Louis Joliet Hotel

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Louis Joliet Hotel
Louis Joliet Hotel 1926 - Copy.jpg
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Location 22 East Clinton Street
Joliet, Will County, Illinois, United States
Coordinates 41°31′32″N88°4′30″W / 41.52556°N 88.07500°W / 41.52556; -88.07500 Coordinates: 41°31′32″N88°4′30″W / 41.52556°N 88.07500°W / 41.52556; -88.07500
Built 1927
Architect Noyes Roach
Architectural style Classical Revival
NRHP reference # 90000101
Added to NRHP February 9, 1990

The Louis Joliet Hotel is a historic, eight-story building in Joliet, Illinois.

Joliet, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County and a major part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. At the 2010 census, the city was the fourth largest in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. A population estimate in 2018 put Joliet's population at 150,495, which would make it the 3rd largest city in Illinois if accurate.

Illinois State of the United States of America

Illinois is a state in the Midwestern and Great Lakes region of the United States. It has the fifth largest gross domestic product (GDP), the sixth largest population, and the 25th largest land area of all U.S. states. Illinois is often noted as a microcosm of the entire United States. With Chicago in northeastern Illinois, small industrial cities and immense agricultural productivity in the north and center of the state, and natural resources such as coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base, and is a major transportation hub. Chicagoland, Chicago's metropolitan area, encompasses over 65% of the state's population. The Port of Chicago connects the state to international ports via two main routes: from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois Waterway to the Illinois River. The Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Wabash River form parts of the boundaries of Illinois. For decades, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and, through the 1980s, in politics.

History

The Classical Revival building was constructed in 1927 and initially functioned as a hotel. The Louis Joliet was one of many hotels to set up in downtown Joliet in response to increased automobile usage. The ensuing economical surge resulted in a substantial increase in the number of business travelers, and hence, an increased demand for hotel rooms. Whereas previous hotels needed to be close to either the Illinois and Michigan Canal or a train station, new hotels could set up anywhere in town. New hotels were architecturally ornate and featured dinner rooms and ballrooms. These features were intended to draw in travelers and make the hotel seem ideal for conducting business. [1]

Hotel Establishment that provides lodging paid on a short-term basis

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refrigerator and other kitchen facilities, upholstered chairs, a flat screen television, and en-suite bathrooms. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities. Larger, higher-priced hotels may provide additional guest facilities such as a swimming pool, business centre, childcare, conference and event facilities, tennis or basketball courts, gymnasium, restaurants, day spa, and social function services. Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms. Some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food and drinks to all guests within certain stated hours. In Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities.

Illinois and Michigan Canal canal

The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Portage, and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era. It was opened in 1848. Its function was largely replaced by the wider and shorter Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.

The Ruben Brothers were prominent developers who envisioned a new hotel near the site where they planned on building a theater. They aimed to construct an entire city block that served business and entertainment needs. The Rialto Square Theatre was constructed in 1926, but they struggled to secure financing for a hotel. Real estate developer Fred J. Walsh shared the Rubens' interest in developing a hotel on the site and was able to issue stock to finance the project. At eight stories, the Joliet Hotel was among the largest buildings in downtown Joliet upon its completion in 1927. The 225-room building cost approximately $750,000, including over $135,000 on furniture. The first floor of the hotel featured stores selling coffee, cigars, and newspapers, as well as a barber shop and reading room. The outside of the building also featured eleven shops. The hotel also owned a parking garage and offered valet services to hotel guests. [1]

Rialto Square Theatre theater and former movie theater in Joliet, Illinois, United States

The Rialto Square Theatre is a theater in Joliet, Illinois (U.S.). Opening in 1926, it was originally designed and operated as a vaudeville movie palace, but it now houses mainly musicals, plays, concerts, and standup comedy. It is also available for public and private functions. Designed in the Neo-Baroque style, it is considered one of "150 great places in Illinois" by the American Institute of Architects.

Coffee Brewed beverage

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species. The genus Coffea is native to tropical Africa and Madagascar, the Comoros, Mauritius, and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Coffee plants are now cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Africa. The two most commonly grown are C. arabica and C. robusta. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. Dried coffee seeds are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. Roasted beans are ground and then brewed with near-boiling water to produce the beverage known as coffee.

Cigar tightly-rolled bundle of tobacco designed to be lit and smoked

A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. They are produced in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made up of three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf, which is often the best leaf used. Often the cigar will have a band printed with the cigar manufacturer's logo. Modern cigars often come with 2 bands, especially Cuban Cigar bands, showing Limited Edition bands displaying the year of production.

By the 1950s, the demand for urban hotels was on the decline as they struggled to compete with smaller, cheaper motels along the highway. In 1964, the hotel was sold to the Active Order of Carmelites and was converted to a nursing home. In 1980, the hotel was remodeled and used as a performing arts center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and was later converted into an apartment building. [1]

Carmelites Catholic mendicant religious order

The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order founded, probably in the 12th century, on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States, hence the name Carmelites. However, historical records about its origin remain very uncertain. Berthold of Calabria has traditionally been associated with the founding of the order, but few clear records of early Carmelite history have survived.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Louis Joliet Hotel


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