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34-420: The 23-story, 1,000-room La Salle Hotel was constructed from 1908-1909. The site was on the northwest corner of North LaSalle and West Madison Streets, to the southwest of Chicago City Hall and close to St. Peter's Church . The site had previously been occupied by the five-story La Salle Building from 1872 to 1908 and the adjacent Oriental Hall , a Masonic temple, from 1873. Known as the “Empire Block,” it housed

68-450: A desk. Accents included brass fixtures and spittoons . There were over-sized, upholstered chairs, as well as shorter ones for women and children. Another fountain, this one glowing and blue, was located in the aptly named Blue Fountain Room. Proposed as a more intimate place to relax, the room was fitted with a marble statuette of Venus de' Medici and a lower, vaulted ceiling. The woodwork

102-484: A disastrous fire broke out in the hotel, killing 61 people, many of them children. The hotel did not live up to its professed "safest hotel" claim, as there was lack of basic fire prevention, warning and firefighting facilities. At the time of the fire, guests occupied 886 rooms of the hotel, with 103 employees at work. The dead included a battalion chief of the Chicago Fire Department. The fire began in

136-787: A double-loaded corridor, Floors 2 through 18 were sleeping rooms, arranged in a square doughnut formation. A central light well was built into the hotel, extending from the lobby to the top of the building. The guest rooms were designed as suites of paired rooms, each with its own bathroom. Large enough to accommodate a grand piano , the Presidential Suite featured a white marble fireplace. 41°52′56″N 87°37′57″W  /  41.8821°N 87.6326°W  / 41.8821; -87.6326 Chicago City Hall 41°53′02″N 87°37′54″W  /  41.88386°N 87.631631°W  / 41.88386; -87.631631 The City Hall-County Building , commonly known as City Hall,

170-537: A grandeur of the fine palace hotels of Europe. The hotel was 22 stories high and claimed 1000 rooms. It was one of Chicago's leading hotels until North Michigan Avenue became host to the Drake Hotel (1918–20) and the Allerton Hotel (1923–4). Resembling hotels of New York City, it had a particular similarity to the 1904 Hotel Astor . The 80.47 m (264.0 ft) above ground level, 22 story building

204-632: Is a 12-story building in Chicago , Illinois that houses the seats of government of the City of Chicago and Cook County . The building's west side (City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.) holds the offices of the mayor , city clerk , and city treasurer ; some city departments; offices of alderpersons of Chicago's 50 wards ; and the Chicago City Council 's chambers. The building's east side (County Building, 118 N. Clark St.) houses offices of

238-583: The Government of Cook County , including the Cook County Board of Commissioners ' chambers. The building spans a city block bounded by Randolph Street to the north, Washington Street to the south, Clark Street to the east, and LaSalle Street to the west. It is the seventh building to serve as Chicago's city hall, the fourth built at its location, and the third shared by the governments of Chicago and Cook County. Its location has served as

272-557: The Metropolitan National Bank . The hotel was named in honor of Robert Cavelier de LaSalle . Built at a cost of approximately $ 3,500,000, or 44 cents per cubic foot, the architects were Holabird & Roche while the engineers were the firm of Purdy & Henderson. At one time Chicago's largest hotel, the LaSalle was opened in 1909 by the family of John Paul Stevens . It was run by Ernest J. Stevens, father of

306-541: The Supreme Court Justice . The hotel was planned, designed and built in the commercial district of Chicago as an upscale hotel for an elite and influential clientele, with luxurious and stately walnut -paneled rooms and lobbies. An elegant roof top garden was planned as a major attraction. When it was opened in 1909, it was hailed as the "largest, safest, and most modern hotel west of New York." The Republican Party of Illinois had their offices located in

340-506: The " Chicago School ". A special feature of this style is the "Chicago window" with a large pane of plate glass for each window flanked by constricted windows which could be opened. This created an illusion that the entire building was made up of glass. La Salle billed itself as "Chicago's Finest Hotel" and was a symbol of upper class extravagance in Chicago in the early twentieth century, with its grand ballrooms and luxury restaurants exuding

374-415: The 1993 blockbuster movie The Fugitive , where Richard Kimble (played by Harrison Ford ) is chased down the stairs by U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard ( Tommy Lee Jones ), until spilling into the lobby, where Kimble narrowly escapes being apprehended by Gerard and his men. The Following Agencies are located in the building: Chicago school (architecture) Too Many Requests If you report this error to

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408-507: The American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) competition in 2002. The exterior and parts of the interior of the building were featured in the climax of the 1980 comedy film The Blues Brothers , in which the titular characters, Jake and Elwood Blues, race to the building to beat a property tax deadline while being chased by police officers, firefighters, and the U.S. Military. The building's interiors of were featured in

442-642: The Silver Grill Cocktail Lounge on the lower floor on the La Salle Street side adjacent to the lobby before ascending stairwells and shafts. The fire started either in the walls or in the ceiling around 12:15 a.m. according to the Chicago Fire Department , but they did not receive their first notification of the fire until 12:35 a.m. The fire quickly spread through the highly-varnished wood paneling in

476-618: The city and county completed construction of a new combined building in the French Empire style at the present site (and the site of the old courthouse). This building was demolished and replaced in 1905 by the present and larger classical revival structure. The city and county jointly sponsored an architectural competition that Holabird & Roche won by unanimous vote. Construction of the county building (east wing) began in 1905, and by 1907 some county offices were already beginning to move in. Construction of city hall (the west wing)

510-457: The hotel was rebuilt at a cost of US $ 2 million, reopening in July 1947. The Silver Grill Cocktail Lounge, where the fire started, was renamed "The Hour Glass" after renovation. The hotel closed on June 29, 1976. It was demolished and the 2 North LaSalle skyscraper was completed on the site in 1979. The architects of this skyscraper building developed their own innovative architectural style within

544-476: The lounge and the mezzanine balcony overlooking the lobby. While a significant number died from flames, a greater number of deaths were caused by suffocation from the thick, black smoke. Around 900 guests were able to leave the building but some 150 had to be rescued by the fire services and by heroic members of the public, including two sailors who were reported to have rescued 27 people between them. Blind future Texas House of Representatives member Anita Lee Blair

578-469: The luxurious Blue Fountain Room of the hotel. During one of his long visits to Chicago, President William Howard Taft stayed in the presidential suite on the third floor of this hotel, converting it into de facto White House . A formal visit was also paid to the hotel by President Calvin Coolidge and his wife in 1925. Other visitors came as convention guests. The Prohibition Party 's National Convention

612-432: The new one. The building is distinguished by its colossal, 118 feet-tall, 9 feet-wide Woodbury granite Corinthian orders - among the largest ever built. The columns are hollow and were built in 5 feet-high segments. Altogether, the outer walls and orders are clad in 180,000 cubic feet of granite weighing 30 million pounds. The ground floor lobby is clad in solid polished Botticino marble. The exterior cornice

646-606: The old courthouse city hall prior to his burial in Springfield in 1865. The courthouse bell was rung in 1871 to raise the alarm during the Great Chicago Fire before the hall burned to the ground. A hastily constructed hall nicknamed the 'old rookery' was built around a water tank that survived the fire at LaSalle and Adams streets—today, that site houses the Rookery Building (built 1888). In 1885,

680-460: The panels represents one of four principal concerns of city government: playgrounds, schools, parks, and water supply. The main (east) County Building entrance features four additional high reliefs : a man studying a scroll; a man holding a sailing ship and fishing net; and two near-identical reliefs depicting an older version of the county seal flanked by two young men. In 2001, 38,800 square feet (3,600 m ) roof gardens were completed atop

714-409: The seat of the city and county governments since 1853, except for a period from 1871—when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building—to 1885. The building was designed by the architectural firm Holabird & Roche in the classical revival style. Its two sections were finished three years apart: the county building (east) was completed in 1908; the city hall (west) was completed in 1911. It

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748-502: The west wing serving as a pilot project to assess the impact green roofs would have on the heat island effect in urban areas, rainwater runoff, and the effectiveness of differing types of green roofs and plant species for Chicago's climate. Although the rooftop is not normally accessible to the public, it is visually accessible from 33 taller buildings in the area. The Garden consists of 20,000 plants of more than 150 species, including shrubs, vines and two trees. The green roof design team

782-565: Was built of cream-colored stone, Rookwood tile , and gray terra cotta, while featuring high-beamed ceilings. The ambiguously named Buffet was actually the hotel's bar. It was decorated in the style of a medieval castle with heavy beams, paneled ceilings, and wooden booths. There were murals, lead glass windows, and metal chandeliers. The ballroom was designed with arched windows and vaulted ceilings. These were painted trims of blue, gold and green. The curtains and chairs were accented with red velvet. Large chandeliers provided light. Accessed from

816-549: Was built on rock caissons and had two basements. The hotel frontage on La Salle Street was 178 ft (54 m) while the Madison Street frontage was 161 ft (49 m). Its architectural style was also defined as "beaux-arts." The hotel's Main Lobby was dramatic and opulent with green and gold decorations, carrying the theme through its carpets and drapes. It was furbished with marble throughout: floors, statues and

850-497: Was constructed in LaSalle Street. The city owned market hall held city council business on its second floor, with shops below until 1853. A new combined city hall and county courthouse was then constructed in the public square made by Randolph, LaSalle, Washington, and Clark Streets (this building, which later burned, is sometimes referred to as, Old Chicago Courthouse ). President Abraham Lincoln 's body lay in state at

884-484: Was delayed until 1909 because the city had to wait for the State to increase its borrowing authority. Despite the delay, the two wings were easily linked together because the builders of the first wing arranged all necessary steel structural connections on its westernmost wall (where the wings meet) in anticipation of the second wing. Four construction workers died during the demolition of the old building and construction of

918-484: Was headed by the Chicago area firm Conservation Design Forum in conjunction with noted "green" architect William McDonough . With an abundance of flowering plants on the rooftop, beekeepers harvest approximately 200 pounds (91 kg) of honey each year from hives installed on the rooftop. Tours of the green roof are by special arrangement only. The Chicago City Hall Green Roof won the Merit Design Award of

952-473: Was held at the hotel from July 10–12, 1928, during which William F. Varney was made the party's Presidential nominee . Hollywood actor and dancer, Gene Kelly , said the only time he fell during an actual performance was on the dance floor at the La Salle Hotel in 1933. He slipped on a grease spot on the dance floor and broke his arm. He got up, took a bow and walked off the floor. On June 5, 1946,

986-464: Was led to safety by her service dog Fawn. Two-thirds of hotel fire deaths in 1946 occurred in the La Salle and Winecoff (Atlanta) fires. The hotel fire was so devastating, it resulted in the Chicago city council enacting new hotel building codes and fire-fighting procedures, including the installation of automatic alarm systems and instructions of fire safety inside the hotel rooms. After the fire,

1020-489: Was noted for its enormous red brick supports which supported the heavy-beamed and paneled ceilings. The room was furnished with wooden and leather chairs and had blue tiled walls and terra cotta tiled floors. It was here that electric grilling started in Chicago. Considered by some to be Chicago's most beautiful hotel dining room, the Palm Room featured an Italian fountain after a model by Donatello as its centerpiece. It

1054-499: Was officially dedicated on February 27, 1911. The "fifth floor" is sometimes used as a metonym for the office and power of the mayor, whose office is located on the fifth floor of the building. The first Chicago City Hall in 1837 was in leased chambers in the Saloon Building on the corner of Lake and Clark Streets. The city next leased space in a building owned by Nancy Chapman, from 1842 until 1848, when Old Market Hall

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1088-420: Was removed in 1948 and on March 21, 1957, a fire destroyed the original, Italian Renaissance -style City Council Chamber, which featured murals by Frederick Clay Bartlett and oak paneling imported from England . A completely remodeled, contemporary-style chamber reopened in 1958. During a major renovation project initiated in 1967, seventy-five percent of the interior of the building from basement to roof

1122-617: Was renovated, including new suspended ceilings, partitions, flooring, lighting, wall finishes, bathrooms and boilers. The renovation was overseen by the Office of the City Architect with Holabird & Root serving as consulting architect. The adjacent Richard J. Daley Center was constructed as an annex in the 1960s as the city and county governments outgrew the city hall-county building. The main (west) City Hall entrance features four reliefs sculpted by John Flanagan . Each of

1156-594: Was silver maple. Its unique light fixtures were red globes. Two large chandeliers hung from the gilded and vaulted ceiling of the green and gold themed Louis XVI Dining Room. Brass sconces were built in between the windows. A gilded and vaulted ceiling, and a repeating green and gold theme drew on the style of the Main Lobby. Another eating area was the German Room ( renamed the Dutch Room during WWI ). It

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