Hotel Père Marquette in Peoria

• Construction finish: 1927
• Designed by: Horace Trumbauer
• Renovated: 1972
• Renovated: 1966
• Renovated: 1961
• Renovated: 1954
• Type: Hotel
• Stories: 14

• January 5, 1927: This hotel opened for business.
• 1930: An addition is put on this building, adding 125 rooms to the existing 350.
• 1951: This hotel was sold to Boss Hotels.
• 1954: The hotel's mezzanine level is enclosed and the spectacular lobby ceiling is hidden behind a false ceiling.
• 1966: The crystal is removed from the ballroom chandeliers.
• 1972: The hotel's grand main entrance on Main Street was bricked up.
• 1972: Hilton Hotels takes over this property.

• The 12th floor has a special suite called the "owner's apartment" which has a secret panel built into the fireplace. Behind that panel the owner of the hotel hid his liquor during Prohibition.

• Murals depicting French settlers arriving in Illinois. They were painted by George Mathews Harding.

• Becker Building
• Twin Towers Plaza
• Sacred Heart Church
• The Twin Towers
• Commerce Bank Building
• Peoria Civic Center
• City Hall
• Associated Bank Plaza
• Holiday Inn Peoria City Center
• River Valley Plaza

There is one comment.

  I like this building. The Hotel Sign on top was part of the building to become a landmark. Peoria's best known hotel since 1927. It was actually Peoria's 2nd tallest building when completed, but when the 1980s came, newer developments surpassed it, making it now Peoria's 5th tallest building. Who knows what will happen by 2015? Maybe even taller buildings in Peoria. If that happens, this building will drop down the list big time.

Brent Kampert - Monday, June 15th, 2009 @ 12:33pm