Hotel Grasmere, 4621 N. Sheridan

The four-story Hotel Grasmere was designed by R.C. Harris and built in 1915. It survived as an apartment hotel well into the sixties. Today, the building is home to Grasmere Place, LLC. The image below is from Google maps.

Hotel Melbourne, 4625 N. Racine

Hotel Melbourne, 4625 N. Racine, Chicago.

Somerset Hotel, 5009 Sheridan at Argyle

The Somerset Hotel, on Sheridan at Argyle, looking north. What a great image! I wish the terracotta buildings just to the south were still there, instead of the mid-rise.

This is how the hotel looks today. Now known as Somerset Place, it functions as a nursing care facility. Image from Google street views.

The Somerset was designed by Samuel N. Crowen and opened in 1920. It originally had 441 furnished rooms arranged in 205 suites of one to four rooms. It was described as "the ideal dwelling place for those desiring the homelike atmosphere and privacy of an apartment combined with all the modern conveniences of a hotel." Jazz Age Chicago has an excellent history of the hotel.

Viceroy Hotel Key Fob

Here's one of my new favorite pieces, which I recently acquired at auction. It is a room key fob from the Viceroy Hotel. Built in 1926 and located at the southwest corner of Kenmore and Lawrence, the Viceroy was designed by architects Huszagh and Hill, who also left their stamp on the neighborhood with the beautiful Aragon Ballroom and the New Lawrence Hotel, kitty corner from the Viceroy.

The thumbnail image is of the Viceroy in 1926. To see the full size version, go here.

Today the Viceroy is known as the Lorali, a retirement and care facility. A few years ago, the building owners stripped away much of the elaborate terra cotta. I'm not sure if they sold the pieces or threw them away.

The Monterey Hotel, Junior Terrace at Clarendon

The Monterey Hotel. 808 Junior Terrace, Corner Clarendon Ave. (4300 North) Chicago 13, Illinois. The back of the card reads: The North Shore's finest Residential Hotel. Catering to transient and Residential Guests. Located on the exclusive North Side, Overlooking Lake Michigan, Lincoln Park and the Outer Drive. 15 minutes to Downtown Shopping and Theatre Center. Motor bus at door. 808 Junior Terrace, Chicago 13, IL.

Image courtesy Brian M.