As the birthplace of the skyscraper, Chicago is home to a sea of tall, stately buildings. Yet InterContinental Chicago stands out among the rest. The hotel is crowned with a gold, onion-shaped dome just north of the Chicago River. It’s said that this dome was built in the age of dirigibles as a place to dock airships, but did a blimp ever land here?
From its mysterious dome to its sumptuous architecture and design, there are many surprises hiding for you in this historic hotel.
Around the World in One Building
Today, the hotel is known as InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, but the Shriners built it in 1929 as the extravagant Medinah Athletic Club at a cost of $8 million. This historic part of the property is known as the South Tower of today’s InterContinental Hotel. It’s connected to the newer North Tower. The 42-story tower’s extravagant design by architect Walter W. Ahlschlager took visitors around the world. Three reliefs carved into the Indiana limestone exterior of the building depict Wisdom, Consecration, and Contribution in ancient Assyrian style. This was just a hint of what visitors found inside.
“Art work throughout the clubhouse is so lavish and of such richness as to surpass anything of a like nature in the city.” – Chicago Daily Tribune, 1929
Throughout the building, design elements from cultures including Assyrian, Egyptian, medieval English, Mesopotamian, and Greek covered every surface. Amenities inside the lavish club included a shooting range, boxing arena, bowling alley, and a miniature golf course on the 23rd floor complete with a wandering brook and water hazards.
The Golden Dome Mystery
InterContinental Chicago’s golden cupola was indeed designed to moor airships with a chimney and extension pole. A 1929 photo in the Art Institute’s collection even shows a zeppelin flying near the dome with this caption: “Count Dr. Eckener and his Zeppelin visits our club by air.”
However, no airship ever moored to the roof of any building in the United States. It turns out that zeppelin masts were neither safe nor practical. What they did offer was some great publicity for skyscrapers.
“Docking a large rigid airship to the top of a building is one of the worst ideas anyone could ever come up with, which is why it was never done.” – Dan Grossman, airship historian, for WBEZ
Still, the dome does conceal a secret. Few people know that the cupola sits just above a small lounge and outdoor terrace that’s located on the 42-floor rooftop. This rooftop is not open to the public, but I was able to visit and experience the dizzying views of downtown Chicago from just below the InterContinental’s golden dome. We took a special compact elevator from floor 38 to floor 42 to access the outdoor eastern and western terraces.
Supposedly, there is a small observatory inside the InterContinental Chicago’s golden dome with open windows. I suspect that these open windows are just part of the reason that the observatory is not open to the public. While I got as close as I could to the cupola, visiting the observatory inside the InterContinental’s dome is officially on my Chicago bucket list.
While most visitors won’t be accessing the InterContinental observatory, you can get to new heights by renting the Tower Lounge and guest rooms on the 32nd floor.
Chicago’s Prettiest Hotel Pool
Another way to dive into hotel history at InterContinental Chicago is by taking a dip in the opulent swimming pool. Located on the 14th floor, it was the first pool built at this height. InterContinental Chicago may have the prettiest hotel pool in America. The bright room is bathed in sunlight and decorated with original 1920s-era Spanish Majolica tiles. The original stained glass windows and fountain of Neptune transport hotel guests to the era of Jazz Age glamour.
Rows of seats recall the era when swimming was a spectator sport. With celebrities like Esther Williams and Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller swimming in the junior Olympic pool, it’s no wonder folks gathered to watch.
Pro Tip: You must be an InterContinental Chicago hotel guest to use the swimming pool.
A Mini-Museum
The Shriners left the Medinah Athletic Club when it went bankrupt in 1934, but you can still relive their glory days in the building. A tiny museum in the InterContinental Chicago’s lobby called the Cornerstone displays historic Shriner photos and memorabilia. One artifact, the Medinah Athletic Club’s 1930 yearbook called the SCIMITAR, was essential to the hotel’s $30 million restoration work in the 1980s. InterContinental Chicago used the book’s black-and-white photographs to duplicate and restore entire rooms.
Giant Chandeliers and Opulent Ballrooms
Many people don’t realize it, but you can explore InterContinental Chicago’s history and design for less than the cost of a hotel room. Many of the hotel’s grand spaces are publicly viewable if you know where to look. At one time, the concierge even offered a free tour via iPod!
A striking space greets you after walking through the lobby. The Hall of Lions features a tiled fountain flanked by a set of stairs. Lions appear etched on the marble walls.
Even the elevator lobbies are lavish. This one features fresco paintings of classical scenes and another beautiful fountain.
A stop in France is next at the Renaissance Ballroom. The ornate ballroom design evokes the era of Louis XVI. The room features imported Carpathian Elm Burl wood panels, hand-painted ceiling beams, and five Baccarat crystal chandeliers. Decorative gilded panels along the ceiling giving the room an extra luxurious glow. Behind elaborate window coverings, light streams in from a row of windows that face Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile.
On the seventh floor you’ll find the hotel’s largest ballroom. The Grand Ballroom lives up to its name with two levels and 37 hand-painted murals of classical landscapes along the elliptical ceiling. When the murals were restored, the InterContinental had none other than Lido Lippi complete the work. Lippi’s resume included restoring the Sistine Chapel! As if the room wasn’t luxurious enough, Lippi added 24-karat gold leaf to the moldings that line the paintings.
The real surprise inside the Grand Ballroom? A 12,000-pound Baccarat crystal chandelier that hangs from the 21-foot ceiling. This glittering behemoth was once the largest Baccarat crystal chandelier in North America.
King Arthur’s Court
On the third floor, look for King Arthur Court. The door may be open if there are no events taking place inside. Passing through the elevator lobby richly decorated with painted ceilings and cast-iron chandeliers will transport you back to the Middle Ages.
King Arthur’s Court served as the men’s smoking room at the Medinah Athletic Club, and it certainly feels regal. Stepping inside the Gothic room covered in wood panels, your eye is drawn to the colorful stained-glass window panels that tell the story of King Arthur and Parsifal. Once you look up, you’ll notice that decorative murals in medieval designs adorn the sixteen-foot ceilings.
The building’s architect, Walter Ahlschlager, paid for the stained glass windows himself. He commissioned multi-disciplinary artist Edgar Miller to create the windows depicting knights, peasants, jousts, and other medieval scenes. Edgar’s sister Hester Miller Murray helped him hand-paint the glass. You can see Miller’s work at Carl Street Studios here and learn more about Miller in my book Secret Chicago!
Detail of hand-painted stained glass by Edgar and Hester Miller in King Arthur’s Court
There’s one more historic secret hiding in King Arthur’s Court. Like any Prohibition-era smoking room, the members of the Medinah Athletic Club needed a place to hide their alcohol. Near the entrance to the room, one of the wooden panels on the wall is not like the others. It opens up to reveal a hole behind the wall where members could hide their libations.
Checking in at InterContinental Chicago
If you’re looking for a historic hotel in a prime location, InterContinental Chicago has you covered. The four-star hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America. It’s located along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side. InterContinental’s neighbors include landmarks like the Tribune Tower and Wrigley Building. There is plenty of prime shopping and dining within walking distance of the hotel, and Chicago’s Loop is just a short walk over the DuSable Bridge on the Chicago River.
At the time of publication, rooms start at $159 per night. Here are handy links to check the latest rates for InterContinental Chicago on Hotels.com, Booking.com, and Expedia.
Getting to InterContinental Chicago
The hotel is conveniently located for several modes of transportation. The closest ‘L’ train stop to Intercontinental Chicago is the Red Line station at Chicago. There are many bus stops nearby. If you need a taxi or car service, you can also book an airport transfer from O’Hare or Midway Airports. If you’re driving from O’Hare airport on I-90 E (the Kennedy Expressway), exit at E. Ohio St. Turn right on N. Orleans St. then left on W. Illinois St. and left on N. Lower Michigan Ave.
To park at InterContinental, you may valet overnight for $80. Alternatively, you can self-park at a nearby garage using SpotHero or a similar service.
Want to discover other hidden places in Chicago? Check out my books Secret Chicago: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure and Chicago Scavenger!
InterContinental Chicago
505 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
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“Hotel History in Chicago, Illinois – Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.” Historic Hotels Worldwide.
“InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.” Historic Hotels of America, National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“Meetings: Intercontinental Chicago.” InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.
Nargis, Jason, and Logan Jaffe. “Zeppelin Poseurs: Why Chicago’s Airship Dreams Never Took Off.” WBEZ Chicago, Chicago Public Media Inc., 8 Aug. 2016.
“New $8,000,000 Medinah Club Opens Tomorrow: Members to Inspect Lavish Quarters.” Chicago Daily Tribune, 14 Apr. 1929, p. 18.
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