Chicago · The Loop
Palmer House
The third Palmer House on Potter Palmer's corner, rebuilt in stages in 1924–27 without closing, under a ceiling of 21 Louis Pierre Rigal paintings.
- Built
- 1927Current 25-story hotel was rebuilt in stages from 1924 to 1927 on the site of the 1873 Palmer House so the hotel never closed (HHA); the City landmark record dates it 1925-27. The Palmer House name dates to 1871.
- Style
- Classical Revival with French Neoclassical ornament
- Architect
- Holabird & Roche
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- The Loop
- Credentials
- Historic Hotels of America member; Local landmark; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Potter Palmer’s first Palmer House opened on September 26, 1871 and burned 13 days later in the Great Chicago Fire; a rebuilt hotel designed by John M. Van Osdel reopened on November 8, 1873. The present 25-story building, by Holabird & Roche, went up in stages between 1924 and 1927 so the hotel never stopped operating. Conrad Hilton bought it in 1945. The lobby ceiling carries 21 paintings by French artist Louis Pierre Rigal, and HHA credits the hotel kitchen with creating the brownie for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Good to know
- Address: 17 E. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.