Historic Palmer House in Chicago Reopens Just in Time to Celebrate 150th Anniversary

By Kurt Stolz on 17 June 2021
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The historic Palmer House hotel in Chicago reopened its doors to guests on Thursday following a year-long closure.

The shutdown was precipitated due to the coronavirus pandemic-induced decline in travel.

The Palmer House hotel, which is now celebrating its 150th anniversary, first opened its doors to guests on September 26, 1871, 13 days before the Great Chicago Fire.  The structure did not survive the blaze and it reopened in 1873, after its founder, Potter Palmer, rebuilt it and the surrounding area.

The Palmer House is currently a Hilton property.

During the closure, the hotel underwent a $2.2 million renovation and added a new

The hotel’s staff spent months preparing for the reopening, its general manager said.

“Reopening a grand hotel of this stature is no easy task, in the months leading up to reopening day, the team at Palmer House vacuumed over 4 miles of carpet, changed 10,000 light bulbs, and for the first time, filled 14,600 gallons of water into our new swimming pool.” said Dean Lane, the GM.

The hotel is known for many firsts, including the creation of the first chocolate fudge brownie. It was the city’s first hotel with elevators and the first hotel with electric light bulbs and telephones in the guest rooms.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)

 

 

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