Palmer House: Chicago’s Billion-Dollar Burned-Down Wedding Gift

Built in 1870 as a Gilded Age love letter from Potter Palmer to Bertha Palmer, the Palmer House is basically the Midwest’s mansion that refuses to die—literally. The original seven-story romance got flambéed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but did they quit? Nope! It was back by 1873, then got redecorated in the Roaring '20s from a cute hotel to a 25-story palace right in the middle of Chicago. Hosted every U.S. president since Ulysses S. Grant—yes, even the sarcastic ones—but somehow skipped George W. Bush, probably because even presidential visits have standards. Boasts fanciness like Tiffany doors salvaged from jewelry stores and a lobby with ceiling frescoes so posh a columnist called it 'a protest of romance against everydayness.' Rooms start at $240 a night in 2025, proving history is pricey—kind of like inheriting your weird relatives' estate but with chandeliers and peacocks. Oh, and it’s a Hilton now, because even legends sell out to chains.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Hosting nearly every president since Grant but skipping George W.? Palmer House plays hard to get like an ex you can’t trust with your Wi-Fi password.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

The Palmer House survived a fire, jazz, and presidents—yet its biggest talent is turning a wedding gift into a 25-story flex of 'please book my pricey rooms.'

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

If luxury hotels had family trees, Palmer House’s would be a soap opera co-starring Ulysses S. Grant, bronzed statues gossiping about peacocks, and a past richer than your 401(k).

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