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505 North Michigan Avenue
The InterContinental Hotel's HomePage
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The InterContinental has a long history as a symbol of high society in Chicago . The hotel was built in 1929 for the Shrine Organization, as a men's luxury athletic club . The Medinah Athletic Club was forced to close in 1934 due to a stock market crash. In 1988, the InterContinental Hotel company bought the historic site. The hotel took 12 years and nearly 25 million dollars to restore. The InterContinental Chicago features 807 newly refurbished guest rooms, 72 Suites, and 23 business classrooms. Guest Rooms are offered within both the contemporary Main Building and European Historic Tower, which offer city and lake views. (11)
The InterContinental Chicago is a fantastic location for groups looking to hold business meetings for up to 1000 people. This hotel has 30 meeting rooms and 6 functioning ballrooms. (11)
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One of the contributions that helped the InterContinental hotel group in the restoration process was a Shriner's yearbook that had been saved from the 1930s. The black and white photos of each of the rooms helped the hotel group fully restore even the smallest details of the rooms. (11)
The Shriner influence is still seen today in many of the building's rooms. For example, "ES SALUMU ALEIKUM" (11) which means “Peace be to God” is still used by the present day organization as a salutation. In the Hall of Lions, one of the more difficult rooms to restore, there is the inscription “All waters run into the sea”, a remnant of the Shriner's influence in the hotel's creation. (11).
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The InterContinental and Literature
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The history and legacy of the InterContinental Hotel and it's affiliation with the Shriner Organization can be related to many of the texts read throughout our English 280 course. In Sister Carrie, Drouet belongs to an men's club called the National Order of the Elks, similar to that of The Shriner Organization. These organizations are symbolic of high society because they not only represent fraternity and brotherhood, but a social hierarchy that select few had access to. (7) We have encountered many different perspectives throughout our course in Chicagoan Literature. Carl Sandburg, Stuart Dybek and Henry Petrakis all offer stories about the working man. These stories represent the groundwork on which the city of Chicago was built. In addition, they signify the support that bolsters the upper class. In contrast, The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson (12) and Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser, it is apparent how glitz and glamour are also part of life in the city. Sister Carrie showcases Carrie's obsession with material wealth and her yearning for a high society lifestyle. In The Devil in the White City, the reader is bombarded by images of Potter Palmer, George Pullman and Mayor Harrison and the like. (12)