered over 1,000 guest rooms. Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel offers guests a view of the ornate interiors of America's grand Gilded Age hotels with marble floors, glittering chandeliers, Grecian statues and mosaic archways that adorn the interior.
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Chicago's Congress Plaza Hotel
Backstory and Context
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Congress Plaza Hotel was built in 1893 to accommodate the many people from around the world visiting Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition. The hotel opened as the Auditorium Annex and had only one tower at the time of its completion. The south tower was completed in 1907 and the growth of the hotel mirrored the growth of the city.
The hotel boasted the first air-conditioned ballroom in America, and following the completion of the second tower, the hotel offered over 1,000 guest rooms. In 1908, the hotel's name was changed the Congress Plaza. Before long, the hotel had a second nickname, "Home of the Presidents"- a reference to visits by Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party even gained its nickname "Bull Moose" because of a comment he made to reporters at the hotel.
The hotel is still a spot of elegance and luxury for travelers to the Windy City. Along with magnificent hotel rooms and suites, there are also two restaurants, a fitness center, and a barbershop. Every Halloween, the hotel hosts the Haunted Halloween Ball, a reference to the many ghost stories that revolve around the historic building.
The hotel boasted the first air-conditioned ballroom in America, and following the completion of the second tower, the hotel offered over 1,000 guest rooms. In 1908, the hotel's name was changed the Congress Plaza. Before long, the hotel had a second nickname, "Home of the Presidents"- a reference to visits by Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party even gained its nickname "Bull Moose" because of a comment he made to reporters at the hotel.
The hotel is still a spot of elegance and luxury for travelers to the Windy City. Along with magnificent hotel rooms and suites, there are also two restaurants, a fitness center, and a barbershop. Every Halloween, the hotel hosts the Haunted Halloween Ball, a reference to the many ghost stories that revolve around the historic building.
Sources
"History." The Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Accessed June 3, 2016. http://www.congressplazahotel.com/history-en.html
"Refined Service and Ameneties." The Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Accessed June 3, 2016. http://www.congressplazahotel.com/amenities-en.html