The Palmer House hotel in Chicago underwent a $170 million restoration to return it to its original grandeur as one of the oldest and longest continuously operating hotels in North America. The restoration involved renovating over 900 guest rooms and public spaces while keeping the hotel open, and restoring historic architectural details and ornamentation. It presented challenges like renovating around occupancy and uncovering hidden building conditions, but was completed on time and on budget while enhancing the hotel's appeal and landmark status.

1. 40 , []
1:,i
Restoring al-
A historic Chicago hotel remains the longest continuously operating hotel
in North America while restored to its original grandeur
WZ GRAND PRIEE
0 Palmer House, Chicago
°....a............................................................................
n
CATEGORY: INTERIOR DESIGN
GEORGEPFOERTNER, PFOERTNER PHOT
By Amanda B. Piell, Assistant Editor Photo above:
Originally built by Potter Palmer as a wedding gift for his wife, the renovation of the er terior of the
Much work went into the $170
Palmer House during million restorati
ion. Antiquated
Bertha Honor6 Palmer, in the late 191h century, the Palmer fire escapes had to be removed from the prom
inent State
House is one of 26 grand palace hotels in the world. Both Street faqade, and the marble stone work on tl he walls of the
luxurious and modern, the original hotel featured the latest Monroe Street entrance had to be preserved.
technology of the time, including the first "vertical steam rail-
road" (the elevator); Edison's new invention, the light bulb;
and Bell's new communication device, the telephone.
Later, in 1923, the present Palmer House was built in two
sections so that it never had to close its doors, making it the
longest continuously operating hotel in North America. Over
the years, particularly after 1945 with the advent of air-condi-
tioning and sprinklers, renovations gave the hotel a different
sort of design that, according to Jim Pritchett, principal in
charge at Loebl Schlossman & Hack], the architect of record
for the restoration project, "had a negative impact on the his-
torical quality of the building as a landmark."
By 2006, the Palmer House had become the oldest hotel
in its class, and when a new owner acquired the 1.6 mil-
lion-square-foot hotel, they wanted to capture the growing
Chicago convention market by restoring the building to its
original grandeur. The owner recognized the Palmer House
as a historical icon for the city of Chicago, and as a vibrant
economic asset for the downtown area.
Significant improvements were required in the
guestrooms, public spaces, and infrastructure of the
Palmer House Hilton to convert the building's land-
mark status into an added investment value: guest-
room floors had not been renovated in over a decade,
the building's plumbing and mechanical systems had
been in place since 1925, the most prominent State
PROJECT TEAM 1,,
ARCHITECT OF RECORD r
I )iq 1 ( i; K
OWNER:} FT1
MT
OWNER/OPERATOR: fA I I
MEP ENGINEER: ,('I - , iN
INTERIOR DESIGNER: TPI 'I
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: , , r -T.1<AY ,Ar
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: f 1E
F 1 Hf-1 iN

2. I I 41
4
Street fa(,ade retained antiquated exterior fire escapes, and at the entrance be preserved.
the electrical work was in worse condition than anticipated A significant challenge of the restoration project was keep-
and had to be replaced. ing the hotel in operation during the renovation and con-
The design team plainned to enhance the hotel's clas- struction. "[Because] this hotel has been in continuous opera-
sic Frencoh revival interiors to provide a new, modern guest tion since its inception, we had to have at least 85 percent
experience, as well as to work with city agencies to qualify occupancy every day," says Pritchett. "We had to phase the
the complex restoration project for landmark certification. project, and we had to work with the contractor and all of the
The renovation included over 900 guestrooms, 54 suites, concealed and hidden conditions that were going to emerge.
and a new penthouse, in addition to several new venues, We took out 21 bays of concrete in a concrete building, which
includinq the Lockwood restaurant and a 1920s chic night creates a great deal of noise and dust, and we have people
lounge named after Potter Palmer. Additionally, the previ- sleeping." Additionally, the design team had to restore archi-
oUsly hiiden historic ornamentation of the Honore Ballroom tectural features that had been forgotten or covered up and
was uncovered, and the design team enhanced the building's restore the Palmer House's historical elegance while creat-
facade by removing ing a hotel that would appeal to contemporary clientele. The
the antiquated fire design also had to protect the hotel's landmarked spaces.
escapes and restor- Despite these challenges, the restoration of the Palmer
ing castings, stone House was completed ahead of schedule and on budget.
work, and entries. Special attention was given to revitalizing the hotel's 80,000
The City of Chicago square feet of interior retail space - bronze and travertine
Landmarks Division columns illuminated by energy-efficient LEDs were installed,
was particularly con- and a unified storefront was recreated in polished bronze. A
cerned that the integ- major spa, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, and a sublevel
rity of the stone work 200-car parking garage were also added with the restoration,
as well as new windows
Energy-efficient with insulating glass
LEDs provide an and frames; consolidated
attractive shop-
ping experience air-handling units; high-
in the Palmer efficiency base building
House's revital- equipment; a new, high-
ized retail arcade efficiency commercial
(top photo, this
kitchen; new lighting and
page).
dimming equipment with
Historical standards for compact flu-
elements were orescents in 2,000 rooms;
used as inspiration and fixtures with reduced
for contemporary
water flow.
design themes,
furnishings, and Additionally, the
carpets, provid- landmark-status Pea-
ing continuity cock Doors, originally
between old and designed by Louis Com-
new in the Palmer
House lobby (left), fort Tiffany, were refin-
Honori Ballroom ished and stand inside
(far left), and new the Monroe Street
guestrooms entrance as an architec-
(bottom far left).
tural feature. The pea-
cock color palette and
classical motifs are car-
ried throughout the hotel to unify the restora-
tion, and the Honore Ballroom was preserved
and restored to its classical 1920s elegance.
"It's a beautiful restoration," says Pritchett.
"You have to understand that Potter Palmer and
his wife, Bertha Palmer, had a great deal of taste.
They brought a sensibility to America of Euro-
pean elegance and grandeur. So, being able to
restore the landmark with a certain flair and
elegance that Potter and Bertha Palmer would
have originally wanted to create as a backdrop
for Chicago was the essence of the greatest, best
part of the project for everybody involved." m

3. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
TITLE: Restoring a Landmark
SOURCE: Buildings 103 no10 O 2009
The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it
is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in
violation of the copyright is prohibited.