Lexington Hotel

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For the hotel in New York City, see The Lexington Hotel NYC. For the Vantage Hospitality chain, see Vantage Hospitality.
Lexington Hotel
The Lexington Hotel as depicted in a postcard circa 1906
General information
Completed1891/1892
Demolished1995
The hotel in a dilapidated state in the late 20th century (tour guide in foreground)

The Lexington Hotel was a ten-story[1] hotel in Chicago at 2135 S. Michigan Avenue[2] that 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] 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[]

  1. ^ "July 19, 1891 - AMONG ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS. | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-08-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ a b "April 15, 1984 - Former 'painted lady' to get a touch of class | Chicago Tribune Archive". Archives.chicagotribune.com. 1984-04-15. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  4. ^ a b "Lexington Hotel". Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  5. ^ "Raid Gangdom for 'Slayers' of Mike Heitler (May 2, 1931)". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  6. ^ Hughes, John (2014). The Mafia Court: Corruption in Chicago. Trine Day. p. 22. ISBN 978-1937584528.
  7. ^ Ogden, Tom (2014). Haunted Chicago: Famous Phantoms, Sinister Sites, and Lingering Legends. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 89. ISBN 978-1493012381.
  8. ^ "Demolition of Al Capone's Headquarters The Lexington Hotel Part 1". YouTube. 2014-11-17. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  9. ^ "Al Capone's Old Headquarters, 93-year-old Lexington Hotel, Gains". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  10. ^ "The Lex rocks with style, amenities". Chicago Tribune. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2020-06-23.

Coordinates: 41°51′11.5″N 87°37′24.0″W / 41.853194°N 87.623333°W / 41.853194; -87.623333


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