However closely you may pay attention to your immediate surroundings, sometimes there is a gem right under your nose, in your own backyard. And so it was that Osgood and I came to be wandering wide-eyed through the building next door.
The Inter-Continental Hotel, just north of the Tribune Tower, has appeared for a long time to be in a constant state of renovation; indeed, over the last 12 years the property has been the beneficiary of more than $200 million in renovations.
This summer, the hotel quietly began offering tours that allow anyone to explore some of its magnificently restored spaces.
From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, you can walk up to the concierge desk and, in exchange for a driver’s license, be given a tape recorder and headphones that will guide you on a 20-minute tour of the property. In that time you will see such things as painted ceilings, fountains, marble columns, wall carvings (the story behind the lions in the lobby is great) and all manner of interesting architectural and design touches.
They are parts of the original structure built in 1929 as the Medinah Athletic Club. It closed as such in 1935 and over the decades was a hotel under various owners before being combined in 1990 with what had been the Sheraton Hotel, built alongside in 1961.
The suit of armor in Osgood’s picture is one of two that seem to be standing guard in the King Arthur Foyer and Court. And though there are some rooms you won’t be able to see, you’ll be wowed by the swimming pool on the 12th floor; perhaps so much so that you’ll be tempted to purchase a $15 day pass to take a dip.
There are a few self-promotional bits on the tape, singing the praises of other Inter-Continental properties, but so what?
Too many of Michigan Avenue’s great buildings have vanished over the years. It’s nice that one of them has been saved and polished and made so easily accessible.
