Guyon Hotel

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Guyon Hotel
Guyon Hotel Chicago IL.jpg
The Guyon Hotel in 2010
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Location4000 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates 41°52′55″N87°43′35″W / 41.88194°N 87.72639°W / 41.88194; -87.72639
Arealess than one acre
Built1928 (1928)
ArchitectJensen J. Jensen
Architectural style Moorish Revival [1]
NRHP reference No. 85000966 [2]
Added to NRHPMay 9, 1985

The Guyon Hotel is a historic former hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The hotel was designed by Jens J. Jensen - no relation to the famous landscape architect Jens Jensen - in 1927 and was built in red and cream brick with arched windows on two floors and exquisite, detailed terra cotta ornaments typical of Jensen's work. [3] [4] It was built at a cost of $1,650,000 by J. Louis Guyon, a French-Canadian nightclub owner and dance instructor. [1]

The Guyon Hotel's first floor included commercial space and the hotel's lobby. [4] Two ballrooms were located on the second floor. [4] Guyon resided in the south penhouse. [4]

After the hotel opened in 1928, owner J. Louis Guyon mounted two AM radio towers to broadcast his radio station, WGES; the station aired morally conservative programming and music. [1] One of the second floor ballrooms was used as the station's studio. [4] Control of WGES was transferred to Harry and Thomas Guyon in the mid-1930s, and the station left the hotel in 1942, but it continues to broadcast as WGRB. [5] [6] [7] [8] The hotel entered into receivership during the Great Depression, and in 1939 it was sold for $425,000. [1] In 1940, it was sold to Jack Galper and George London. [1] In 1948, the AM towers were replaced with an FM tower, and WOAK began broadcasts from the hotel. [9] [10] [4] WOAK became WFMT in 1951 and began airing classical music. [11] In 1954, the station's studios and transmitter were moved to the LaSalle–Wacker Building. [9] [11] In 1964, the hotel was sold for $500,000. [1]

Soon after the hotel opened, police raided the four-room suite of Jack McGurn, also known as "Machine Gun Jack McGurn", a member of Al Capone's mob, and arrested him and another man after finding a machine gun and other weapons. [12]

In 1985, the Guyon Hotel was sold to the Lutheran non-profit organization Bethel New Life, who renovated the building and converted it to affordable housing. [1] Former President Jimmy Carter stayed in the renovated hotel for a week while working on a rehabilitation project with Habitat for Humanity; his room was reportedly "roach-infested" and "furnished with only a couch and a milk crate". [1] The housing effort ultimately failed when Bethel New Life ran out of funds. The building currently lies vacant and has changed possession over six times since 1995. [3] Due to building code violations, the hotel is in city demolition court; it is considered one of the ten most endangered landmarks in Illinois by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. [13]

The Guyon Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 1985. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moser, Whet (April 27, 2012). "A Short History of Chicago's Beautiful, Decrepit Guyon Hotel". Chicago . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Ori, Ryan. "Historic West Side hotel for sale at $500,000", Crain's Chicago Business . October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Guyon Hotel" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Federal Communications Commission Reports: Decisions, Reports, Public Notices, and Other Documents of the Federal Communications Commission of the United States . Federal Communications Commission. July 1934–July 1935. Volume 1. pp. 125-127. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ 1938 Yearbook Number , Broadcasting, 1938. p. 68. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ "F.C.C. Activities", Radio Daily. September 15, 1937. p. 8. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  8. ↑ History Cards for WGRB, fcc.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. pp. 353-354.
  10. ↑ "FM Outlet Histories", Broadcasting — Telecasting . A Continuing Study of Major Radio Markets: Study No. 7: Chicago. October 25, 1948. p. 21-22. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Von Rhein, John. "A strong signal", Chicago Tribune . December 16, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Jimmy Carter slept here, and other tales from the Guyon Hotel in West Garfield Park". Chicago Tribune. 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  13. ↑ "Hotel Guyon". 2012 Ten Most Endangered Historic Places. Landmarks Illinois. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
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