The Lexington Hotel was a ten-story[1] hotel in Chicago at 2135 S. Michigan Avenue.[2]
| Lexington Hotel | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Completed | 1891/1892 |
| Demolished | 1995 |
History
editThe Lexington Hotel was built in 1892 (or 1891[3]) for attendees of the Columbian Exposition.[4] The hotel is notable for being Al Capone's primary residence from July 1928 until his arrest in 1931.[5] After the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, some commenters called the hotel "Capone's Castle."[6][7] It was later renamed "The New Michigan Hotel" and functioned as a brothel with 400 rooms.[3] The hotel closed in 1980.[4]
The hotel was featured on S7:Ep21 of This Old House. It was being renovated at the time.
On April 21, 1986, locked vaults found in the hotel were the subject of a live television program called The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, which received 30 million viewers. The building was demolished in 1995, despite its presence on the list of Chicago landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9] The location where the hotel once stood is currently the site of a 296 unit residential high rise called "The Lex"[10] that was completed in 2012.
References
edit- ^ "July 19, 1891 - AMONG ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS. | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "History Files - al Capone". Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ a b "April 15, 1984 - Former 'painted lady' to get a touch of class | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. April 15, 1984. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "Lexington Hotel". Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "Raid Gangdom for 'Slayers' of Mike Heitler (May 2, 1931)". Chicago Tribune. May 2, 1931. p. 2. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Hughes, John (2014). The Mafia Court: Corruption in Chicago. Trine Day. p. 22. ISBN 978-1937584528.
- ^ Ogden, Tom (2014). Haunted Chicago: Famous Phantoms, Sinister Sites, and Lingering Legends. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 89. ISBN 978-1493012381.
- ^ "Demolition of Al Capone's Headquarters The Lexington Hotel Part 1". YouTube. November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "Al Capone's Old Headquarters, 93-year-old Lexington Hotel, Gains". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "The Lex rocks with style, amenities". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
41°51′11.5″N 87°37′24.0″W / 41.853194°N 87.623333°W
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