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located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Lake and
Dearborn streets. It had 93 ft (28 m) of frontage on Dearborn street and 100 ft (30 m) of frontage along Lake Street It was lost to a fire on July 21, 1841. Around 1839, the brothers purchased the land on which the
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The fourth hotel was designed by John M. Van Osdel, who had designed the previous third hotel. It opened its doors in 1873. It stood six floors. It was constructed James Couch and the estate of his brother Ira Couch, who had himself passed away in 1857. The rebuilt hotel remained along with the
146:-style, with private bathrooms and bathtubs. Before its opening, the new large building was ridiculed as "Couch's Folly" by those that expected it to fail. The third hotel opened its doors on September 29, 1850. For a time, it was considered the leading hotel in the western United States.
142:. The new hotel covered the entirety of the land that the Couch brothers had acquired before the loss of previous building. It was equipped with the finest amenities of the day, costing $ 75,000 to construct, and $ 260,000 to furnish. Many rooms were equipped with the luxury of being
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Ira Couch (not to be confused with his late brother of the same name) were the proprietors of the new fourth incarnation of the hotel at its opening. The hotel was one of the city's "big four" post-fire hotels, the other three being the
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At the time the third hotel was constructed, its neighborhood was located at the border of the developed business district and undeveloped prairie land. In 1848, the city's business district had been located on Lake Street west of
70:. Its original proprietor of the property was Starr Foot, who sold it to Malliory & Able in 1835. The operation was then sold to a man named Dorwin in 1837. Dorwin sold the lease months later that year to brothers
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hotel stood. By the time the building was lost, in 1841, they owned 180 ft (55 m) feet of frontage of the block along
Dearborn Street and 140 ft (43 m) of frontage on the block along Lake Street.
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After the loss of the second building, a third hotel building was constructed on the same site. It was a five and one-half floor block masonry brick structure with 260 rooms, and was designed by
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The hotel would become the residence of many prominent residents of
Chicago. Additionally, popular gathering spot for notable figures was the hotel's bar room, which actor
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joined the Gages, acquiring a quarter interest in the hotel's operation. In 1861, he became the sole owner of its operation, and would remain so until 1872.
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169:. The Couches had attempted to back out of the agreement shortly after the lease was sold, but relented after the Gages threatened a lawsuit. In 1855,
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The second hotel was built after the loss of the first, breaking ground in
December 1839 and opening in May 1840. The structure was a three-story
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The original hotel's building was built in 1833. It was a three-story wooden structure located at the northwest corner of the intersection of
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During the interim period following the fire, the hotel operated as the "New
Tremont House" out of a structure that John Drake had bought at
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and
Congress. Drake bought this temporary Hotel as a successful bet that it would escape the fire as the fire was raging across the city.
188:). The building was one of many buildings in Chicago raised to match the upward shifting street grade during the mid nineteenth century.
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had given the name "House of David". Among the notable frequenters of the "House of David" over the years was former congressman
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In 1853, three years after the third incarnation of the hotel opened, the building was leased and the furniture was sold to
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The building stood until 1937, but the hotel had closed earlier. In 1902, the building was purchased by
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in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1861, Ely, Smith and
Pullman lifted the Tremont House six feet in the air (
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Host, William R. and Brooke Ahne
Portmann, "Early Chicago Hotels," Arcadia Publishing, 2006, p. 29.,
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Host, William R. and Brooke Ahne
Portmann, "Early Chicago Hotels," Arcadia Publishing, 2006, p. 11.,
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made his reputation as a building raiser before becoming famous for manufacturing
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as a leading hotel after the Great Chicago Fire. It was built in the commercial
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DN-0060398, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.
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architecture style of the day and claimed to be fireproof. James Couch and his
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and James Couch. The Couch brothers turned the building into the city's first
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793:. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press. pp. 20–22.
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approximately 80 ft (24 m) long and 70 ft (21 m) wide.
863:"Ditka on his iconic Ditka's eatery closing: 'It's over and it was good'"
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1853 illustration of the street scene outside of the third hotel
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This article is about the hotel in Chicago. For other uses, see
207:. Lincoln, who was in Chicago to attend an opening session of
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The building was among the largest to be physically raised
715:. Chicago Daily Tribune. January 22, 1861. Archived from
418:. Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University
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Stephen A. Douglas died at the hotel on June 3, 1861.
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Burned buildings and structures in the United States
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154:. The area east of Dearborn Street was undeveloped
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123:of a crowd gathered outside the hotel for an event
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255:stayed at the hotel for one week following the
416:The Great Chicago Fire & The Web of Memory
193:1858 United States senatorial race in Illinois
178:when Chicago heighted the grade of its streets
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753:Karamanski, Theodore J. (2005).
535:Keegan, Anne (January 3, 1993).
298:Illustration of the fourth hotel
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882:Sager, Mike (October 1, 1999).
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661:"Hidden Truths: Pamela Bannos"
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620:. February 11, 1892. p. 1
306:Photograph of the fourth hotel
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66:The building was originally a
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21:Tremont House (disambiguation)
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732:"George Pullman and His Town"
665:hiddentruths.northwestern.edu
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954:Demolished hotels in Chicago
761:. Chicago Historical Society
456:. Chicago Historical Society
209:United States District Court
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791:The Madness of Mary Lincoln
693:. Biography Resource Center
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974:Hotels established in 1833
689:Utter, William T. (2007).
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734:. Encyclopedia of Chicago
667:. Northwestern University
356:The Tremont Chicago Hotel
216:Illinois Republican Party
336:, Palmer House, and the
789:Emerson, Jason (2007).
659:Bannos, Pamela (2021).
345:Northwestern University
119:1853 illustration from
30:was a hotel located in
691:"John Burroughs Drake"
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924:41.88556°N 87.62917°W
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837:"Sherman House III"
317:Grand Pacific Hotel
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265:Tad Lincoln
218:during the
191:During the
103:Third hotel
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53:Lake Street
47:First hotel
943:Categories
915:87°37′45″W
912:41°53′08″N
846:January 2,
671:August 14,
546:August 14,
378:References
372:Mike Ditka
171:John Drake
765:March 28,
697:April 24,
624:August 1,
515:August 1,
460:March 28,
274:in 1871.
251:In 1865,
72:Ira Couch
755:"Wigwam"
579:June 30,
450:"Hotels"
422:June 30,
319:and the
144:en suite
42:Original
36:Illinois
889:Esquire
362:on the
325:palazzo
156:prairie
32:Chicago
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224:Wigwam
905:Map:
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848:2021
820:ISBN
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767:2007
740:2007
699:2007
673:2021
643:ISBN
626:2022
581:2021
548:2021
517:2022
462:2007
424:2021
366:and
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329:son
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.