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Palmer House Hotel

  • Inside lobby of an opulent gold hotel
  • Hotel interior showing a painted ceiling, a staircase, and golden light fixtures and a Christmas tree in the center

    Palmer House lobby during the holiday season. Photo courtesy of the Palmer House Hotel.

Experience the glamour, intrigue and excitement of the Palmer House, a "Grand Hotel" and an official Chicago Landmark.

  • Inside lobby of an opulent gold hotel
  • Hotel interior showing a painted ceiling, a staircase, and golden light fixtures and a Christmas tree in the center

    Palmer House lobby during the holiday season. Photo courtesy of the Palmer House Hotel.

The Palmer House is truly a magical place! View the imposing architecture and elegant public spaces while learning about the history of the country's oldest continually operating hotel.

Duration
1 hour
Site Type
Buildings
Location
Downtown
Architects and Styles
Meet

Inside the hotel entrance at 124 S. Wabash Ave.

Learn about the legacy of the Palmers. View beautiful rooms that reflect elegant European styling, including chandeliers from France, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Italy, multiple works by Tiffany and a ceiling with paintings by a French muralist. The hotel received numerous awards for its most recent multimillion-dollar restoration and renovation.

Tour reviews

    • My experience with the Palmer House goes back much further than this tour, so I know it well and that was the reason that I wanted to work on creating the tour. I always look forward to going there and usually see something beautiful that I had never noticed before.
      Joan StewartCAC Docent
  • Picture of a woman taking a photo inside a hotel lobby which contains people sitting on chairs, golden light fixtures, and a painted ceiling

    Palmer House lobby. Photo courtesy of the Palmer House Hotel.

  • Exterior shot looking up at a building covered in windows with white walls on the first few stories and then red brick going up from there.

    Exterior of Palmer House Hotel. Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

  • Picture of a woman taking a photo inside a hotel lobby which contains people sitting on chairs, golden light fixtures, and a painted ceiling

    Palmer House Hotel lobby interior

Tour Accessibility

CAC is committed to improving access to our tours. The accessibility information below reflects our docents’ experience and is provided for general guidance only.

What to expect on this tour

  • Icon of a person walking with a red percentage sign

    Terrain & Surfaces

    Easy - Paved and flat the entire route

  • Icon of a wheelchair and red arrow

    Wheelchair & Walker Access

    Moderate - Ramps and alternate routes provided

  • Icon of the outline or some steps and a red arrow pointing diagonally right and up.

    Steps or Stairs

    Moderate - Step-free alternate route available

  • Icon of an ear with a red throughline

    Hearing Access

    Difficult - Loud environment, no devices available 

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