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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

History

The

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

building was constructed in 1927 and initially functioned as a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

. 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 The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Po ...

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.National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Louis Joliet Hotel
/ref> 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

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s, and

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, 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 A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...

and offered valet services to hotel guests. 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

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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 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 or "great artistic v ...

in 1990 and was later converted into an apartment building.

References

{{Joliet, Illinois Buildings and structures in Joliet, Illinois History of Joliet, Illinois Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Will County, Illinois