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_01.JPG) The historic Hotel Baker, located in downtown St. Charles, IL | |
| Address | 100 W. Main St. St. Charles, IL 60174 |
|---|---|
| Opened | June 2, 1928 |
| Architects | Wolf, Sexton, Harper, and Trueax |
| Current Owner | Joe Salas |
| Rooms | 55 |
| Website | www.hotelbaker.com |
Hotel Baker is a historic landmark in St. Charles, IL. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places[1] and has been in and out of the hotel business since 1928[1].
The structure of Hotel Baker is made up of brick, concrete, and steel-encased utilities-elements, effectively making the building “fireproof”. The exterior of the building showcases aspects of Spanish Romantic Revival architecture. At the top of the five story building sits a square tower, while the front entrance has a peacock stained glass window centerpiece [2]. Outside are gardens, terraces, and a putting green [2].
History[edit]
Hotel Baker was the vision of longtime St. Charles, IL resident, Colonel Edward J. Baker. In 1918, at the age of 50, Baker inherited 20 million dollars from his sister Dellora Baker Gates, heiress to the Texaco Oil Company [1]. In 1926, using the interest off the money, Baker started construction on Hotel Baker on the banks of the Fox River in downtown St. Charles on the site of the old Haines Mill [2]. He commissioned Wolf, Sexton, Harper, and Trueax of St. Charles to design the hotel [2]. The 55 room hotel blended the latest technology with Spanish Romantic Revival architecture [2]. It was completed in 1928 and cost around 1 million dollars to build [1].
The grand opening of the Baker Hotel commenced on June 2nd, 1928 with a dinner for 301 guests [2]. The price for spending a night at Hotel Baker in those early years was $2.50 [2].
After living on the 5th floor for 31 years, Baker died in 1959 [2]. He left Hotel Baker to his niece, Dellora Norris. Norris attempted to sell the hotel, but after failing to find a buyer she donated it to the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois in 1968 [2]. It closed for remodeling and reopened in 1971 as a nondenominational residence for the elderly [2]. During that time it was put on the National Record of Historic Places. In 1996, St. Charles businessmen Craig Frank and Neil Johnson bought the hotel and following a $9 million renovation, cleaning, and upgrading of utilities[2], the hotel once again welcomed guests. In 2003 after a temporary shutdown due to a lack of owner, Hotel Baker was bought by Joe Salas [3].
In July 2008, Hotel Baker was approached as one of many Chicago-area hotels to host visitors to the 2016 Olympics. If Chicago acquired the bid, Hotel Baker would dedicate 85% of it's rooms to long-term guests [4], such as the athletes or media.
Amenities[edit]
The Hotel Baker opened with the most luxurious amenities of the late 1920s. There were several shops within the hotel including a women's clothing store, a newspaper shop, a barber, and a beauty shop [2]. The main attractions inside the hotel the Trophy Room and the Rainbow Room. The Trophy Room imitated a Spanish courtyard, complete with balconies, awnings, a fountain, and a simulated sky [2]. The Rainbow Room featured an oval glass dancing floor and a pipe organ [2]. Until 1955, red, green, blue, and amber lights beneath the floor could create spectacular patterns. Unfortunately, following a flood, the lights could only be turned on or off [2]. Though permanently damaged, the Rainbow Room is still a major attraction for guests and the public.
The Hotel Baker is also unique in that the hotel was designed with every guest room being different. Not only is the furniture unique to each room, the floorplans also differ [5].
Awards[edit]
The Hotel Baker is listed on the National Record of Historic Places. It also helped earn St. Charles the title of "150 Great Places in Illinois" and the Great American Main Street Award in 2000 [6].
Famous Guests[edit]
The Hotel Baker has been the hotel choice of many notable people for their stay in the western suburbs of Chicago. Famous guests include:
- John F. Kennedy
- Gerald Ford
- Chicago Mayor Richard J Daley
- Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson
- Illinois Governor Jim Thompson
- Senator Charles Percy
- Senator Everett Dirksen
- Senator Edmund Muskie
- Tommy Dorsey
- Guy Lombardo
- Louis Armstrong
- Lawrence Welk
- Evangelist Billy Graham
Hauntings[edit]
As with any historic hotel, there are rumors of a ghost within its walls. The ghost of the Baker Hotel is said to be a chambermaid who was engaged to another hotel employee who disappeared after a late-night poker game. Distraught, she cried inconsolably for days. A few weeks later, she disappeared, presumably after drowning in the river outside. Hotel guests hear her cries near where the former employees' dormitory once stood. Occasionally the linens are messed up, as if someone was searching for something among them.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d www.hotelbaker.com/history.html 9/28/08
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o www.st-charles.lib.il.us/history/hotelbaker.htm 9/28/08
- ^ http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=122252 1/27/08
- ^ http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=227742 8/16/08
- ^ http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/PDFs/200258.pdf 10/19/08
- ^ http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=182383 5/1/2008
- ^ hotels.about.com/od/hauntedhotelsatoz/p/hau_hotellbaker.htm 9/28/08