If you've ever seen that pink building near the north end of Lake Shore Drive, chances are you've loved it, hated it, or wondered all about it (we've been in all three categories at one point or another).
Called Edgewater Beach Apartments, the building is actually a landmark structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After parking on historic Bryn Mawr Avenue, the walk to the pink building gave us some rich visual insight into the neighborhood's history, businesses and apartments. Here are a few highlights:
This amazing Art Deco facade belongs to the historic Belle Shore Apartment Hotel, a couple blocks west of Edgewater Beach Apartments.
The original Belle Shore Hotel sign.
Walking east toward the pink building, we loved the view of it peeking out from behind the neighborhood banners and lampposts.
Back to the reason for our stop. (The pink is actually much brighter in person!)
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Comments (9)
hi
just wanna say im so excited for chicago apartment therapy!
i live few blocks from the pink building, didnt know it is a landmark structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. i always thought thats ugly building but now i live close by, i begun to like it.
anyway, im looking foward to read more chicago apartment therapy.com
At one point, a long long time ago I believe the building was a very luxourious hotel-the cream of the crop at the far end of the city (almost the country at that time) that was, believe it or not RIGHT on the shore's edge. Then came LSD and the lakefront park project and just like that it became not-so-edge-water...
When the building went condo in the 80's the poor sould who bought (relatively cheap) were hit with massive (think dozens of millions) maintenance bills...
Actually, the hotel was a nearly identical pink building right next door called The Edgewater Beach Hotel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewater_Beach_Hotel)...
For reasons beyond me, the apartments survived while the hotel was torn down...
I've been in a few units in that building. It's a co-op with redonkulous assements but good lord what would I do for a marble bathroom with original deco fixtures and a view of the Hancock while I am brushing my teeth! I love this building.
It was built as the Edgewater Beach Apartments in the late 1920s as an add on to the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which was located where the 55 story triangular black building and tan seniors highrise to the the south of it stand today. (The two white slab buildings just north of the black one were on the hotel grounds)
The hotel was actually on the beach when it was built, but after the extention of Lake Shore Drive from Foster to Hollywood. The hotel was closed in 1967, and torn down in 69, about ten years after the extention of LSD due to financial problems, and high vacancy rates.
The hotel was famous for putting on big band shows by the likes of Tommy Dorsey, and Wayne King, which were broadcast from the hotel's own radio station. They also were host to celebrities and presidents (Marylin Monroe, Liz Taylor, FDR...) Ther is more about it on Wikipedia.
I used to live in the big black building at 5415, and for a house warming gift was given a hotel brochure from 1966, which highlights the many luxuries the hotel had.
oh, i love that building.
it's a total landmark.
always loved that building. even more when i was told mae west stayed there in her later years. now i want to hug it and kiss it.
This building used to have a sea plane in the old days that would actually fly people to Marshall Fields in the loop to shop. Long before Lake Shore Drive and cars were zooming everywhere.
Your monthly building fee is around $700 per month just for a one bedroom. Of course that does not even include your mortgage payments. If you move in, you have to put down 20% of the purchase price in advance and bring a big stack of recommendation letters.
hi I have old match your otel match I guess 60 years ago if u intersting I wanna buy it.thank u and best regard