Photographing along Michigan Avenue in Chicago late at night, I was blocks away from my hotel, but I wasn't going to make it back without finding a restroom first. I ducked into a luxury chocolate and cheese bar which seemed to be the only place open at the time. I was greeted by the most amazing ornate lobby. It took me a bit of research to figure out what this building was. The engraved inscription on the marble lintel was the start — "Es Selamu Aleikum." This is a Shriners' greeting which means, "Peace be with you."
Some more searching on "shriners" and "Michigan Avenue" led me to find the building used to be the Medinah Athletic Club, built in 1929, complete with 440 rooms, a 14th floor swimming pool used by Johnny Weismuller and Esther Williams, and a zeppelin dock on the roof. It's now the Intercontinental Hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment