The Beaux-Arts style Stevens Hotel cost an immense price of $20 million, leading the hotel to be the largest hotel in the world in 1927. The Stevens asked Holabird and Roche to construct the hotel to have a “city” feel to it, to complement the city of Chicago and to match the demanding and ambitious architectural nature at the time. Sure enough, the Stevens Hotel was coined as a “City within a City,” as it offered guests a once in a lifetime stay with an unprecedented amount of amenities to enjoy: 3,000 guestrooms over 28 floors, a 1,200 seat theater with dynamic and interactive motion picture screening and equipment, a 27 seat barber shop, 18 hole rooftop mini golf course, 5 lane bowling alley, a hospital with many operating rooms, nurses, caretakers, and physicians, a toy store, clothing department, candy store, ice cream shop, jewelry store, floral shop, library (over 20,000 books), and a 24-hour convenience store.

The hotel offered its guests an opportunity to enjoy a peaceful, lavish, and luxurious stay within Chicago’s bustling atmosphere. The hotel’s first registered guest happened to be Charles Dawes, current vice president at the time, and he was one of thousands of political and public figures who spent some time at the hotel. Every sitting U.S. President has spent at least one night in the hotel. 

Despite the deluxe guest experience, having access to world-class amenities and with the hotel receiving excellent reviews, financially the hotel was trending downward, losing over $1 million in the first years in business and nearly $500 thousand in the following year. The Stock Market Crash and The Great Depression of 1929 was detrimental to the nation and the Stevens Hotel, in addition to over 80% of other hotels in the country, led the Stevens to file bankruptcy despite their wealth amassed over the years through their insurance funds. 

The Stevens family did their best to salvage some funds by renting out rooms as apartments, however this was to no avail as Chicago was demoralized and destroyed by the Depression. Unfortunately for the Stevens family, this was just the beginning of more problems to come.

In January of 1933, auditors discovered $13 million in financial wrongdoings amassed by the Illinois Life Insurance business and over 80,000 clients tied up to the Stevens Hotel. 

The family then naturally declined. J.W. Stevens had a stroke at the age of 79 in March of 1933 and passed away, proceeded by his son Raymond committing suicide after he failed to receive funds to cover over $200,000 that he owed to Illinois Life Insurance. A few months later an embezzlement trial began for Ernest Stevens accusing him of illegal transactions and loans as the hotel manager for his own personal gain, and he was found guilty for stealing over $1.3 million, and was sentenced to a decade in prison. Despite the deteriorating family, Earnest’s court ruling was overturned a year later as the court ruled it as a wrongly made decision. The new ruling stated that Ernest’s loans were not for personal gain after reports came out from other investors from Illinois Life Insurance, but despite being released, he was distanced from his family and the Stevens Hotel lost its glory and worldly recognition.

With property value declining at the Hotel, in 1942 the U.S. Army purchased The Stevens Hotel for $6 million to use the rooms as military housing for close to 10,000 troops. After a year in the hands of the Army the Stevens Hotel had property restored into it, and then a man by the name Conrad Hiton purchased the hotel for $7 million. In 1851, the Hotel, restored by Hilton over the years to get the hotel back to its lavish past, changed the name to The Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago. 

The hotel reclaimed its popularity and awe-inspiring nature as the economy regained its height and Conrad Hilton invested the largest amount of money ever for a hotel renovation in the mid 80’s, totaling close to $185 million. The original 3,000 smaller rooms was renovated into 1,544 larger rooms, with many of the original architectural designs staying up to date. And thus, the Stevens family dream of a “City Within a City,” remains true to this day, as the bustling hotel has served as a stunning destination for travelers, movie filming, and many famous social figures.

In 2015 Hilton Chicago was classified as a member of the Historic Hotels of America.

Image of 18-hole rooftop mini-golf course (courtesy of The Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago museum)

Image of the The Stevens Hotel barbershop (courtesy of The Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago museum)

Image of U.S. Army troops when they lived in the Stevens Hotel in 1942 (courtesy of The Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago museum)

Image of Conrad Hilton purchasing the Stevens Hotel in 1943 (courtesy of The Conrad Hilton Hotel Chicago museum)